Photos

Turkish Bath Pavilion (1850 - 1852) in Catherine Park.
The “Turkish Bath” pavilion was erected on a small headland in the south-west part of the Great Pond between 1850 and 1852 on the orders of Emperor Nicholas I. It was the last structure to be built on the territory of the Catherine Park. This pavilion, devised as a sort of memorial to the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29, constructed in the mid-nineteenth century, continued in its way the previous century’s taste for “Moresque” style in architecture.
The dome of the building was decorated with relief ornament, while the tall minaret crowned by a spire and crescent gave it a particularly picturesque appearance.
During the Second World War, the “Turkish Bath” was damaged by direct hits from shells. The facades of the building were reconstructed in 1953. A more thorough, exterior and interior restoration followed in 2006-2009.
The war with Turkey mentioned here took place 60 years later than the one that Chesme Column was built to commemorate. You can see the Chesme Column in the background here, as well.
The Russo-Turkish wars were a series of wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest conflicts in European history – with the first one to start in 1568 and the last one to end in 1918, with Russian victory in the first phase, Turkish victory in the second phase and eventual collapse of both empires. In total the conflict was going on – on and off – for 350 years, and judging by the fact that just one imperial park has 2 monuments dedicated to those wars it was quite an agenda for Russian tsars.