The Catherine Palace was the Rococo summer residence of the Russian tsars located in the town of Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo), 25 km south-east
of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717 when Catherine I of Russia engaged the German architect Johann-Friedrich Braunstein
to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. Empress Elizabeth, however, found the residence outdated and incommodious and in May
1756 asked her court architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a
flamboyant Rococo style.

During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its obscenely lavish exterior. More than 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the sophisticated
stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof. It was even rumoured that the palace's roof was constructed entirely of gold.

Although the palace is popularly associated with Catherine the Great (Catherine II), she actually regarded its "whipped cream" architecture as old-
fashioned. When she ascended the throne, a number of statues in the park were being covered with gold, in accordance with the last wish of
Empress Elizabeth, yet the new monarch had all the works suspended upon being informed about the expense.

During World War II the German military forces had the residence intentionally destroyed. Although the largest part of the reconstruction was
completed in time for the Tercentenary of St Petersburg in 2003, much work is still required to restore the palace to its former glory.
In order to attract funds, the administration of the palace lately leased the Grand Hall to such high-profile events as Elton John's
concert for the elite audience in 2001 and the 2005 exclusive party which featured the likes of Bill Clinton, Tina Turner,
Whitney Houston, Naomi Campbell, and Sting.

This information was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Palace , which contains a very thorough article on the palace.