The daughter of the Russian Tsar Paul I married the Hereditary Prince Carl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in August 1804. Since she had not only considerable political influence but also great financial means, she became an important figure in the cultural development of Weimar after Carl August's death.
In addition to her charitable work, she promoted education and music, advocated for improvements in agriculture and horticulture, and supported measures to beautify the countryside surrounding the royal seat. She took up her summer residence in Belvedere. There, she preferred to spend time in the Russian Garden, which Carl Friedrich had had laid out for her in 1811 based on the model of the "Höchsteigenen Garten" (Very Own Garden) at the Pavlovsk Tsar's Palace.
