The city is named after Pushkin in honor of the famous Russian poet, whose life was closely connected with these places. Until 1918 the city was called Tsarskoe Selo. For two centuries, since the XVIII century, Tsarskoe Selo was the grand summer residence of Russian emperors. Here is the famous Amber Room, lost during the Great Patriotic War and restored to the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in 2003.

In the reign of Catherine II, the Alexander Palace, the Agate Rooms, the Cameron Gallery and the Grand-Ducal Corps were built; were expanded and decorated with many new buildings and monuments in honor of the empress's associates. Construction in Tsarskoe Selo continued under Alexander I and Nicholas I. According to Alexander's decision, in 1810 the Lyceum was opened, in which ASPushkin and other prominent figures of Russian culture studied.

In the Alexander Palace since 1905, the last Russian autocrat Nicholas II was permanently living, until his arrest in 1917.

In Tsarskoye Selo in all its completeness there is a variety of artistic styles of baroque (in the buildings of F.-B. Rastrelli) and classicism (in the buildings of Charles Cameron, J. Quarenghi, V. Stasov and others). Pushkin is listed in the list of cities protected by UNESCO.