Peterhof

30 kilometers from St. Petersburg
There is its brilliant suburb - Peterhof. Until the revolution of 1917, it was one of the royal summer residences.

The word "Peterhof" in German means "Peter yard". It was first mentioned in Peter 1’s travel diary in 1714. In a sense, Peterhof owes its appearance to Kronstadt (which was founded in the winter of 1703-04). Peter often visited the construction of the sea fortress and traveled by land and sea. The road by land went along the highway close to the current Peterhof highway to the Peterhof manor or Oranienbaum. Here Peter and his retinue were transferred to the ship and by water reached the island of Kotlin. For stops in these frequent trips, Peter ordered to lay a small guide house, which eventually became his favorite child - Peterhof. The drainage of the coastal territory began, and after that the work on the breakdown of the park, the construction of the Grand and Small Palaces began. When Peter visited Versailles, he was inspired by the idea to create a “Russian Versailles” here, near St. Petersburg. Many European ideas came to our country at the beginning of the 18th century, but getting on Russian soil in a bizarre way were transformed and modified in such a way that they became original and national phenomena, entire layers of Russian culture. That's Peterhof.

In the early 1710s, Peter himself sketched a plan for a palace on a hill and a park with fountains. Construction work began in 1714. Peter 1 invited architects from Europe. The first architect was Johann Braunstein, who developed a general plan and began to implement it. Leblon also spent some time building Peterhof until his death in 1719, and then Zemtsov continued.

August 15, 1723 was the opening day of Peterhof, Peter 1 invited foreign ambassadors and arranged a grand celebration. The sea residence symbolized Russia’s breakthrough to the sea and the end of the Great Northern War.

During Elizabeth’s time, the Upper Chambers (Grand Palace) were reconstructed by F.B. Rastrelli in the Baroque style. He preserved the central part of Peter’s buildings, built the floor and enlarged the facades, creating a suite of rooms. On the east side there was a palace church (“wing under the cross”), and on the west – “wing under the coat of arms”. By 1755 the work was completed.

The summer residence was used on the most solemn occasions. The palace was illuminated by 10,000 candles, up to 3,000 guests were invited to balls and only a select few had the opportunity to spend the night in the palace. The rest stayed in their carriages, which were placed in the Upper Garden.

The famous Peterhof fountains, especially the Grand Cascade, are monuments to the victories of Russia. “Samson tearing the lion’s mouth” symbolizes Russia, which defeated Sweden in the Northern War. The decisive battle – the Battle of Poltava took place on June 27, 1709, on the day of St. Samson the Strange Receptor. Well, the lion is a symbol of Sweden, it is depicted on its coat of arms. Thus, the allegory becomes comprehensible to modern man. The fountain was erected in 1735 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava. The jet is 21 meters high.

The Grand Cascade has 17 waterfall ledges, 39 gilded statues, 29 bas-reliefs, 142 water jets.

By the sea channel, the Lower Park is divided into two parts. On the eastern half is Monplaisir ("my joy", "my pleasure" French) - a small palace, so beloved by Peter 1. Construction began in 1714 and was completed by 1723. The small building, made in the Dutch manner, blown by all the winds, was very liked by Peter. Outside the windows of his Maritime Cabinet, Peter saw the embodiment of his dream into reality: ships sailed along the Gulf of Finland, the outlines of Kronstadt and St. Petersburg were visible, Russia “became a hard foot at the sea.”

To Monplesir leads the alley, starting from the cascade "Chess Mountain". There are also Roman fountains nearby. The first fountains appeared in front of the cascade in 1739, over time they underwent a number of changes according to the designs of Rastrelli and other masters.

In the far right, in the depths of the park is the fountain "Pyramid". It was first mentioned in 1721. Initially, the fountain was wooden, but by the end of the 18th century. acquired marble finish. 505 nozzles, adjusted in diameter, form 7 tiers of jets. The pyramid uses more water than other fountains.

Returning to Monpesir, one cannot but notice the monument to the founder Peter 1. At the intersection of the Monplaisier Alley and the Marlin Perspective in 1884, a monument to Peter I was erected. Bronze Peter in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky regiment vigorously stepped, leaning on a cane, to the shore of the Gulf of Finland. In his left hand is tightly clamped telescope. The view of Peter, his whole figure express the determination of the commander and statesman, the transformer of Russia. The monument was created by a wonderful Russian sculptor of the XIX century M. Antokolsky. During the occupation of Peterhof, the Nazis stole the statue and subsequently failed to find it. According to the author’s gypsum model, preserved at the Monumentskulptura plant, a copy was made and a monument was installed in its place in 1956.

The main axis of the Lower Park is connected with the Marlin Alley, laid parallel to the sea shore. In 1714-1723 the alley was laid from the eastern borders of the park to the Marlin Pond. Its layout is associated with the names of Brownstein, Leblon, Michetti. On the axis of the alley are the fountains “Adam” and “Eve”. Peter made a lot of effort to decorate his Paradise. And every earthly garden should be a reflection of the garden of paradise, so the appearance of these fountains in Peterhof is very symbolic.

The sculptures were made in 1718 by the sculptor D. Bonazze on the order of S. Raguzinsky, a Russian diplomat. In October 1722, the statue of Adam took its place. In 1726, a fountain with the figure of Eve appeared. Not without allegorical parallels. Adam and Eve symbolize the ancestors of the Russian Empire - Peter 1 and Catherine 1.

The two-kilometer Marlin Alley leads to Marley Palace, near the western border of the park. This palace was designed by Braunstein in 1720. In 1723 the construction was completed. Inside the palace there are only 7 rooms on each floor. During the Great Patriotic War, the palace was almost destroyed, like many other monuments of Peterhof and revived by the work of hundreds of restorers. In 1982, Marley was reopened.

Nearby is the Golden Mountain Cascade, the construction of which began in 1721. The project was created by Miketti, the sculptural decoration is made according to Zemtsov’s drawings. The creation of the fountain was completed only in 1731-1732. The architect expanded and increased the waterfall staircase in height, there were fountains-sculptures “Andromeda” and “Nymph”. In 1870, architect N. L. Benois restored the cascade, according to his drawings, brick waterfall steps were lined with marble and replaced statues. In 1979, the second (after 1870) restoration was completed.

Also in the western part of the park is the Hermitage pavilion. Do not confuse it with the State Hermitage, they have only a name in common. "Hermitage" means "place of solitude", "home of the hermit". The secluded nature of this structure is emphasized by the “channel” separating it from the rest of the park.

This pavilion was intended for fun and solitary pastime in the circle of selected friends. Construction began in 1721 and was completed in the summer of 1725. The second floor was used for feasting, there you could climb on a special chair-elevator. Servants were at the bottom and served dishes using a table for 14 people with a lifting mechanism. The guest could order the desired dish, the plate dropped down, and after a few minutes the order appeared on the table.

The walls are decorated with 124 paintings hung next to each other. This hanging is called tapestry. The paintings were adjusted in size, sometimes cut or finished, the main task was to choose the appropriate color solutions, and not to preserve the unity of the theme and style. The paintings were saved in evacuation during the war.

Peterhof Hermitage became the first among such park buildings in Russia, so fashionable in the 18th century.

There is also a lion cascade nearby. According to the plan, its construction was to begin in the 1720s, but this did not happen. In 1854-1855 A. Stackenschneider made this fountain in the spirit of late classicism. During the war, the fountain was completely destroyed and restored only in the 2000s.

Fountains in Peterhof more than in Versailles, and the park itself (according to many tourists) looks elegant and larger than the famous suburb of the French capital. But the main thing is that all fountains work without a single pump, the principle of “spontaneous flow” is used. Water sources are located on the Ropshinsky heights, 20 km from Peterhof. The water is collected through a complex system of rivers and canals, accumulates in special tanks and blows by gravity, and then drains into the Gulf of Finland.

In this brief review, only the most basic beauties of Peterhof are mentioned. To see this (and more) with your own eyes, come to Peterhof!

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