The Sun Fountain in Peterhof
Russia, St. Petersburg, Peterhof, St. Divorce, 2
Description:
The fountain "Sun" in Peterhof is considered one of the complex structures of hydraulic engineering. It is located on the Central Pond in the Menagerie Garden near the Montplizer Palace. The garden itself was laid for the maintenance of a menagerie under Peter I.
In 1724, the Italian architect Michetti decorated the pond with a fountain. The sprawling jets of the fountain (there are 187) are similar to the sun’s rays. The design is a disc with sixteen dolphins in a circle. The water beats from the recesses of the disc and mouths of dolphins, overflowing with a bright rainbow. The mechanism with the water wheel is hidden in the pedestal, so it seems that the water appears by itself.
For a long time, the fountain was hidden from visitors to the park, and only in 1926 the surrounding walls were dismantled, and the stunning beauty opened to tourists.
During the Great Patriotic War, the fountain was destroyed by the Nazis, and its full reconstruction took place only in 1956. Today it is one of the favorite places of visitors of Peterhof. To see the fountain, you need to buy a ticket to the Lower Park. And you can get to Peterhof by train to the station "New Peterhof", by shuttle taxi or meteor.
