Story. The Palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden opened after restoration Peter's Summer Palace 1 brief description

In the north-eastern part of the famous St. Petersburg Summer Garden there is a small but remarkable Summer Palace Peter I. The building, practically the same age as the city, is today in excellent condition, and in summer time Anyone can take an excellent tour of the interiors created for Russia's most famous ruler.


How to get there by metro

The palace is located in the tourist heart of St. Petersburg - on the territory of the Summer Garden. The nearest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor. Travel time from them is about 20 minutes.




Please note that excursions to the palace are conducted only at strictly defined times, in groups of 15 people. You can check the schedule on the official website of the Russian Museum, to which the palace belongs.

The cost of an adult ticket is 500 rubles (summer 2019). You can only pay for the visit in cash: it’s worth taking this into account, since there are no ATMs near the palace.




A little history

The palace, designed by the famous Domenico Trezzini, was built from 1710 to 1712. Since 1703, Peter’s summer house was located on this site. Several masters took part in the design of the palace facades in the “Dutch manner,” including the famous representative of the early Baroque, the German architect Andreas Schlüter.




There is a legend that the palace was built on the Admiralteyskaya side of St. Petersburg in order to motivate citizens to settle around. This part of the city developed very reluctantly: on the opposite Petrograd side there was a port, trade area, a living room, and Peter’s first home, his small house, was built there.

Already in 1704, the need arose to settle Admiralty Island: there simply were not enough workers. Officers and officials moved here under pain of “deprivation of the stomach.” Alas, we are not given the opportunity to know whether the construction of the palace really influenced the activity of settlement on the left bank of the Neva, but it began precisely from the time the construction of the palace was completed.




After the death of the emperor, the building did not fall into disrepair: even during the reign of his daughter Elizabeth, the Summer Palace began to be used for the residence of major officials. It is worth noting that a unique exhibition item has also been preserved here: a wind device ordered by Peter during his lifetime.




The palace, like many buildings in the city, was damaged during the Great Patriotic War; its restoration began in 1946. It is noteworthy that in war time The Summer Palace and Peter's House on the Petrograd Side were open to the public for some time: this was a kind of symbol that Leningrad had not been broken under the onslaught of the enemy, the city was still alive.

Since the 20s of the 20th century, the Summer Palace was opened as a museum, however, the exhibitions held here were not related to its history. But already in the 30s, various things of Peter, interior items of his time appeared in the museum. In 2004, the building came under the jurisdiction of the State Russian Museum.




Summer Palace - perfect place to enjoy the beautiful ancient interiors and learn more about the history of St. Petersburg. Within walking distance from it are the most famous city attractions - the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

In short, in general:

  • a palace with an interesting historical exhibition;
  • convenient location in the center of St. Petersburg;
  • excursions are conducted only at strictly defined times; it is better to plan your visit in advance.

The Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg was built in 1711–1712. designed by the architect Domenico Trezzini. Architects and sculptors from Western Europe: Andreas Schlüter, Georg-Johann Mattarnovi, Jean-Baptiste-Alexandre Leblond.

The Summer Palace of Peter I has a happy fate: after the death of Peter the palace never rebuilt, although there were some losses in interior decoration. The layout and appearance of the building, picturesque lampshades with allegorical content, pine wardrobes, tiled stoves and wall decoration with painted Dutch tiles, wooden paneling of the ground floor premises, interior decoration of the Lower and Upper Cookrooms and the Green Office have been preserved unchanged to this day. The unique wind instrument in the Cabinet of Peter I still shows the direction and strength of the wind, as well as time. On the second floor there is a Danzig wardrobe, in which, according to legend, Peter I kept his linen and boots.

The Summer Palace is valuable not only as one of the early architectural monuments of St. Petersburg, but also as evidence of the tastes, interests, and aspirations of Peter I, which were reflected in the architectural features of the monument.

To set up his residence, Peter I chose a habitable and advantageously located manor on a cape between the Neva and the Nameless Erik (now the Fontanka River), where the estate of the Swedish major Erich Berndt von Konow (Konau) was located - a small house with a farm yard and garden. At first, Peter could use the Konau house for living, but perhaps even then he built his own house for him. Ivan Matveev (Ugryumov), who from 1705 to 1707 supervised all engineering and construction work on the former Swedish manor. It was this building that I saw in 1710–1711. author of “Description of St. Petersburg and Kronshlot”: “Right by the river,” he writes, “the royal residence, that is, a small house in the garden of the Dutch facade, colorfully painted with gilded window frames and lead ornaments.”

On Peter’s instructions, a stone building was built on the site of his former house according to the design of the architect D. Trezzini. On April 17, 1712, Peter had already moved to live in the Summer Palace, and a year later the royal residence was visited by “overseas” guests: “On the third day [July] 6 Dutch and English trading ships came here, of which galliot and gukar (types of Dutch ships XVIII c.) they moored to me, that is, to my very chambers...”

After the death of Peter I, the Summer Palace lost its significance as a royal residence. Court servants lived here for some time . During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter’s daughter, who honored the memory of her father, the “dilapidations” were repaired, and the former royal residence in the first half of the 19th century began to be used as a place for the summer residence of prominent dignitaries of that time.

For the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, an exhibition of monuments from the Peter the Great era was held in the Summer Palace. Portraits and engravings, banners, military weapons, pieces of furniture and applied art, books, and drawings were delivered from the imperial palaces, the Hermitage, and the State Archives. The bed of Peter I from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, presented at the exhibition, is still on display at the palace.

After 1917, the palace was preserved as a historical and architectural monument, but did not yet have the status of a museum. In 1925, the palace was transferred to the jurisdiction of the historical and everyday life department of the State Russian Museum, where exhibitions were held that were not related to the historical past of the palace.

Since 1934, the Summer Palace of Peter I became independent museum memorial, historical and artistic nature. At the museum's exhibition you can see the clothes of Peter I, furniture, paintings and engravings, and objects of applied art from Peter's time.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Summer Palace was damaged by a blast wave, but the damage was repaired already in 1946, and the following year the palace-museum was opened to visitors. In the 1960s The palace underwent a comprehensive restoration under the leadership of the architect A. E. Gessen.

Since 2004, the Summer Palace has become part of the State Russian Museum. In 2015–2017 A comprehensive restoration was carried out in the palace, which was preceded by the painstaking work of historians and art critics. During the restoration process, the atmosphere of the royal home of the early 18th century was restored in the palace.

Of particular note is the restoration of the picturesque lampshades in seven rooms of the Summer Palace, after which the darkened unique painting was brought closer to its original color. There was a feeling of air and floating of allegorical figures.

In the Green Cabinet, where Peter’s rarities were located in special display cabinets, which marked the beginning of the history of the Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg, the unique wall painting on wood of the early 18th century was cleaned and strengthened. The oak doors and shutters in the palace have been restored, and the parquet floors and fabrics on the walls have been updated in accordance with historical materials. 19th century window frames have been replaced.

Particular attention was paid to the famous wind instrument (anemometer), which was ordered by Peter I in Dresden and installed in the Summer Palace in 1714. The device combines three dials: one of them is an hour dial, the other two are indicators of wind direction and speed. The arrows of the right and left dials are connected to the weather vane located on the roof through a shaft cut into the wall. The device is an integral part of the Summer Palace, its most unique rarity. The wind device has a carved frame on which mythological characters are represented: the lord of the winds Aeolus, the lord of the seas Neptune and sea emblems - rudders of ships, oars, tridents and a crown of rostra - prows of ships - crowning the frame.

Specialists carefully approached the restoration of the Lower and Upper Povaren, decorated with painted Dutch tiles. In Nizhnyaya Povarna there is a sink made of black marble, which is part of the water supply system of Peter the Great's time. Under the palace building, a brick vaulted tunnel has been preserved, which provided the operation of a flow-through flush sewer system - the first in St. Petersburg.

A renewed gilded weather vane shone on the roof of the palace.

The Summer Palace, one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg, was built on a small plot of land between the Neva and Fontanka, on the site of the former estate of a Swedish citizen, Major Connau. The author of the palace project was Domenico Trezzini; Zakharov, Matveev, and Schlüter took part in the design. The two-story palace is modest and consists of only 14 rooms and 2 kitchens. The palace became the summer residence of the emperor: Peter I rested here every summer from 1714 until his death in 1725.

Since the building was used only in the summer, there was no serious heating. Thin walls of the house, ordinary frames in the windows, and next to them - two big rivers. All this in the difficult northern climate of St. Petersburg created additional difficulties for the preservation of a historical and cultural monument. As a result, by the time restoration began, the Summer Palace, according to experts, was already in a catastrophic state. But, although the total amount for the restoration of the unique building during the work was reduced almost four times (according to the chief architect of the State Russian Museum Irina Teterina, 220 million rubles remained from 891 million rubles), this did not affect the quality of the restoration and it was completed on time.

Palace of Peter I in Summer Garden. Photo: Natalya Shkurenok

A special subject of concern were museum objects, the quality restoration of which had not been carried out since the 18th century. Due to limited funds, the restorers (the work was carried out by specialists from the Russian Museum, the complex of which has included the Summer Palace since 2004) restored some of the exhibits completely, including oak panels with the bas-relief “Minerva”, a wind device with a weather vane on the roof and a number of pieces of furniture , including a kitchen table and 3 cabinets, and some were carefully cleared of traces of earlier restorations and repairs and preserved - these are 11 picturesque ceiling lamps, 7 of which were approximately 2x4 m in size, 4 wall picturesque medallions, wooden panels and picturesque panels of the Green Cabinet .

A complete replacement of communications and waterproofing of the foundation were carried out. Unfortunately, the old, historical frames in the windows had to be completely replaced: both because they had fallen into complete disrepair, and for the reason that the building requires enhanced protection measures from the external environment, and for safety reasons.

Palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden. Photo: Natalya Shkurenok

The restoration of the Summer Palace of Peter I became the second stage of the project for the restoration of the entire Summer Garden, which began in 2009. In 2012, after the completion of the restoration and reconstruction of the Summer Garden, a competition was announced for design documentation for the restoration of the Summer Palace. According to preliminary plans, it was supposed to be completed by 2015, but due to problems with financing and organizational difficulties, work began only at the end of 2014, and the deadline was postponed several times. And only by the end of May 2018 the work was finally completed. Tours will soon resume in the Summer Palace of Peter I.

A city that is rightfully considered cultural capital Russia - St. Petersburg. Having visited it once, you want to come back again and again. Every corner, every centimeter is imbued with the centuries-old history of the Russian Empire. Streets, squares, gardens, parks, bridges, museums and architectural monuments create a unique atmosphere in this city. Anyone who comes to St. Petersburg will be able to feel the unique harmony of excellent settlement. The sights of St. Petersburg never cease to amaze its guests. Particularly popular among tourists is the main pearl of which is the palace of Peter I, on which we will focus our attention.

The history of the first Summer Palace

After construction of the Admiralty began on the left bank of the Neva, residential buildings began to appear house after house. Peter I also chose a site for his residence - the territory on the coast of the Neva between the Mya (Maika) river and the Nameless Erik (Fontanka). The first Summer Palace was a small wooden structure. The plastered and painted building did not stand out in any way among the other buildings located in the neighborhood, and bore little resemblance to the royal residence.

Symbol of the new policy of Russia

The victory near Poltava in 1709 meant a turning point in the Northern War in favor of the Russian army. The hasty construction of numerous stone buildings began in St. Petersburg. During this period, the Lebyazhy Canal was built, which connected the Moika to the Neva. As a result, a small island formed between the rivers. It was on this piece of land that Peter I decided to build a stone palace. By order of the tsar, a project was created that symbolizes the new political direction of Russia. The architect of the Summer Palace, Trezzini, proposed to position the building of the future royal residence in such a way that the same number of windows faced both the west and the east. Peter I approved this idea, and on August 18, 1710, construction of the palace began, which was completed in April 1712.

Summer house

An amazing feature of this structure was that during its construction the city's first sewer system was built. Water was supplied to the house using pumps, and the drain went into the Fontanka. Since the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, the driving force was the flow of the river itself. However, after the flood that occurred in 1777, the small Gavanets Bay, located in front of the house, had to be filled up. This caused the first sewerage system to cease to function.

First floor of the palace

The Tsar moved to the Summer Palace, the photo of which is presented below, with his entire family immediately after construction was completed and lived in it from spring until late autumn. It occupied six rooms located on the ground floor, including a bedroom with a fireplace. Nearby there was a reception room where various meetings were held and important matters were decided. The king's favorite room was a lathe with a machine, where the emperor free time mastered the craft of a carpenter. He spared no effort for his work and was proud of the fact that he had calluses on his hands.

Second floor of the palace

The Summer Palace of Peter I also had a second floor, to which a massive oak staircase led. There were six rooms here, which housed the queen with her ladies-in-waiting and children. The interior of the second floor was significantly different from the first, as there was great amount mirrors and paintings. Next to the bedroom of Catherine I there was a beautifully decorated throne room in which the queen decided her affairs. The Green Cabinet surprised visitors with its magnificent gilded decoration, numerous ivory and wood figurines, and amazingly beautiful Chinese frescoes. A special room was allocated for parties and dances.

Summer garden

A magnificent garden was laid out near the palace in 1720, which resembled a huge park. Beautiful alleys stretch throughout the entire garden. They share an area with beautifully trimmed trees and shrubs. Sculptures symbolizing Russia were installed throughout the territory. In addition, in the garden there were many marble busts, the creation of which was carried out by the best Italian craftsmen. Particular attention was paid to the construction of fountains, which served as decoration for the palace grounds. Due to the fact that the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, special boats were offered to guests for walks.

Historical memo

The Tsar loved the Summer Palace very much. This is where he spent last days own life. In 1725, in the lobby of the palace, Peter I was attacked by one of the schismatics, which ended in death. After the death of the Tsar, Catherine I never lived in the residence. For some time, meetings were held here, but eventually the palace became a resting place for the imperial courtiers.

Everything beautiful is forever

After three centuries, the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg has undergone virtually no changes. Time has not made any adjustments to the exterior decoration of the palace. Not only the austere appearance of the building, built in the Baroque style, has been preserved to this day, but also the summer frieze under the roof, consisting of twenty-nine bas-reliefs that separate the floors. Under the high hipped roof, gutters built in the form of winged dragons have been preserved, and on it there is a weather vane in the form of St. George the Victorious, showing. In addition to the external appearance, the main part of the interior decoration has been preserved: artistic carvings on the walls, painted ceilings and tiled stoves. The Green Study, the dining room and those rooms in which the royal ladies-in-waiting resided have practically the same appearance.

Tour of the Summer Palace

Today this palace is rightfully included in the “Best Sights of St. Petersburg” section. Thousands of tourists strive to visit it. What can you see in the palace?

The main decoration of the lobby is a large panel - a bas-relief of Minerva, carved from wood. It is impossible not to pay attention to the door, the trim on which is made of black marble. It leads to a room that was once the king's reception room. The next room is intended for orderlies; it is not of particular interest. Next is the Assembly Room (Second Reception Room), the main decoration of which is the “Triumph of Russia” lampshade. And between the windows there is an Admiralty chair, which previously belonged to Peter I. Behind the second reception room there is a narrow room that once served as the tsar’s dressing room.

Continuing to explore the Summer Palace, let's move on to the next room - the emperor's office, where some of the king's personal belongings have been preserved. Thus, of interest is a gift from the English King George I - ship's furniture. In the corner there is an oak cabinet with beautiful carvings. In the center there is a huge table and a work chair. A door leads from the office to the royal bedroom. What attracts attention here is the lampshade, which depicts the god of sleep Morpheus holding poppy heads in his hands. Looking at it, determining the purpose of the room is not difficult. In the bedroom there is a beautiful fireplace, in which, according to legend, the royal court jester Balakirev hid.

On the second floor, the most interesting will be the Green Office, which has retained all its decoration in its original form, which has already been described. There is a fireplace in the corner with sculptures of cupids on it. Moving into the dance room, you will find yourself in a world of mirrors. The large mirror in a walnut frame with unique carvings deserves special attention. In the children's room you can see a lampshade depicting a stork holding a snake in its beak, which symbolized the glorious reign of the heir and the death of enemies. Finally, you need to go to Catherine’s throne room, where her throne still stands.

The palace still has a cozy, homely atmosphere that attracts many tourists. People come here not only to see this landmark of St. Petersburg and get acquainted with history. Many people want to understand exactly how the emperor lived and what surrounded him.

Where is the Summer Palace and how to get to it

The palace is located at the address: Summer Garden, building 3. To get to this place, you need to get to the Gostiny Dvor metro station. After this, walk along Sadovaya Street to the Lebyazhya Canal embankment. It is necessary to move towards reducing the numbering of houses. The entrance to the Summer Garden is located near the embankment.

 

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