Peterhof fountains. Palace and fountains of Peterhof. Fountain Sun in Peterhof
The fountains are the original water conduit device. Unlike those at Versailles, these grandiose structures operate without pumps or other water structures, and water is supplied to them from many natural and artificial ponds fed by underground springs and springs.
At first, Peter planned to build the Grand Cascade and several more fountains, the water into which was supposed to come from the reservoirs of the Upper Garden, but soon the tireless ruler, who personally explored the area, found additional sources of water, which abounded in the vicinity of the future Peterhof Park. The nature of the relief made it possible to create a system of water conduits through which water flowed by gravity from dozens of ponds located above the Lower Park and Upper Garden.
So everything 4 stages And 191 fountains Petrodvorets (counting the water cannons of the Great Cascade) is fed by the ponds of the Ropshinskaya Upland, located at a distance of 24 kilometers, as well as English, Lugovoy, Holguin and other reservoirs (18 ponds in total) and many streams and springs. All these sources are connected to each other by a complex system of locks and canals, the total length of which is 40 kilometers. The most surprising thing is that The water pipeline system, planned under Peter and with his personal participation, is still in effect today.
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Grand Cascade |
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The main decoration of the Upper Garden can be called fountain "Neptune", in the center of which the sea lord himself rises, leaning on a three-tiered pedestal decorated with sculptural images of nymphs, dolphins, newts, corals, riders on sea horses and other monsters. The fountain is installed in the middle of a central square pool, on the south side of which stands a statue of Apollo Belvedere. Neptune himself, along with his “retinue,” arrived in Peterhof from Germany in the 80s of the 18th century and was installed to replace the dilapidated lead “Neptune’s Cart” by Rastrelli.
The most remarkable of all Peterhof fountains is rightfully considered grandiose and majestic Grand Cascade. This gilded splendor includes 255 sculptures, bas-reliefs and others architectural structures, and also, neither more nor less, 64 fountains that soar up 138 sparkling water jets. The focus of the entire composition is the famous gilded "Samson tearing the lion's mouth", and the center of the cascade itself is Lower Grotto with observation deck, framed by grand staircases decorated with golden sculptures and marble bas-reliefs.
No less attention than the Grand Cascade attracts Alley of Fountains, stretching on both sides of the Sea Canal, which divided the park in two and rushed from the foot Grand Palace to the Gulf of Finland. Under Peter, it was built along the canal 22 fountains with sculptures based on Aesop's fables and fountains in the form of vases. The vases themselves have not survived to this day; only eight stone pools located closer to the gateway remind of them.
Another cascading fountain, called Chess slide. Coming down the hillside 20-meter stepped chessboard with two mysterious grottoes, the entrance to which is guarded by three dragons, is also called the Cascade of Dragons. On both sides of the building there are two staircases decorated with sculptures made of white marble. At the beginning of the war, the sculptures were removed and hidden, and the cascade itself was completely destroyed by the Nazis.
As many years ago, visitors to Peterhof Park enjoy special love moving fountains. These include fountain "Favorite", created back in 1725. In his small pool, quacking ducks swim in circles all day long, which a small dog tries unsuccessfully to catch up with. Hitting her on the back with a coin, and in such a way that the money lingers there, is considered a good omen: despite its modest size, the coin park attendants get much more from this fountain than from other pools.
Fountain "Sun" not only resembles a celestial body in shape, but also rotates around its axis, sending its rays around, the role of which is played by jets of water. Under Peter, the reservoir where the fountain is now installed was used for fish farming, but in 1721 the emperor ordered the installation of a fountain in it, which was a water column surrounded by twenty jets of water. After 50 years, the place of the water column was taken by the “Sun” fountain, which played the role of a shower in the royal bath, which the pool turned into. In those days, the reservoir was surrounded by walls, which were later demolished, but to this day the principle of operation of the central part of the fountain has remained unchanged: the “Sun” drives a wheel rotated by water.
On a sultry summer day, it’s even pleasant to suddenly find yourself under streams of cool rain, but it’s unlikely that such a surprise was to the liking of the noble ladies and gentlemen of the Peter the Great era, dressed up and pomaded, with outlandish hairstyles and expensive outfits. But they were the first to experience the effect Peterhof firecrackers, when the unsuspecting courtiers, sitting on a bench or sedately walking along the cobblestone street, were suddenly doused with jets of water. The most innocent of crackers - fountain "Umbrella", resembling a giant mushroom on a thin stalk. As soon as you stand under its roof (or cap), 164 jets of water immediately begin to shoot down along the perimeter of the umbrella, preventing you from getting out. "Sofas"- antique garden benches - they shower passers-by with jets flying out of the backs and seats, and the “wet” job is completed by fountains of water gushing from the side of the path. The “splash table” is located in the Lower Grotto, and in the park itself there are even trees watering - "Christmas trees"(though you won’t be able to get close to them) and bronze "Oak", surrounded by tulip fountains and benches with a catch. A comic “water” alley is also built on the approaches to the garden in front of the Monplaisir Palace, and a couple more firecrackers are installed on both sides of this garden. For kids on a hot day, there is no better fun than walking barefoot across a rectangle lined with round cobblestones, looking for a “magic” pebble that turns on the water, and finding themselves thoroughly wet.
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Roman fountains |
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Cascade Chess Mountain |
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Peterhof - the most amazing in the world palace and park ensemble! Many compare it with Versailles, but even if you skim through this article, you will be convinced that the French analogue is far from the domestic one =)
The appearance of this miracle became possible thanks to the initiative of Peter I, who personally developed water supply systems. The magnificent park begins near the Great Peterhof Palace, from the Grand Cascade, from which a canal leads directly to the Gulf of Finland - a kind of line of symmetry of the Peterhof park. The cascade itself and several other fountains of Peterhof are dedicated to the victory of Russia in the Northern War - a key moment in Russian history who made it an Empire
Initially, Peterhof was the imperial residence, but after the October Revolution, all buildings were turned into museums. The black streak in the history of the palace and park ensemble is the Second World War, during which it was almost completely destroyed by enemy artillery - only thanks to the superhuman efforts of the museum staff, about eight thousand items of palace interiors and about 50 statues were removed from here before the occupation, which, of course, was a tiny part of all the treasures of Peterhof
The Peterhof ensemble began to be revived after the end of the war and continues to be restored to this day. The Lower Park was opened already in 1945, a year later the fountains that survived the war were turned on, and a year later the Samson fountain was recreated, which was so beautiful that even the Nazis could not destroy it during the war - they took it to their homeland . The restoration of the Great Peterhof Palace began in 1952, and 12 years later, on May 17, 1964, the first halls of the recreated museum opened
Today, all the palaces of Peterhof and all its parks are part of the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve.
The most outstanding building of the Peterhof ensemble is the Great Peterhof Palace, proudly rising above the Grand Cascade leading to the park area. From the 18th to the 20th centuries, the palace was the summer residence of the imperial family. The first building on this site began to be built in 1714 - construction was carried out in the “Petrine Baroque” style and was completed by 1925, after which the palace was gradually completed in the “mature Baroque” style. Under the palace there is a decorative grotto, which I will write about at the end
Park area Peterhof is divided into Upper and Lower parks, on the territory of which there is a complex of fountains, which has no equal in beauty and number anywhere else in the world. The lower park occupies 102 and a half hectares and is fed by a 22-kilometer water pipeline, originating from underground springs near Ropsha. The palace is separated from the Lower Park by the previously mentioned Grand Cascade. In its center there is a Samson fountain, the stream of which rushes 20 meters high, and on both sides there are the Italian and French Large fountains, behind which rise colonnades. More about the Lower Park a little later
The canal leading from the Grand Palace to the Gulf of Finland is called the Sea Canal, and three years ago it lost the beautiful alleys of blue spruce trees on both sides - it was planned to plant Norway spruce in their place, but I have no information on whether this initiative was brought to life. this moment I don’t have it =(
Upper Garden
The Upper Garden is located on the other side of the Grand Palace, above the natural slope separating the Upper Garden from the Lower Park. The garden occupies a relatively small area (when compared with the Lower Park) and is a rectangle surrounded on three sides by a fence created by Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the 18th century
The main feature of the Upper Garden of Peterhof is its perfect symmetry, and the water from its five fountains feeds the Grand Cascade. The fountains are also located symmetrically - in the center are "Neptune", "Mezheumny" and "Oak", the other two fountains are installed opposite the side wings of Petrodvorets. Dominant Upper Park- Neptune fountain, decorated with many medieval sculptures
Another decoration of the Upper Park are four marble sculptures by the Italian Giovanni Bonazza, installed in 1757 - “Zephyr”, “Pomona”, “Flora” and “Vertumnus”
Also in the Upper Garden you can walk along such an interesting green alley)
...or maybe red =)
Fountain “Neptune”
As I wrote above, this fountain is the dominant feature of the Upper Garden, so it is logical that it looks much more magnificent and richer than the others. The Neptune fountain is decorated with a three-tiered sculptural group, above which rises, in fact, the ruler of the sea himself with the constant trident in his hand. Water jets shoot out from sea monster masks located on the four sides of the pedestal.
On both sides of the base sit nymphs personifying the river waters with oars in their hands, and the pedestal itself is decorated with many bas-reliefs, corals and other details made of lead, as well as figures of a boy and a girl made of bronze. Neptune is also “protected” by riders on sea horses with wings (hippocampi), who chase dolphins. In addition to the pedestal, there are dolphins in the fountain pool itself - 8 symmetrically located figures
On the southern side of the pool there is a small three-stage cascade, above which a bronze statue of Apollo Belvedere is installed instead of the old deformed lead statue of "Winter". Only now both Neptune and Apollo appeared here later - first, in 1736, in the center of the pool, Rastrelli’s “Neptune’s Cart” made of lead was installed, but later it fell into disrepair and in 1798 was replaced by one created in Nuremberg long before that (back in XVII century) with the sculptural composition "Neptune", which has survived to this day. So the Peterhof “Neptune” also has a German milestone in its history
And here is one of the hippocampi, which, according to ancient Greek myths, were considered the kings of fish - accordingly, they have fins and a fish tail)
I think we can briefly dwell on that part of the Neptune story that concerns Germany. The creation of the fountain group occurred at a time when hundreds of magnificent monuments were erected in Germany, decorating the squares and markets of cities as a sign of the heyday of the empire. So Nuremberg also decided to create something outstanding to decorate the city market. It was decided to coincide the fountain with a significant event for Germany - the Peace of Westphalia, which put an end to the grueling Thirteen Years' War, so the best craftsmen of the empire were brought in to create it. By the way, the nymphs actually personified not nameless, but very specific rivers - Regnitz and Pegnitz, and on the base of Neptune's pedestal the coats of arms of Nuremberg, its town hall and the double-headed eagle of the chancellor still adorn themselves. A total of 27 figures were created to give the integrity of this outstanding sculptural composition
But here’s what happened... When everything was almost ready, it suddenly turned out that the craftsmen had miscalculated and there simply wasn’t enough water for such a monumental fountain group in those very rivers Regnitz and Pegnitz... So I had to take everything apart and put it aside “until better times” . In the photo - the same Apollo Belvedere, later added to the already rich fountain group
"Better times"for the Nuremberg "Neptune" they came only 130 years later, in the 1780s, but not in the form of additional funds for re-equipment... On the contrary, at the expense of a fountain unnecessary for the city, the local authorities decided to replenish the budget, so they offered it to the future Russian Tsar Paul, who very opportunely came here during During his trip to Western Europe, he bought "Neptune" from them. The authorities of Nuremberg were lucky - Pavel decided to show them how rich his state was and without hesitation bought a fountain group for exorbitant money at that time - 30,000 rubles. To celebrate, the Nurembergers said that they themselves. will deliver the sculptural composition to Russia)
By this time, to replace the Peterhof “Neptunova’s Cart”, the bronze “Neptune and Tritons” was cast, but they did not have time to install it - another one is connected with this interesting story. It was at this moment that the Tsar decided that the Nuremberg “Neptune” was the best suited for Peterhof, both in scale and grandeur, but he wanted to stage it not in the Upper Park, but in the Lower Park. It would have been installed there, if it had not turned out that the pool that fed the “Whale” fountain, instead of which it was planned to install the Nuremberg group, was not able to meet the water needs of “Neptune”. Therefore, it was decided to replace the “Neptunova Cart” with it, for which it was necessary to make a new pedestal from granite and significantly adjust the plumbing system. As a result, in 1799, the Peterhof collection was replenished with another outstanding fountain)
“Neptune” seemed to be specially created in order to be installed in Peterhof - it fit so organically into the ensemble of the Upper Garden. In the 19th century, the Germans realized what a treasure they had sold to Russia and tried to get their heritage back, but to no avail - the result of many years of negotiations was only that in April 1896, a German sculptor was allowed to make plaster casts of Neptune. During World War II, the Nazis dismantled the fountain group and sent it to Germany, but in December 1947 it was returned to Peterhof. Another 9 years passed until the streams of “Neptune” began to flow again - during this time the statue of Apollo, destroyed by the Nazis, was recreated, and “Neptune” returned to its “rightful” pedestal
Thus, today in the center of the Upper Park of Peterhof, surrounded by four gushing mascarons, stands the proud ruler of the sea on a high pedestal - he is clearly visible from anywhere in the Upper Garden and from all the windows of the palace
Fountain “Mezheumny”
To the south of Neptune, at the very entrance to the Upper Park, there is a round pool with a bronze dragon in the center, from whose mouth a stream of water shoots upward. The dragon is surrounded by four dolphins, calmly splashing streams
Initially, in 1738, a lead “Andromeda” was installed in this pool - from that moment on, several more sculptures visited its place, until, in the end, a bronze dragon with wings was installed here. That is why at the end of the 18th century the fountain was called “Mezheumny”, that is, “uncertain”
At first XIX century in the fountain, instead of a dragon, a dolphin-like figure “Sterlet” was placed, but after 1857 it was not mentioned anywhere else
“Sterlyadka” also did not stand for long - in 1929, a cast-iron vase from the Oak Pool was installed in the center of the pool. The special interior decoration of this vase made the jet pressure inconsistent - it rose and fell
The dragon returned to its place only in 1958, but not the same as before - the dolphins and the dragon were cast anew using the few materials that have come down to us
Fountain “Oak”
Even further south, at the very entrance to the Upper Park, in the middle of another round pool there is a hexagonal star with dolphins on the edges, in the center of which stands a gilded marble “Boy with a Mask”
This fountain also initially looked different - in 1734, Rastrelli's lead "Oak" was installed here, surrounded by three dragons and six dolphins, but after 12 years it was dismantled and more than half a century later, in 1802, it was installed in the Lower Park of Peterhof. Most likely, the dismantling was associated with the annual sprinkling of the banners of the Peterhof regiments with “holy water” in those days in the presence of the Empress - for this, a platform was laid in the pool, which, apparently, was hindered by the “Oak” towering in the center.
But by that time the name “Oak” had already been assigned to the fountain, despite the fact that “Oak” was no longer there. In 1768, dolphins surrounded the “Cornucopia”, carved from wood, and in 1857 it was removed due to dilapidation, and for a long time only the usual nozzle for the fountain remained in this place, without any embellishment. In 1929, a “Boy with a Mask” was installed in the center of the pool, decorating the fountain to this day - it was preserved, largely thanks to the restoration of 1970
Square Ponds Fountains
The oldest reservoirs in the Upper Park of Peterhof are the Square Ponds, dug in 1719 to provide the Lower Park with water. Half a century later, in 1773, in their center they decided to install sculptural groups surrounded by lead dolphins, but they soon became dilapidated and were dismantled, and in their place ordinary vertical jets were installed - only in 1956 the fountains were returned to their original appearance
In this photo - the Fountain of the Italian Venus is surrounded by 6 dolphins, and the background is the Church of Peter and Paul, which is part of the Great Peterhof Palace
Now let's move on to the Lower Park... Here, in addition to the indescribable beauty of the fountains, there are a couple more palaces, museums, gardens and pavilions - that's where we'll start =)
Lower Park
The ensemble of the Lower Park of Peterhof brought him world fame - it is on its territory that the most outstanding sculptures, fountains and architectural monuments museum-reserve
The prototype for the Lower Park of Peterhof was the design of Versailles - this is where the strict symmetry, the characteristic shape of trees and bushes, many sculptures and pavilions come from. In the photo - a vase located on the Marlinskaya alley of the Lower Park
In general, Peterhof owes its appearance and general structure to Peter the Great himself, whose sketches served as the basis for drawing up the General Plan of the residence. In memory of the founder of Peterhof, amazing tulips of different colors bloom every spring in the Monplaisir Garden near the Tsar’s most beloved palace.
The compositional center of Peterhof is the Great Peterhof Palace, rising on a 16-meter ledge, from which the Lower Park stretches in a two-kilometer ribbon towards the Gulf of Finland
The sea canal is the axis of symmetry of the Lower Park - it divides it into eastern and western parts. Both sides of the canal are decorated with flower beds, from which four alleys fan out - the eastern ones lead to the Monplaisir Palace, and along the western ones you can walk to the Hermitage Pavilion. In the Lower Park there is another system of alleys, originating at the western end of the park, near the Marly Palace - three alleys begin here, crossing the park from west to east
The Lower Park has several self-sufficient architectural and park ensembles with their own palaces and fountains. In the center of the main ensemble is the Grand Palace with a cascade; the centers of the remaining ensembles are the “Grand Orangery”, the Monplaisir and Marly palaces. Below in the photo is exactly the same Great Greenhouse, built in 1722-1725 according to the design of Braunstein and Zemtsov
The park is planted with trees brought from different parts of Russia and from abroad, and the best craftsmen were invited to plant flower beds. The parks of Peterhof were well looked after, so today you can stroll through real parks of the 18th century and admire flower beds decorated in the style of that time
After the Great Patriotic War, the Lower Park had to be literally recreated bit by bit. After the war, trees were replanted here, flower beds and other elements of the park were restored, but restoration is still ongoing
Monument to Peter I
The variety of park corners leaves the impression of versatility and dissimilarity of one place from another, this effect is created thanks to a huge number trees and flowers different types
But it was not the trees and flowers that brought worldwide fame to the Lower Park of Peterhof, but its unique and numerous fountains
Who is interested in reading about the fountains right away - go straight to the third page) But I would advise you to first familiarize yourself with the overall picture within the Monplaisir and Marlin gardens, and only then move on to looking at each fountain and cascade separately =)
Monplaisir
The Monplaisir Garden in Peterhof is a mini-park with its own palace, flower beds and fountains. The garden is divided into 4 small areas by two perpendicular alleys, in the center of each of which there are fountains with gilded bronze statues on pedestals. Their characteristic feature is that water flows from the pedestals in smooth bells, which is why they are called bell fountains. Fountain sculptures were installed here in 1817 instead of lead analogues. Of course, each has its own “name” - “Satyr with a kid”, “Apollino”, “Psyche” and “Bacchus”
Near the Monplaisir Palace there is a Chinese Garden - it is adjacent to the Assembly Hall and the Bath Building. Located in the garden sculptural group"Cupid and Psyche" and the "Shell" fountain
An interesting decoration of the Lower Park are the joker fountains. The first of them were two sofas in the Monplaisir garden, designed to pour water on guests who decided to take a little rest) Two more firecrackers appeared here at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. In 1803, the metal “Oak”, created according to Rastrelli’s design, was moved from the Upper Park to the Lower Park, which was restored with difficulty after the war. The “Chinese Umbrella” fountain, which appeared here in 1796, was also recreated. Not far from “Dubok” there are “Yolochki”, built in 1784. In front of the nearby “Chess Mountain” cascade, the “Roman” twin fountains are comfortably located, each of which consists of two octahedrons located on top of each other, decorated with white, pink and gray marble and small bronze details covered with gilding
On both sides of the southern part of the Monplaisir alley there are the Menagere Garden with the “Sun” fountain, as well as two “Aviary” pavilions and marble statues
In 1774-1775, on a site called the “menagerie” (menagerie in French), an imperial bath was built, in the center of which a “Sun” fountain was installed, which sprayed bathers. It was designed like this: two bronze disks with holes along the edges were attached to a high rod, and in a round 3.5-meter pedestal there was a water wheel that rotated the rod. Thanks to the gilded surface, in sunny weather the disks and the jets escaping from them resemble the Sun and its rays, under which 16 dolphins “bask”. The fountain's pool can be seen from afar, due to its vast area of almost 2100 m2 - it occupies the main part of the Menagereiny Garden
To ensure the "Sun" from common system There is a separate pipe for water supply to the Lower Park. Previously, the fountain was, for some unknown reason, surrounded by the high walls of the royal bath, which were dismantled in 1926, after which the fountain immediately blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. The dolphins surrounding it were destroyed by the Nazis and were recreated only in 1956-1957
The wooden Aviaries of the Menagereine Garden have reached us the way they were created, which can be considered a kind of miracle, given the scale of past wars. The outside of the 12-sided enclosures of the "Aviaries" are lined with stone. We'll talk about them a little later
Bath building
In the east of the Lower Park of Peterhof there is the Bath Building, which includes chambers for the guests of Peter I, designed in oriental style, as well as other buildings for ceremonial and domestic purposes.
From the east, attached to the guest quarters is a Soaphouse for gentlemen with an amazing “splash” ball installed in the center of the octagonal pool, around which 265 jets unexpectedly take off.
In the Bath building itself there is another interesting device - a chandelier-shower
The bath building was built for Empress Maria Alexandrovna when the European hydrotherapy system came into fashion. By the way, like any Russian bathhouse, it has its own steam room with all the bath accessories due to it
In the Assembly Hall you can admire unique trellises from the first half of the 18th century and royal table with personal service of Catherine II
Adjacent to the western wing of Monplaisir is the Catherine's building, built according to Rastrelli's design for holding court balls. In the second half of the 18th century, the interiors were redecorated in the style of classicism, and under Alexander I, empire paintings dedicated to the events of the War of 1812 were added to the classical elements.
The Catherine Building contains a rare collection of Russian furniture and French bronze items - for example, the press on the table of Alexander I is decorated with real cannonballs from the Battle of Borodino, and crystal and porcelain objects are decorated with portraits of the heroes of this battle. The pearl of the collection of the Catherine Corps is the imperial Guryev service of more than five thousand items, dedicated to the vast expanses of Russia and the people inhabiting them
Voronikhinsky colonnades
The ground floor of the Lower Park of Peterhof, beginning with the Grand Cascade, is closed by the Voronikhin colonnades, decorated with gilded vases and domes. They are a kind of border between the ground floor and the park area. Interesting feature The colonnades are jets of water gushing straight from the tops of the domes. The cornices and balustrades of the colonnades are made of white marble, the columns are made of gray, and the base itself, the stairs and the lion sculptures on them are made of rare pink granite
Under Peter I, there were small wooden galleries here, in which it was planned to place 7 fountains. Of these, only the klokspiel was installed - a kind of musical instrument with crystal bells. And in 1745, a water organ was installed in the western gallery, during the playing of which the water set in motion painted wooden figures - a huntsman blowing a horn, satyrs playing flutes, a deer pursued by a pack of dogs, and 12 songbirds
The current colonnades, designed by Voronikhin, appeared on this site only in 1800-1803. In addition to the rich marble and granite cladding, gilded lead fountain bowls were installed on the colonnades, the domes were covered with gold and water was supplied to them. The porch of each colonnade was decorated with paired sculptures of lions
Half a century later, the Voronikhinsky colonnades were lined with Carrara marble, which cost 30 thousand pounds of this luxury, and the floors were laid with Venetian mosaics. Unfortunately, during the war, the gilding from the domes and fountain vases were taken away by the Nazis, and the lining of the colonnades was badly damaged, but, thanks to the efforts of restorers, in 1966 the Voronikhinsky colonnades were restored to their lost appearance
Palace of Marly
The western part of the Lower Park of Peterhof is occupied by the Marly Palace and the surrounding areas
Yours unusual name The palace was given in memory of Peter the Great's visit to the French royal residence of Marly-le-Roi near Paris in 1717, which was later destroyed during the French Revolution. But only the general composition was taken from the French residence; otherwise, the Peterhof Marly is a self-sufficient and unique palace and park ensemble
The Marly Palace was erected at the same time as the laying of the ponds and initially it was planned to build a one-story building here, but Peter I decided that this was not enough and made additions to the project, according to which a second floor was added to the building, and the palace itself acquired a cube-like shape, which gave it proportions some completeness and harmony
The Marly Palace, like other small palaces of Peterhof, is distinguished by its modest decoration, and its peculiarity is the absence of a state hall, the role of which was played by the vestibule. There are a total of 12 rooms in the palace, accessed by two corridors and a staircase.
Initially, the palace was intended to accommodate high-ranking guests, but from the middle of the 18th century, Marly turned into a kind of museum, which housed the personal wardrobe of Peter I and his other personal belongings, which were subsequently transferred to the Hermitage
TO end of the 19th century centuries, Marly fell into disrepair, and cracks appeared along its walls, as a result of which in 1899 the palace was completely dismantled for installation on a new foundation
During the Great Patriotic War, the palace was seriously damaged - it was hit by a time bomb. By 1955, Marly's facades had been restored, and in 1982 it was reopened as a museum
Today in the palace exhibition you can see the naval overcoat of Peter I and a caftan with an embroidered Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, as well as the emperor’s books, his personal dishes and a table with an “apse” board he created with his own hands. Marly also houses a collection of paintings collected by Peter I, which includes works by virtually unknown Italian, Flemish and Dutch artists of the 17th-18th centuries.
The Marlin Garden is conventionally divided by the Great Pond into the Garden of Bacchus (in which they intended to grow grapes, but it did not work out) and the Garden of Venus (where fruits were grown for the imperial table). During the laying of the ponds, an earthen rampart was poured, which still protects the Garden of Venus from strong winds from the Baltic
The Marly Palace is literally surrounded by ponds - in the east there is the Marlinsky pond of the same name, and in the west - the Sector Ponds. All Marly ponds were intended for breeding rare fish for the imperial table. By the way, today the tradition of raising fish in the Marlinsky ponds has been renewed, so here you can calmly sit with a fishing rod, admiring the surrounding medieval landscape)
The layout of Marley turned out to be so successful that it became a kind of standard according to which Russian estates were subsequently arranged
Pavilion “Hermitage”
In the westernmost part of the lower park, right on the seashore, rises the two-story building of the first Hermitage of Russia, erected according to the design of Peter the Great by the summer of 1725
Few people know that the word "Hermitage" came to us from French and literally translates as “secluded corner.” Hence the main purpose of the Hermitage - privacy for a close circle of people of the same position and similar interests, the peace of which no one and nothing should disturb. For this purpose, a special oval table for 14 people was even installed on the second floor of the pavilion, the central part of which descended to the first floor, where dishes were served and arranged, after which the table rose back to the second floor
In order to order a dish, the guest only had to write down his wishes in a note on the plate, then pull the string. The plate was lowered down for a while and then raised with the finished food
This amazing table with mechanism was destroyed during the Second World War, but its oak base was preserved in the ceiling between the first and second floors
For a long time, it was not possible to recreate the lifting table - only in 2007, when pre-war photographs of the table were accidentally discovered, its restoration began. As a result, the lifting table was equipped with modern mechanisms, but it looks the same today as it did in the 18th century, for which the principle of setting the mechanisms in motion using manual traction was retained
Bottom view
Today the table of the Peterhof Hermitage is the only 18th-century lifting table operating in Russia
The principle of operation of the lifting table is demonstrated on weekends, and on weekdays the principle of its operation can only be seen on the TV screen in the pavilion
The walls of the central hall are still, as in the 18th century, decorated with 124 paintings by Western European masters of the 17th-18th centuries
Pavilions “Aviaries”
The center of the Eastern part of the Lower Park of Peterhof is decorated with two elegant wooden pavilions-aviaries, the likes of which, according to the famous art critic Grabar, “are no longer available either here or in Europe.”
The facades of the pavilions are lined with sea shells, tuff and dross, and the smooth lines of the domes give the silhouettes of the pavilions special expressiveness
The enclosures are today one of the few non-palace buildings of the Peter the Great era, on the walls of which original paintings of the 18th century are still preserved
Of course, birds live in the Aviaries, which are provided with light and air by huge windows and doors. In the 18th century, the copper cages of the Aviaries were inhabited by tap dancers, nightingales, blackbirds and even bullfinches, as well as overseas canaries and parrots)
Today, the Western Aviary is home to finches, siskins, tits, goldfinches, buntings, grosbeaks, and overseas guests live in elegant wooden cages - finches, dandies, white-headed munias, astrildicas and canaries. The Eastern Aviary is inhabited by parrots of various species - macaws, grays, cockatoos, Amazons, rosellas, cockatiels, pionites and others
On the eastern side of the Eastern Aviary there is the Swan Pond, in which swans, Canada geese and ducks swim leisurely
Let's finally move on to the most, in my opinion, picturesque and interesting part of the Lower Park - fountains and cascades
Fountains and cascades of the Lower Park
Peterhof is not called the “Capital of Fountains” for nothing, because there are only a couple of palace and park ensembles equal in luxury in the world, and even then they are considered equal only because of their status, but in fact they are inferior to Peterhof both in luxury and richness. We must thank Peter I for this, who, to implement his plans, attracted the best craftsmen of the time and himself constantly supervised the design and constantly made amendments and changes. Thanks to this approach, many Peterhof fountains, having almost three centuries behind them, are still not inferior to modern analogues, although since that time more than one technological revolution has taken place in the world...
The site for the construction of Peterhof was also chosen personally by Peter the Great, who found a place whose landscape would allow the creation of a gravity-flowing water supply system of fountains, which, unlike those at Versailles, could function continuously throughout the day. The principles of water supply developed by Peter I still work today, being silent proof of the indisputable talent of the founder of Peterhof. On July 8, 1721, a test launch of the fountains took place, without even waiting for water to arrive through the main conduit, and on July 13, the Grand Cascade was checked. After all the checks and modifications, on August 15, 1723, the grand opening of Peterhof took place, during which Peter I personally acted as a guide to the new summer residence for high-ranking guests
After the opening, work did not stop - the construction of fountains and the improvement of the fountain system continued until the middle of the 19th century, as a result of which a complex with 4 cascades and more than 150 fountains was formed in the Lower Garden, and 5 fountains and one cascade in the Upper Garden
The Second World War caused serious damage to Peterhof, from the theft of sculptures to blown up water pipelines. After the war, restoration work began immediately - the Lower Park was opened on June 17, 1945, and in 1946 the first fountains were turned on, but the restoration was finally completed only in August 2000 with the launch of the Lion Cascade in the western part of the Lower Park
The main fountain of the Lower Park is the previously mentioned Grand Cascade with the Samson fountain. The ground floor at the foot of the cascade is decorated with symmetrically located fountains “Bowls” and “Marble Benches”, and the ground floor is completed by the Voronikhin colonnades. I already wrote earlier that the Sea Canal with the Alley of Fountains divides the Lower Park into the Eastern and Western parts, but did not mention what is located on their territory. So, in the Western part of the Lower Park there are: the “Chess Mountain” cascade, the “Orangereiny” fountain, the Roman fountains, the “Adam” fountain, the “Sheaf” fountain and the “Bell” fountains, the “Sun” fountain, the “Pyramid” fountain, crackers. Fountains of the Eastern part: cascades “Lion” and “ Golden Mountain”, “Favorite” fountain, “Eva” fountain, “Whale” fountain, “Menager” fountains, “Clochy” fountains. Let's go through all the sights in order)
Grand Cascade
Being a brilliant monument of Baroque art, the Grand Cascade is also one of the most significant and outstanding fountain structures in the world, thanks to its simply colossal size, the abundance of water used, the graphic variety of water jets and the richness of sculptural decoration
The composition of the Grand Cascade was also designed by Peter I, but its modern appearance took shape over a century after the start of construction in May 1716. The Grand Cascade was launched in August 1723, but work on its decoration continued. The famous “Samson” appeared in the center of the ladle after the death of the emperor, in 1735, and three years later, in a gap in the marble balustrade, a group of two tritons by Rastrelli trumpeting shells was installed - with their installation the main work on decorating the Grand Cascade was completed
In the center of the Grand Cascade is the Lower Grotto, the platform in front of which is limited by two cascading seven-step staircases, decorated with gilded bas-reliefs, brackets, jets of water cannons and gilded sculptures alternating with vases
In the center of the site there is a “Basket” fountain, the water from which flows along three waterfall steps into a bucket
The cascade was built as a kind of continuation of the Great Peterhof Palace, which can be seen in its style and architecture: decor subordinated to the three-part division of the palace, a semicircle of arches and niches, white and yellow coloring. The wall of the Lower Grotto ends with a granite cornice with a marble balustrade decorated with vases in front of the terrace of the Upper Grotto of Peterhof
There are also such vases)
The cascade and grottoes underwent many alterations and replacements of structural elements, as a result of which some of the bas-reliefs and decorative elements disappeared, and the functionality of the fountains in the grotto ceased. Unfinished restoration in the mid-19th century led to a distortion of the original appearance of the entire structure
During the Second World War, all the decorative details of the Grand Cascade and the four largest sculptures, which did not have time to be evacuated, disappeared, but, thanks to the dedicated work of restorers and local residents, already on August 25, 1946, the opening of the cascade took place, and a year later, a powerful figure of “Samson” appeared on the pedestal in the bucket of the canal, tearing the jaws of a lion - its restoration became possible thanks to the surviving pre-war photographs. The restoration of the Grand Cascade was completely completed in 1950
In 1995, seven years of restoration work were completed, inspiring new life to the Great Cascade of Peterhof. The need for these works was dictated by the dilapidation of the grottoes and underground communications that provide water to the Grand Cascade. During the restoration, it was decided to return the lost decorative elements to the cascade, evidence of which was found in documents of bygone times: drawings of architects and fountain artists, engravings and watercolors of the 18th-20th centuries
On June 4, 1995, the Grand Cascade was inaugurated again - overnight all 138 jets of one of the most advanced fountain structures in operation in the world shot up into the air.
Fountain “Samson”
In general, at first it was planned to place in the center of the large cascade the figure of Hercules killing the Lyraean Hydra, but during the construction of Hercules it was decided to replace Hercules with Samson tearing the mouth of a lion - apparently this is due to the victory of Russian troops over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava on the day of Sampson the Stranger. Well, the lion that Samson treats so badly represents Sweden, whose coat of arms still displays this very symbol. As a result, we get a symbolic image of Peter the Great defeating Charles the Twelfth =)
“Samson” was installed in the center of the cascade in 1735, but subsequently the lead group had to be replaced - so in 1802 a new bronze figure of Samson appeared here, with 8 dolphins frolicking at his feet. For the new sculpture, a granite pedestal was built, at the foot of which 4 more lions were hidden in niches, facing north, east, south and west. The renovation of the cascade was completed in July 1806
As I wrote earlier, during the Nazi occupation the statue of Samson was taken to Germany, so today we see only a copy installed on September 14, 1947, which, however, is in no way inferior to the original
The stream from the lion's mouth rushes up to 21 meters
Peter I did not plan to place any fountain at all in the bucket of the Grand Cascade, but after his death it was decided to complement the Peterhof ensemble with another pearl, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Poltava
Fountains “Chalice”
On both sides of “Samson”, in the center of the Large Flower Gardens, there are identical “Bowl” fountains, which are called “French” (eastern) and “Italian” (western) - according to the nationality of the masters who created them. In 1854, the wooden bowls were replaced by new ones made of Carrara marble. “Bowls” compositionally support the huge water column of “Samson” and harmonize the space of the stalls
Fountains “Marble Benches”
In the far corners of the Big Flower Gardens, in 1853-1856, interesting semicircular benches made of white marble appeared, behind which, on high pedestals, there are two small fountains with marble bowls and gilded female figures. Behind the western bench stands the goddess of the spring Nymph, which is a copy of the ancient Roman statue of the Hermitage, and behind the eastern bench rises Danaid - one of the daughters of the Egyptian king Danaus, doomed to forever fill a bottomless barrel with water
Alley of Fountains
Along the Peterhof Sea Canal stretches the Alley of Fountains, on which, according to the plan of Peter I, it was decided to build 22 fountains with sculptural decoration based on the scenes of Aesop’s fables, and the remaining fountains should be made in the form of ordinary vases with flat bowls. The dilapidated vases were subsequently removed, leaving only the 14 Carrara marble basins in which they were once located. Today, only eight stone basins located closer to the gateway remind of the former Baroque fountains. But even this is enough to form a magnificent crystal colonnade leading to the Grand Cascade
View of the palace from one of the Sea Canal bridges
To avoid confusion, I decided that it would be better if we walked separately, first along the western and then through the eastern part of the Lower Park of Peterhof, so it is necessary to immediately write about the paired fountain “Adam” and “Eve”, which is also located in the western , and in the eastern part =)
Fountains “Adam” and “Eve”
On both sides of the Sea Canal, intersecting alleys form unique squares, from which eight rays radiate. These two large “stars” are the fundamental elements of the original layout of the Lower Park, which is why the oldest fountains of Peterhof are located here: “Adam” - in the eastern part of the park, “Eva” - in the western. Both fountains are compositional and semantic dominants of the corresponding parts of the park and are located almost at their central points. Around the fountains there are formed small areas with diverging rays of large and small alleys
The production of the sculptures was ordered to the Venetian Giovanni Bonazza and it was initially assumed that these would be exact copies of Adam and Eve from the Doge's Palace, but the sculptor interpreted the details a little differently, as a result of which the sculptures, while maintaining the general composition and poses, were filled with baroque details, which made them not copies , but completely independent works of art, which led Peter I to indescribable delight. Initially, in 1718, the sculptures were placed on ordinary pedestals, and the actual fountains were laid later
“Adam” took its current place in 1722, and “Eve” found itself in the center of the fountain only in the fall of 1726, already under Catherine I
These fountains have powerful symbolism - the ancestors of the human race depict Peter I and Catherine I - the ancestors of the Russian Empire
“Adam” and “Eve” are the only fountains of Peterhof that have preserved their original sculptural decoration - they have not changed for almost three centuries!
“Adam” and “Eve” are surrounded by gazebos that appeared here even before the fountains started working. They changed their appearance many times, but during the latest restorations (in the 1970s near “Adam” and in 2000 near “Eve”) they were returned to the appearance of those gazebos that stood here at the beginning of the 19th century
Fountains and cascades of the western part of the Lower Park
In the western part of the Lower Park, in addition to the Adam fountain, there is the Chess Mountain cascade, the Orangery fountain, Roman fountains, the Sheaf fountain and the Bell fountains, the Sun fountain, the Pyramid fountain, and joker fountains . Let's look at them in more detail
Cascade “Chess Mountain”
Fountain cascade in the eastern part of the Lower Park at the end of Monplaisir Alley in different times was called differently: “Small Grotto”, “Ruin Cascade”, “Dragon Cascade”. It has survived to this day under the name “Chess Mountain”; it is not difficult to guess the origin of this name)
The cascade was again designed by Peter I, who sought to achieve similarities with the Small Cascade of the French Marly-le-Roi, but after the death of the Tsar the original plan was changed, and the cascade completed by 1739 was called “ Drakensberg Mountain” - due to the fact that the entrance to the upper grotto of the cascade was guarded by three dragons, which are the main water jets of the fountain
In the middle of the 18th century, the steps of the cascade were painted “to resemble chess” and the cascade began to be called “Chess Mountain”. The cascade consists of four ledges, on both sides of which there are stairs decorated with white stone statues, and ends in a round pool
During World War II, the Nazis destroyed “Chess Mountain,” and during the post-war restoration, the cascade was restored to its appearance in the mid-18th century. Marble sculptures rescued from the invaders took their original places
Fountain “Triton”
In the very center of the Orangery Garden there is a gilded figure of a mighty newt tearing the jaws of a sea monster, and 4 turtles around it, crawling to the north and east. south and west. This fountain is also dedicated to the victory over the Swedes in the Northern War - the newt depicts Peter I, the sea monster - Charles XII, and the turtles scattering in fear - the allies of Sweden
The lead triton appeared here in 1726, but by 1876 it had to be replaced due to its disrepair, as a result of which the composition “Satyr with a Crocodile” was installed in its place.
The original decoration of the fountain was returned after the war, when restoration was carried out according to a drawing from an 18th century album
Roman fountains
These twin fountains are modeled after the fountain in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - hence the name. But Rastrelli developed new project, maintaining the general idea - initially the fountains were made of wood and only in 1800 they were replaced with stone ones. Two-stage fountains, decorated with colored marble and various sculptures (golden garlands, wreaths and mascarons), are located at the exit to Monplaisir Alley, right in front of the “Chess Mountain”. The height of the jets of the Roman fountains of Peterhof is more than 10 meters
The first project involved the creation of wooden fountains with lead-lined bowls - they were created in 1739
In 1763, Rastrelli completely redesigned the fountains and installed them on stone pedestals. All wooden parts were painted to resemble marble
At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, dilapidated Roman fountains were replaced with analogues made of brick and granite, lined with marble, and wooden decorations were replaced with lead ones
During the war, the Nazis damaged the marble cladding of the pyramids, destroyed the pools and blew up the pipelines, but already in 1949 both Roman fountains were restored, and in 2007 their complete restoration was carried out
Fountain “Sheaf” and fountains “Bells”
The Monplaisir Palace is the favorite brainchild of Peter I; it is not for nothing that he gave it such a “telling” name (“mon plaisir” is translated from French as “my pleasure”). The Emperor himself chose a place for it on the shore of the bay, completely laid out the Monplaisir Garden adjacent to the building and meticulously painted the necessary arrangement of the fountain system. As a result, construction began in 1721 and the first fountain built here was the “Sheaf” located right in the center of the Monplaisir garden, which is a tall tuff column from which a powerful stream of water shoots out. The column is surrounded by 24 smaller inclined jets
At equal distances from the “Sheaf” there are four “Bell” fountains, with gilded statues installed on them: Apollo, Bacchus, Faun with a kid and Psyche. The shape of their pedestals is of two types: a vase with acanthus leaves and a fluted column. The pedestals are topped with discs with rounded edges, allowing water to flow into the pool in a thin sheet, creating the illusion of a glass bell
Fountain “Sun”
The “Sun” fountain, already familiar to us, was built in 1721-1724 - twenty jets beat around the central column
Under Peter I, the reservoir of this original and technically complex fountain contained huge sturgeons, delivered to the imperial gardens from the Volga, as well as ducks, geese and swans.
Only in 1721-1724 did Peter I order the installation of a fountain in the pool with twenty arc-shaped jets around a central water column rising from the surface of the pool water. Half a century later, the architect Felten made a bathhouse out of the reservoir, surrounding it with high walls and changing the fountain - in the pedestal he placed a wheel driven by water and rotating a pillar, on top of which there were two disks with holes. The jets escaping from them resembled diverging rays of the sun, which is why the fountain was given the name “Sun”
The fountain, destroyed during the war, was completely restored in 1957, and the principle of its operation remained the same.
Fountain “Pyramid”
The Pyramid fountain is also located in Monplaisir, but is located separately from the ceremonial ensembles, on its own Pyramid Alley. “Pyramid” is one of the oldest and most beautiful fountains of Peterhof - on August 20, 1725, the chamberlain of the Duke of Holstein (father of Peter III) Bergholz wrote: “There is no such large and beautiful water cannon, perhaps nowhere.” “The fountain...forms an interesting pyramid,” the Frenchman De La Motre also admitted
The “Pyramid” also appeared under Peter the Great, who wanted to build something like the Versailles “obelisk”, but the resulting fountain was not at all like anything built before him - the fountain was called the “Pyramid” for its amazing shape. The fountain was first mentioned in Peter’s decree in the summer of 1721: “A water pyramid with small cascades, and to plant a forest next to it according to the drawing of maple, linden, or alder, depending on the location.”
Initially, the chief architect of Peterhof, Michetti, depicted in the sketch an exact copy of the Versailles triangular “obelisk”, but Peter I did not need a copy
The emperor wanted to create a pyramid, that is, a tetrahedral fountain, and not a triangular one, as in Versailles. Especially for this purpose, he chose a tetrahedral section and wrote: “to do according to this figure, and the pyramid would be at the bottom with four corners.” This determined the unique shape of the fountain.
As a result, today on a square area at a distance from other ensembles there is an amazing water “Pyramid”
In the autumn of the same 1721, construction of the fountain began, and three years later Peter I had already turned on the water, but he did not like what he saw - as a result, he ordered the fourth ledge of the cascade to be removed, and the pool itself to be made lower
Unfortunately, the emperor did not see how beautiful the “Pyramid” became after the changes he made - he did not live until the summer of 1725, when the converted fountain was opened
Although at that time the fountain was also still far from modern version- neither the usual bridges across the ditch nor the majestic balustrade had yet been built - this entire entourage was created from wood in 1739 by the architect Isakov, who placed wooden pyramids with stars in the corners
Over time, the clear geometry of the “Italian gardens” gave way to the shady and meandering “English gardens”, neatly trimmed trees gave way to large trees, and the “Pyramid” finally got lost and became isolated, which gave it a special charm and even some kind of surprise effect
In 1770, a decree was issued on the implementation of the fence and ledges of the “Pyramid” from marble, but these changes began to be implemented only on November 11, 1799
On June 6, 1800, the “Pyramid” was decorated with a new, majestic balustrade in the style of prosperous classicism, which today has no analogues; it can only be compared with the airy Cameron Gallery in Pushkin. It is this solemn appearance of the fountain that we can observe today
So how does the Pyramid work? And the principle is quite simple: water flows through an inclined pipe from the Pyramid Pond into seven chambers of a square cast-iron box, hermetically sealed with a bronze lid with holes for up to 505 nozzles. The height of the jets of each chamber is regulated by valves - this is how the overall array of the seven-tier pyramid is formed. By the way, this is the most water-intensive fountain in Peterhof - up to two hundred liters of water are consumed per second. Water fills the rectangular pool and flows in four five-stage cascades into a shallow moat that encircles the entire ensemble along the perimeter. On the sides there are marble bridges along which you can approach the balustrade itself
At the beginning of the 18th century, there was a tradition in the Russian army - in final points their movement and in places of battles to install obelisks shaped like pyramids. So the water “Pyramid” on the shore of the Gulf of Finland was a kind of monument to the victories of Russian troops in the Northern War. Like all Peterhof monuments, originally conceived only as a monument to victory in the Northern War, today it is also a monument to victory in the Great Patriotic War, as, indeed, the whole of Peterhof taken together)
Cracker fountains
As I have already noted, the main feature of the Lower Park of Peterhof is the symmetry in the arrangement of fountain structures, while its Eastern part is more saturated with fountains than the Western. This is explained by the fact that back in the 18th century, festivities for royal guests were held in the Eastern part of the Lower Park, and there were also “playing places” and a bathhouse here.
At the intersection of Marlin and Monplaisir alleys, south of the monument to Peter I, the “Umbrella” and “Oak” joker fountains are hidden. Entertaining fountains are among the most interesting attractions of the Lower Park. The history of their creation originates from Peter the Great’s water games: the “Sofas” of the Monplaisir Garden, the “Water Bridge” on the Ruin Cascade, the “Splash Table” in the grotto of the Grand Cascade and other “play” places. A variety of water games were especially common in the 18th century in the parks of the feudal nobility Western Europe, which was also known in Russia, so the appearance of similar structures in Peterhof is a tribute to the fashion of that time
The comic effect of joker fountains lies in the suddenness of the action of water jets, spraying visitors from all sides (especially if you imagine ladies and gentlemen in magnificent costumes of the 18th century)
The “Umbrella” fountain was created in 1796 - around a massive stand there is a bench, above which a wide umbrella is “opened”, topped with an elegant carved cone, shaped like a pineapple. Along the edges of the umbrella there are 164 small tubes with holes hidden in bright festoons, which are directed towards the ground. When a park visitor comes under the umbrella and sits on a bench, the fountain suddenly turns on. Streams of water noisily burst out of the tubes, and the person finds himself, as it were, in a water cage. You won't get out of here dry =)
In the 19th century, the fountain was subjected to repeated alterations, which distorted its original appearance. The upper part was given the shape of a mushroom cap (hence its second name - “Mushroom”), and the number of nozzles was changed. So in 1826 there were 134 of them, and in 1868 there were 80. After the war, only part of the mutilated roof and fragments of a wooden rim with several damaged tubes remained from the fountain. The fountain was restored according to 18th-century drawings and was relaunched on September 11, 1949. In 1954, the festoons and crowning cone were carved from oak
Opposite the “Umbrella”, on a small round platform, there is a whole complex of joker fountains: five metal tulips, a tree and two joker benches. This entire complex is called “Dubok”. The branched six-meter tubular tree trunk is lined with lead on the outside, disguised as bark. “Oak” leaves made of red copper are attached to the tubular branches, and five tulips are placed under the “Oak” tree. The trunk, branches, leaves of the tree and stems of the tulips are painted green. When the fountain is turned on, thin streams of water burst out from tree branches, flowers and tulip leaves, dousing everyone who is unlucky enough to pass nearby at that moment) On the eastern and western sides of the “Dubok” fountain, there are wooden park sofas, behind the backs of which there are hidden in the ground 41 tubes pointing upward - those who want to inspect the bench or sit on it will be suddenly attacked by a thick canopy of jets flying out from behind its back =)
Initially, in 1735, the “Oak” was made of lead according to Rastrelli’s model and decorated one of the round pools in the Upper Garden, but in 1746 the fountain master Brunatii dismantled the “Oak”, and it lay in the storeroom for a long time. They remembered about the amazing fountain only at the beginning of the 19th century - in 1802, master Strelnikov assembled the “Dubok”, made the missing parts for it, five tulips and two benches, and installed it in the Lower Park, including it in the group of entertainment fountains. The number of branches on the tree also changed: in 1826 there were 349, and two years later - 244. Usually the fountain was turned off, and turned on only when a person approached it - streams of water immediately fell from the branches, and when darting to the side, the unlucky visitor was simultaneously exposed to the jets of the sofa =) In 1914, “Dubok” was dismantled again, and it was stored in the storeroom until 1924, when the architect Voloshinov installed it in its original place
Well, we have covered all the fountains in the western part of the Lower Park of Peterhof - now it’s time to move to the opposite, eastern part)
Fountains and cascades of the eastern part of the Lower Park
In the eastern part of the Lower Park of Peterhof, in addition to the Eva fountain, there are the Lion and Golden Mountain cascades, the Favorite fountain, the Eva fountain, the Whale fountain, the Menagernye fountains, and the Closhi fountains.
Another feature of the Lower Park was the principle according to which each palace had to have its own cascade. In 1721, construction of the Hermitage pavilion began and the alley leading to it was laid out. It was planned that the perspective of the Hermitage Alley on the southern side should be closed by the Hermitage Cascade
The project of this cascade was carefully thought out by Peter I (in his notes he called it “Moise’s Cascade”), but something prevented the craftsmen from creating it - only at the end of the 18th century did the opportunity arise to return to the implementation of the project. Finally built at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, the cascade was a rectangular pool with waterfall ledges and eight flat fountain marble bowls. Statues of Hercules and Flora were initially used as sculptural decoration, but a year later they were replaced by bronze figures of lions, and the cascade itself, called the Hermitage by location, received its second, more well-known name - the Lion Cascade
In 1854-1857, the Lion Cascade underwent a large-scale reconstruction, during which the pool was significantly enlarged, and on a granite plinth, repeating the old contour, a three-sided monumental colonnade of 14 eight-meter columns made of dark gray Serdobol granite, with capitals, architrave and bases of snow-white Carara marble
Between the columns there were 12 bowls with fountains made of the same marble. The lower part of the cascade was decorated with mascarons located under each bowl. In the center of the colonnade, on a hill made of granite blocks, the statue “Nymph Aganipa” was installed.
Today, all that remains of the original decor are lions, from whose mouths streams of water pour out.
The cascade was created during the times of late classicism, therefore it looks quite unusual within the framework of the integral ensemble of Peterhof - it is distinguished from other elements by the severity of antique forms, the laconicism of the water design, the emphatically restrained colors of the stone and the complete absence of gilded details
During the Great Patriotic War, the Lion Cascade was seriously damaged; only the base, part of the colonnade and damaged marble bowls remained. The restoration took a lot of time...
Only in August 2000 did the jets of one of the most significant fountain structures in Russia of the 19th century shoot up again
Cascade “Golden Mountain”
Not far from the Marly Palace there is an extremely spectacular 14-meter cascade "Golden Mountain" with a statue of Neptune on the upper wall, to the project of which Peter I also had a hand. In 1732, construction was completed - sculptures on the attic and in the pool were added to the original project, and under the steps they hung gilded copper sheets, creating an interesting play of light through the mirror of falling water. If you look at the cascade from below, standing at its foot, you get the impression of a flowing golden stream. It was after these modifications that the cascade began to be called “Golden”.
During the fascist occupation, the Golden Mountain was badly damaged, but the entire sculpture was removed in advance and thereby saved from a sad fate. The restoration work organized after the end of the war quickly returned the cascade to its original appearance.
Fountain “Favorite”
The favorite fountain is located behind the Voronikhinskaya colonnade and is one of the fountains dedicated to the theme of Aesop’s fables, which, according to the plan of Peter I, were supposed to form the Alley of Fountains along the Sea Canal. The “Favorite” fountain was built in 1725 by order of Catherine I - a special water wheel was placed at the bottom of the pool, which set wooden figures in motion, which were replaced five years later with painted copper ones. As a result, in a small pool, a funny pug chases four ducks running away from him in a circle)
Once upon a time there was an inscription on the fountain explaining the meaning of Aesop's fable: “The Favorite dog is chasing ducks on the water; Then the ducks said to her: “You are suffering in vain, you have the strength to chase us, but you don’t have the strength to catch us.” The sonorous barking of dogs and the quack of ducks attracted interested guests of Peterhof to this fountain.
Fountain “Whale”
A pond was once dug at this place, in which Peter I wanted to replicate the Versailles Neptune fountain and build an artificial Mount Parnassus on the slope. But the reservoir, dug and surrounded by a dam in 1724-1727, stood without decoration for sixteen years, and only in 1739-1740 the Sand (or Sterlyazhiy) pond - as the reservoir was called - was decorated with large sculptures “with water flowing from the mouth and head.” In the center was placed a seven-meter wooden fabulous “Whale Fish”, on the sides of which lead “sea bulls” (dragons) swam. Brightly colored figures, clearly standing out on the mirror surface of the pond, gave the name to the new fountain
In 1800, the old wooden figures were dismantled, and the fountain became a managerial type with four dolphins. In 1963, during the post-war restoration of this section of the Lower Park, the fountain was recreated according to 19th-century drawings. Now a metal ball rests and rotates on the stream from the fountain
“Management” fountains
The author of these amazing fountains was again the brilliant Emperor Peter I, according to whose design special nozzles for fountain pipes were cast, which made it possible to create giant 15-meter columns of fountains, which were in fact hollow inside. That is why, by the middle of the 19th century, the name “Menagernye” was assigned to them, which translated from French means “thrifty”. The design of the fountains has reached us unchanged. In the second half of the 18th century, powerful water columns raised empty copper balls, which, when the jets were turned off, fell into a basket
The restoration of the "Menazherny" fountains after the fascist occupation was greatly complicated by the fact that the drawings of Peter I - and only through persistent experiments it was possible to achieve the previous shape of the jets. Thus, hollow fountains were completely revived in 1949
View from the Marlinsky shaft of Peterhof to the “Golden Mountain” and the “managerial” fountains, in the foreground - the garden of Venus, in the background - the garden of Bacchus
Another perspective
Fountains “Clochy”
In 1724, in the Marly region, they decided to build four fountains, also dedicated to the plots of Aesop’s fables, but the plan was not implemented, and the figures of four “Tritons”, created in 1721 from bronze, were transferred to the prepared places from the arches of the Grand Cascade grotto. At the end of the 18th century, wooden bowls with tubes from which water flowed over the heads of the Tritons were replaced by flat disks with a conduit outlet in the center. The water flowing out under low pressure forms a semblance of a bell and the “Tritons” are surrounded by a transparent veil, as if they are in their native element of the underwater kingdom. After replacing the bowls with disks, the fountains began to be called “Cloches”, which translated from French means “bells”
"Cloches" were completely destroyed by the Nazis, but in 1955 they were recreated based on old photographs and documents that have reached us.
Separately, I would like to dwell on the grottoes of the Grand Cascade, which have no analogues anywhere in the world
Grottoes of the Grand Cascade
To provide the fountains of Peterhof with sufficient water pressure around the clock, Peter the Great thought through everything down to the smallest detail, starting from the choice suitable place for the construction of a palace and park ensemble and ending with the development of a water supply system that works on the principle of difference in levels, thanks to which today in Peterhof there are no water structures or pumps - water flows through the canal by gravity!
At first, the emperor believed that the waters of the nearby Okhotsk swamp would be enough for the long-term operation of the Peterhof fountains, but this turned out to be not enough and he had to look for additional sources, which were discovered only 25 km from the Upper Park, on the Ropshinskaya Upland. The result is a very complex system: there are 24 storage ponds alone! The photo shows one of the storage ponds - the Red Pond. Previously, these levers were used to open the iron barrier in the pond
View from the Grand Cascade to the Sea Canal and the Gulf of Finland
Another access to the Gulf of Finland
Water flows from everywhere into the Samsonovsky basin, from where it branches into three paths: the first - through ponds and channels into the English Pond and the Verkhnesadsky Canal; the second - along the Olginsky water conduit to the Upper Garden and Lower Park; the third - through underground pipes to individual groups of fountains and cascades of the Lower Park
The Upper and Lower Grottoes, built in 1716-1720 according to the plans of Peter I, are the architectural center of the Great Cascade of Peterhof. The grottoes are lined with tuff and decorated with marble and gilded sculptures. The Lower Grotto also has its own joker fountains. Here you can also see tunnels with water pipes and an exhibition dedicated to the work of fountain artists of the past
This closed door leads to the entrance to the Grand Palace
Upper or Small Grotto, the walls and ceiling of which are lined with tuff
There are lamps built into the walls so that it’s not scary to walk here)
Along the way, here and there there are skylights like this
An exhibition dedicated to those who serviced the fountains of Peterhof in the past
To each fountain, water runs through pipes of different colors. For example, in this photo the red pipe leads to “Samson”, and the pink pipe leads to the “Basket” fountain.
The evolution of pipes...
Lower or Large Grotto
Golden sculptures look unusual against such a background, to put it mildly)
But plaster busts fit much more organically into the surrounding stone “landscape”
In 1721, Peter I ordered the creation of a “splash table” in the grotto of the Grand Cascade, which can be seen here today - the oval table is equipped with invisible nozzles along the edges, the water from which covers the careless visitor bending over the table =)
In 1723, the emperor came up with another joke for the guests - Peter I ordered the construction of water curtains that unexpectedly covered the entrances to the grotto)
And here is the exit from the grottoes
Few people have seen what Peterhof looks like at night) Well, look =)
During his visit to France in 1717, Peter I visited Versailles, and this palace and park ensemble made a great impression on him. The Emperor decided to do something similar in Russia, and this is how the famous palaces, parks and fountains of Peterhof. This iconic place include in their routes all tourists visiting St. Petersburg.
The dominant feature of the complex is the Great Peterhof Palace; it links the Lower Park and the Upper Garden into a single whole. It took 11 years to build, and the result was a very modest building in the “Petrine” Baroque style. Elizabeth I was not satisfied with such a residence, and she began its reconstruction, setting the architect B. Rastrelli a difficult task: to preserve the walls of his father’s palace, harmoniously fitting them into the new concept. The great Bartolomeo coped with this brilliantly, increasing the number of floors and completing the galleries with adjacent side buildings.
In the era of Catherine II, the pomp of the Baroque went out of fashion, and Grand Palace changes its internal appearance in accordance with the classicism style.The last significant changes to the Peterhof Palace occurred under Nicholas I, who, in honor of the marriage of his daughter Olga, ordered the completion of the floor above the eastern building. All the time, right up to the October Revolution, the Grand Palace was one of the favorite summer residences Russian emperors, and since 1918 it has become a museum.
Peterhof is famous not only for its palaces, but mostly for its park ensembles with their famous fountain cascades.
At first it was the gilded “Neptunov’s Cart”. But over time it became dilapidated, was dismantled and replaced with new group. This “Neptune”, already without the “cart”, but with dolphins and lead oak garlands, has been preserved to this day.Near the main gate of the Upper Garden there is the Mezheumny fountain, which received its name due to the frequent changes in sculptural decor.
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The latest version features a bronze sea dragon and 4 dolphins, from which jets of water shoot up.
The lower park was formed immediately as a regular park from 1714 to 1723. Architects and garden craftsmen created it in the French manner, and although many decorative details were lost, the main concept was preserved.The park is divided into 3 logically interconnected parts: Parade, Marlin and Monplaisir. Each park alley ends with a palace or fountain.
The main building of the western part of the park is the Marly Palace, so named in memory of the visit of Peter I to the residence of Louis XIV.
The Emperor made the sketches himself architectural features and finishing of this building. The result was a Dutch-style palace with austerity in both its external and internal appearance.
Monplaisir housed collections of Western European paintings and Chinese porcelain. The tsar's office was decorated in a nautical theme; from its windows there was a wonderful view of the Gulf of Finland, Kronstadt, St. Petersburg, Peterhof. In the discreetly beautiful State Hall of the palace, family celebrations, celebrations in honor of the victories of Russian weapons, and receptions of foreign ambassadors were held. After the death of Peter I, Monplaisir became a museum where his personal belongings are still kept.
The main attraction decorating Peterhof - park fountains, indescribable water extravaganza. Initially, it was planned to build cascades of fountains in Strelna, but this idea was later abandoned due to inevitable flooding. Peterhof became an ideal option due to its varied topography.
All that remained was to find a reliable source of water supply, which was soon discovered on the Ropsha Upland. Peter I gave instructions to dig a canal that would supply water fountains of Peterhof. At the same time, ponds were built in the Upper Garden where it was supposed to accumulate.
This is how the Peterhof fountain system was born, which developed until the mid-19th century. The result is about 40 km of canals through which water flows into 18 reservoirs with total area more than 100 hectares, and then piped to the fountains. Due to the height difference, this hydraulic masterpiece operates without the use of pumping equipment.
The huge reserve of groundwater in the Ropsha Upland allows the Peterhof fountains to operate for 8 hours every day from May to October.
Opening of fountains in Peterhof is a luxurious holiday attended by thousands of people. The first to wake up is always the Grand Cascade, located at the foot of the Peterhof Palace.
Its center is the famous Samson tearing the lion's mouth.
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Initially, according to the plan of Peter I, a sculpture of Hercules killing the Hydra should have stood here, but this idea did not come true. During the time of Anna Ioannovna, the plan was returned to, and a fountain was built in honor of the 25th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Poltava. But instead of Hercules on a 3-meter pedestal surrounded by dolphins, the biblical hero Samson fights with a grinning lion, from whose mouth water gushes to a height of 20 meters.
In the Monplaisir part of the Lower Park there is the “Chess Mountain” cascade. It got its name from the drain steps, painted to look like a checkerboard.
To the side of the ceremonial ensembles is the largest fountain, the Pyramid. It was created according to the plans of Peter I and is made in the form of a 4-sided pyramid, the shape of which is created by 505 water jets.
The Sheaf fountain, one of the oldest, fits no less harmoniously into the composition of the eastern part of the Lower Park. It is made in the form of a bunch of ears of corn from which a stream of water shoots out.
Along the axis of Marlinskaya Alley, Peter I ordered the installation of paired fountains “Adam” and “Eve”.
Around each of them there are 16 seven-meter jets.
In the western part of the Lower Park there is the beautiful “Golden Cascade”, so named because of the vertical parts of its draining steps, decorated with gilded copper sheets. This splendor is guarded by sculptures of ancient heroes made of Carrara marble.
The height of their jets is 15 m, but the water consumption is minimal due to design features, proposed by Peter I himself.
The last, fourth, called “Lion” cascade was built instead of the lost Hermitage cascade and is located on the lower terrace, and not a slope, like its 3 brothers.
During the Great Patriotic War, Peterhof was captured by the German occupiers, who mercilessly destroyed it. Deforested gardens, looted and blown up palaces, this is what it was turned into Peterhof, photo the war years - the memory of that terrible time. So that the German name would not offend the ears, in 1944 the city was renamed Petrodvorets.
And only after more than half a century it was finally returned to its original name - Peterhof.
Like all tourists or simply lovers of travel, we began our visit to Peterhof from the upper garden. He greeted us with a riot of tulips of various shapes and colors. I was amazed by the well-groomed lawns, shady alleys, and neatly trimmed trees. On the territory of the upper garden there were two small fountains, the first of all their diversity. Was beautiful weather, and against the blue sky the Peterhof Palace looked simply magnificent.
How to get there
- From the Avtovo metro station: Minibuses: T-224, T-300, T-424 buses: No. 200, No. 210
- From the Leninsky Prospekt metro station: minibuses: T-103, T-420
- From the Prospekt Veteranov metro station: minibuses: T-343, T-639B
- From the Baltiysky railway station: train to the station New Peterhof or Oranienbaum from the station in New Peterhof 10 minutes by bus: No. 344, No. 348, No. 350, No. 351, No. 352, No. 355, No. 356
I’ll go a little away from the main topic, but I need to write that from time to time you and I worry about the same thing. So, all the toilets are located in remote parts of the park. Therefore, especially if you are with children, we advise you to solve all pressing problems when entering the park, so that later nothing will interfere with your pleasant time. Well, let’s talk about something else right away. A visit to the park will take you all day, no less. Food in the park is very expensive; it’s worth stocking up on sandwiches and water (although the latter runs out very quickly). Two of us couldn't stand the hunger strike and "cracked" for a burger using the last of our "cash" (they don't take cards) - and this explains why we got home by bus. If you plan to make purchases (souvenirs, etc.) - take cash.
Let's continue. After admiring the “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Mouth” fountain from above, we decided to go down directly to the fountain itself. And then we were interested in the invitation to the excursion “Grottoes of the Great Cascade”. I won’t describe the manipulations in which we bought tickets without passports, but we did it. The excursion is very unusual - you have to take it. But this is a separate story, and read about it in our separate article.
Next we went down to Samson. Samson is mesmerizing. The statue itself symbolizes the power of Russia, the victory over both Sweden and Nazi Germany. By the way, during the war against fascism, “Samson” was destroyed and rebuilt. The fountain's jets rise proudly. Extraordinary beauty. And if you are at the fountain in good weather, look closely and you will see a rainbow. We would have admired it more, but the time for the excursion had come.
After the excursion, we walked diagonally to the right (if you stand facing the Gulf of Finland from Samson on your left) and found ourselves on a shady alley, where we met a cute, charming squirrel who was intently gnawing on a nut, paying little attention to the children attacking her from all sides. Very quickly we reached the square of the Chess Mountain cascade. There are also two beautiful fountains there. By the way, on this same square there are toilets and numerous fast food kiosks.
In total, there are 147 active fountains on the territory of the complex.
After a short break we moved on. Our path lay to the “cracker” fountains. It turns out that Peter had a certain sense of humor and he liked to suddenly splash his guests with water. Fountains include the "water road", the "Oak" and "Umbrella" fountains. The whole “trick” is that while walking along the road, admiring the oak tree or sitting on the Umbrella bench, you risk getting wet from head to toe at the most inopportune moment. The kids really like it. We know the principle of operation of these fountains, but we will not reveal it to you. The most curious, turning their heads in all directions, will understand what the secret is.
After walking along the alleys of the park, we naturally decided to head towards the Gulf of Finland. On the way we came across the “Sun” fountain. In general, there were many fountains; we simply cannot describe them all. Each fountain is remarkable in its own way. “Sun” because at the top of the fountain there is a ball from which jets of water are thrown out and form rays. The ball rotates slowly.
Our path to the Gulf of Finland was disrupted by the “Labyrinth” sign. Since none of us had been there, we decided to look at this miracle of engineering technology. Along the way, we had the chance to admire swans and ducks in a closed enclosure. Regarding the labyrinth - of all the labyrinths, this is the most “not a labyrinth”. There's nothing to do there. Don't waste your time.
And here, finally, is the Gulf of Finland. It immediately became cool. The Gulf of Finland is always cold, so in Peterhof a swimsuit is not included in the mandatory dress code in summer. But it opens beautiful view to the city, to cable-stayed bridge(in clear weather). We walked along the road along the Gulf of Finland, periodically dodging the overtaking ubiquitous electric cars with sightseers, and took pictures on all the lawns and by all the streams “because we wanted to.”
So gradually we reached the “Dutch courtyard”. Peter, as you know, loved Holland and recreated its tiny corner here. The small courtyard is planted with amazingly beautiful scarlet tulips. In the center, of course, is a fountain. In a corner of the courtyard there is some kind of entertainment for children, where they are sprinkled with water. But we didn't go there. If you go with children, try it, just take your child a raincoat.
Tired, wearing out the last of our shoes and experiencing incredible pleasure from the walk, we decided to head home. We made the way back in the same order. At the same time, our tireless photographer continued to take pictures. We have already written above why we made the way back by bus, but we do not advise you to do this under any circumstances - only a minibus.
And in the end I would like to write the following: no matter how many times you come to St. Petersburg, the same number of times you will definitely go to Peterhof. In order to admire the majestic jets of fountains, enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the park, stroll along its shady alleys, see beautiful meadows with flowers, stand on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, or just feed a small fluffy squirrel.
is the capital of fountains. The fountains of Peterhof are monuments of world culture. Water enters the fountains of Peterhof naturally through a system of locks, canals, reservoirs and springs from the Ropshinsky Heights, and the height of the jets can vary depending on their filling. The pumps were never used in Peterhof. Almost 60 km of rivers, 16 ponds, canals and streams from the Ropshin Heights to the Monplaisir Palace itself participate in the unique “dance of water”. Water along the road is collected in metal pipes laid underground. For more than 3 centuries, this unique system has been supplying the pearl of Peterhof - the Lower Park. In winter, in the off-season and always at night, the fountains of Peterhof do not work. The design of all 147 fountains and 4 cascades should create in the air the picture that the architects of the era of Peter I conceived. The summer season of Peterhof fountains opens on the May holidays and lasts until mid-October. The beginning of the work of the Peterhof Fountains is accompanied by a costumed theatrical performance and colorful fireworks at the Grand Palace. The opening celebration of the fountains in 2019 took place on May 18. Autumn Fountain Festival - closing of fountains in Peterhof in 2019 it will take place on September 20 and 21. You can go to the evening grand show as part of an excursion.
The valves of the Peterhof fountains are opened every morning by a team of eleven people manually in a strictly specified sequence - this is a whole ritual. Among the fountains of Peterhof, four cascades stand out: the Grand Cascade, the Golden Mountain, the Lion Mountain and the Chess Mountain. All operating fountains of Peterhof throw more than 1000 liters of water into the air per second.
Since 1990, the fountains, parks and museums of Petrodvorets have been part of the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve. The main composition is located near the Grand Palace: Upper Garden, Lower Park, Grand Cascade, Samson Fountain. Jets of water merge with the surface of the Sea Canal and head towards the Gulf of Finland.
Upper Garden of Peterhof
The Upper Garden is decorated with fountains: Oak (1734), Square Ponds fountains (sculptures “Venus of Italy” and “Apollo”), a round pool of the “Mezheumny” fountain with a winged dragon at the main entrance to the Upper Garden. The oldest of them is the Neptune fountain. His statue was cast back in 1660 and it turns out that he is 50 years older than Peterhof.
Lower Park of Peterhof
The lower park occupies 102 hectares. The lower park is an elongated triangle. The lower park stretches 500 meters from south to north and 2.5 km from east to west along the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The lower park has two systems of intersecting radial alleys. If you look from the Grand Palace to the Gulf of Finland, then the central axis of the Lower Park is formed. The central axis is seen as the “Grand Cascade” fountain and the Sea Canal leading to the Peterhof pier. The Sea Canal is decorated with the Alley of Fountains (12 pairs of fountains with jets 4 meters high).
The Sea Canal conventionally divides the Lower Park into two parts: eastern and western.
Eastern part: Catherine's building, Monplaisir Palace, Bath building, Aviaries, "Chess Mountain" cascade, "Bells", "Sheaf", "Pyramid", "Sun" fountains, "Shutikha" fountains (step on its secret part and the fountain will spray ), “Roman Fountains”, “Greenhouse”.
Western part: the Hermitage pavilion and the alley leading to it with the “Lion Cascade” fountain with a U-shaped pool with water ledges and a colonnade of 14 eight-meter columns, the Marly Palace, “Menager Fountains”, the “Golden Mountain” cascade, “Cloches” (“ Tritons").
Great Peterhof Palace
The central place in the Lower Park is given to the majestic building “Great Peterhof Palace”, which, with an observation deck with a parapet, rises above the “Grottoes” museum and the “Grand Cascade” fountain. Below, opposite the “Great Peterhof Palace”, two symmetrical Voronikhin Colonnades (designed by architect A. Voronikhin) and two symmetrical “Chalice” fountains are organically integrated into the park ensemble. The "Chalice" (Italian) fountains release luxurious jets of water in the western part of the Lower Park, and the "Chalice" (French) fountains - in the eastern part. Behind the western Voronikhin Colonnade, the original Favoritny fountain, a favorite of children and adults, smiles welcomingly at guests. The idea of this fountain is this: the dog Favorite is trying to catch up with the ducks and all this action is accompanied by acoustic effects.
Photo of the "Big Cascade" fountain in Peterhof
Russia’s victory for access to the Baltic Sea is embedded in the architectural idea of the “Great Cascade” fountain, the largest triumphal monument of the 18th century. The “Big Cascade” fountain is the most beautiful and solemn among the fountains of Peterhof. The “Big Cascade” has a façade length of 42 meters, three staircases along which waterfalls flow like waterfalls, two grottoes, 252 sculptures, 29 bas-reliefs, 64 fountains. The Upper and Lower Grottoes are the architectural center of the Grand Cascade fountain. Entrance to the Grottoes Museum is through the upper terrace of the Cascade. The lower grotto is crowned with the “Basket” fountain - the strongest and most abundant (9 high jets and 28 inclined side jets, intertwined in the shape of a basket).
The ensemble of the central part of the Lower Park is the fountain “Samson tearing apart the mouth of a lion” (1735). The water jet of the Samson fountain shoots up 20 meters, the weight of the sculpture is 5 tons, the height is 3.3 meters. The Samson fountain was restored after the Great Patriotic War in 1947, and in 2011, after restoration, it began to sparkle with new colors.
On the axis of Marlinskaya Alley, which stretches two kilometers along the shore of the Gulf of Finland, there are two paired fountains, originally preserved for more than three centuries, surrounded by four Trellis pavilions: the “Adam” fountain and the “Eve” fountain. The Adam fountain (1722) is located in the eastern part of the Lower Park. The Eva Fountain (1726) takes its place in the western part of the park. These multi-water symmetrical fountains with a varied pattern of 16 jets differ only in the sculptures in the center of the fountains, made of Italian marble. According to the architects, these fountains symbolize the imperial power of the first owners of Peterhof - Peter I and Catherine I.
The fountains of Peterhof are unique, varied and very beautiful. Admire the water the color of lapis lazuli pearls, because lapis lazuli are gilded stars that shine from within! Come to Peterhof, experience the “dance of drops on the water” and give yourself a few moments of magic in the photographs taken.
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