Peterhof is nicknamed the “Russian Versailles” and is a jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains which is very often compared with French Versailles. But don’t believe those who state this: our Peterhof is much better!!
Watch the video below to see one of the main attractions in St. Petersburg.
The Town of Peterhof
On the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland near Saint Petersburg lies the town of Peterhof. It has a population of over 60,000, it was founded in 1710 by Peter the Great and became an official town in 1762. The town is home to the famous Peterhof Palace along with one of the two campuses for the Saint Petersburg State University, and the famed Petrodvorets Watch Factory. The palace and the city center are recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. Strategically, the location was important to Peter the Great as it was between Saint Petersburg (to the east) and Kronshtadt (to the west) which is where the navy had its headquarters. The name of the city was changed in 1944 to Petrodvorets (“Peter’s palace”) and changed back to Peterhof in 1997 when Petrodvorets was split into Peterhof and Strelna. The palace grounds were largely destroyed by the Germans while they occupied it between 1941 and 1944 but since has been almost completely restored. Many fountains were destroyed and a fire occurred in the palace.
The Peterhof Grounds
Peterhof is comprised of several different areas and buildings including the Grand Peterhof Palace, the Upper Gardens, the Lower Gardens, along with several pavilions and museums. The Grand Peterhof Palace sits less than 100 meters from the shores of the Gulf of Finland atop a 16 meter high bluff. Upon visiting Peterhof you will see the Upper Gardens first laid out with several fountains before the Grand Peterhof Palace. The Lower Gardens are larger than the Upper Gardens and lie along the Gulf of Finland.
The Grand Palace of Peterhof
A front view of the Grand Palace of Peterhof
The Palace is the main attraction and started as a small mansion built for Peter the Great. Over the years and through the period of the war, the palace suffered damages but some of the original interior remains much as it was during the 18th century. In the central hall you find evidence of this – the oak staircases and the oak study were designed by Nicolas Pineau, a famous French carver and ornamental designer. In the Roccoco style he made French-style opposed mirrors with carved panels and double doors alongside. The richly carved panels sit next to military trophies and drawings by Pineau.
Since the time of Peter up until the early 20th century it was the official summer palace of the Russian Tsars. During the reign of Elizabeth, Bartolomeo Rastrelli added to the Palace in his unique Baroque style. Rastrelli created the Northern Halls, the Main Staircase, and the Ball Room. After World War II much of his gilt carving had to be restored and it was, right down to the last detail including mirrors, plafonds, and silk to ensure the charm of the imperial residence was intact.
The Science Room in the Grand Palace at Peterhof
The Chesma hall is dedicated to the Russian naval victories in the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774. 12 large paintings cover the walls depicting battle scenes from the war, painted by Jacob Philipp Hackert for Elizabeth II.
A Music Room in the Grand Palace
The Picture hall is a room with 368 paintings Pietro Rotari, who is considered a master of portrait style Roccoco painting. The paintings were all created from a single model but vary in appearance and depict a woman in various styles of dress and of differing ages. Rotairi died in Saint Petersburg and his widow sold the paintings in 1764.
The Grand Room
Beyond these main attractions in the palace, there is also bedrooms and dining rooms decorated with fine ancient furniture, porcelain, glass, bronze, and artwork to enjoy.
A dining room in the Grand Palace
A bedroom in the Grand Palace
The Upper Gardens
The Upper Gardens cover over 15 hectares (~37 acres) and are the front yard leading up to the Grand Palace. The gardens have had a utilitarian function, being used as vegetable gardens and containing 3 ponds which are used as reservoirs for the fountains in the Lower Gardens. It is important to note that the fountains you will find in the Lower Gardens do not use pumps, the fountains are at a lower elevation than the ponds so the pressure is enough to power the fountains, including the Grand Cascade. The exception is the Samson fountain, which requires a 4 km aqueduct to create enough pressure.
The Upper Gardens were re-designed in the late 18th century to include fountains, sculptures, mirrored ponds, gazebos, and flower beds. The re-design was done by none other than Rastrelli, the favorite architect of Elizabeth II. The detailed work had almost made the Upper Gardens as opulent as the Lower Gardens, but still not as grand. Restoration took place in 1960 replacing many of the old trees with a circular patterned look with bushes and flower beds along with a marble statue which was buried during the war to preserve it.
The Lower Gardens
The Lower Gardens contain most of the more prominent fountains and are featured in a lot of the pictures you will see if you do a search for Peterhof. The Lower Gardens span an area of 102 hectares (~252 acres) and are split in half by the canal into the eastern and western sections. Firstly, one of the oldest structures designed was the canal leading up to the Grand Palace. The canal was sketched by Peter I himself and its construction began in 1715. The canal was used as the main transportation artery to the palace and made for a grand entrance to the summer palace of the Tsars. With the construction of the Samson fountain, however, the use of the canal as a route of transport ceased. Peter I planned to build 22 fountains with statues alongside in the shape of the characters of Aesop’s fables which would lie along the canal. But the plan was changed and the original fountains were replaced with bowl-shaped fountains in 1854-1860.
The Lower Gardens were designed in a French style and are a showcase of the talents of Peter I, his sense of style, and his sense of humor. One item of note is called Chess Mountain, a broad chute which is designed in the pattern of a chess board with white and red colors. Another is called the Golden Mountain and is an ornately designed staircase with many statues sitting alongside it. In the Lower Gardens there is another ‘Hermitage’, certainly not to be confused with its more famous counterpart, it is a small pavilion surrounded by a moat and containing 124 paintings from different European artists.
The Fountains of Peterhof
The Grand Cascade
The Grand Cascade is the most notable and ornately designed of all the fountains in Peterhof. Its design was conceived by Peter I and construction began in 1716 and was finished on July 13, 1721 much to the delight of Peter who watched the first water pour from the fountains in person. The fountains were severely damaged during World War II and had to be restored from photos. The restoration was painstakingly difficult and took many years, even as recently as 1995 there was restoration projects taking place but today it is fully restored to its majestic self.
The Samson Fountain
In 1734 for the 25th anniversary of the Russian victory in the Northern War against the Swedish, the Samson fountain was commissioned. A major victory occurred on the war on the feast of St Samson day, symbolic in itself, but the Swedish coat of arms also contains a lion making it doubly symbolic. A special 4 km reservoir allows the fountain to shoot 20 meters into the air, easily grabbing the attention of all visitors to Peterhof. The original statue was stolen by the Germans during the war but was reproduced from photos by Vasily Simonov and on display again in 1947.
The Fountain Alley
The Fountain Alley is along the sea canal and one of the oldest structures of Peterhof. 14 bowl shaped fountain basins make up the alley, going from the Grand Cascade all the way down to the Gulf of Finland.
The Orangery Fountain
This fountain depicts a triton struggling with a sea monster surrounded by 4 bronze turtles and can be found in the center of the Orangery garden.
The Chessboard Hill Cascade
This cascade is one of the main attractions of the eastern section of the Lower Gardens. It contains a small grotto which is the oldest part along with a 4 tiered cascade which is surrounded by statues. The chessboard design was added in the mid-18th century.
The Pyramid Fountain
A remarkable achievement with an interesting geometrical effect created by over 505 jets to make a 4 sided water pyramid. The 3 tiered base is made of marble surrounded by a pool lined with granite and marble vases adorn the handrails around the pool.
The Sun Fountain
A design made by Niccol? Michetti this fountain resembles the sun due to the water coming from the column in the center being a circular shape. At the base of the fountain 20 more jets spray water as the entire structure rotates.
Trick fountains
Several trick fountains can be found on the grounds of Peterhof, an ode to the lighter side of Peter I. One of them resembles a Chinese umbrella, another is disguised as several flowers which spray water if you get close enough, and another is a bench which gives a nice surprise to anyone sitting down to admire the beauty of their surroundings.
The Sheaf and Cloche Fountains
In the Monplaisir Garden these fountains are topped with gilded bronze statues designed in 1721 by Niccol? Michetti.
The Adam and Eve Fountains
Adam lies on the east side of the sea canal and Eve on the western side, these fountains have 16 jets each and are surrounded by octagonal pools. Two of the earliest fountains, they luckily survived the war mostly unscathed and retain their original architectural character.
The Golden Hill Cascade
One of the main features of the western side of the Lower Gardens, this cascade is near the Marly palace. It has a statue of Neptune at the top and along the sides are various other Greek mythical figures such as Neptune, Triton, Nymph, Andromeda, Venus, and Cupid.
The Museums in Peterhof
There are several other small museums in Peterhof including a bicycle museum and a playing card museum.
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