Fountains of Peterhof. Peterhof fountains Petrodvorets palaces parks fountains
How long have I not seen this beauty! There was not enough time. And here it is!
All tourists who come to St. Petersburg strive here. And not in vain, judge for yourself.
A bit of history and my photos:
Peterhof (from German Peterhof - "Peter's courtyard", from 1944 to 1997 - Peterhof)
Peterhof was founded in 1710 as an imperial country residence, the status of the city - since 1762. The city is a monument of world architecture and palace and park art of the XVIII-XIX centuries, the museum-reserve "Peterhof". Science city since 2005.
For the first time, Peterhof (German: Peterhof - Petrov Dvor) was mentioned in the travel journal of Peter I in 1705 as a "travel yard" and a pier for moving to Kotlin Island. It was one of the many manors (“traffic lights”) built along the road from St. Petersburg along the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Here is the entry that appeared in the Journal of Peter I dated September 13, 1705
View of the Lower Park from the Grand Palace.
In the 1710s, active landscape and architectural work began on the construction of the estate of Peter I. In 1714, the Great Peterhof Palace, the Great Grotto with cascades, Monplaisir and other structures of the Lower Park were laid. Gradually, Malaya Sloboda (to the south and southeast of the Upper Park) and Bolshaya Sloboda (to the west, the so-called Old Peterhof, along the modern Own Prospect) arose near the construction of the residence. There, at the Merchants' Quay, ships from Kronstadt and St. Petersburg arrived. In 1721, a water saw mill was founded, and with it the Lapidary Factory (now the Petrodvorets Watch Factory).
Grand Palace and Grand Cascade.
A special conduit with a total length of 40 km was built to supply the fountains of Peterhof. On its route there are 18 storage ponds with more than 1.3 million cubic meters of water and occupying an area of almost 100 hectares. The water conduit was created in 1720-1721 according to the project of hydraulic engineer Vasily Tuvolkov. August 9, 1721 earned water cannons. By 1723, the formation of the palace and park ensemble was basically completed. By this time, the main planning elements of the Lower Park had been formed, the Grand Palace and the Monplaisir Palace had been built, and the water supply system of fountains had been built.
Sea channel and alley of fountains
The park layout is based on two systems of radial alleys (north-south and west-east directions), intersecting with each other. All the main alleys of the Lower Park either go to the bay or end with a fountain. The layout clearly respects the principle of symmetry. The central axis is the Grand Cascade and the Sea Canal. At an equal distance from the axis are the fountains "Adam" and "Eve", the cascades "Chessboard Mountain" and "Golden Mountain", the Monplaisir Palace and the Hermitage Pavilion.
Fountain "Samson tearing apart the mouth of a lion."
It is believed that the figure of Samson appeared in connection with the Poltava victory of the Russian troops over the Swedes, won on the day of Sampson the pilgrim. The lion is associated with Sweden, since it is this symbol that is present on the coat of arms of the country to this day.
The jet hits up to 21 meters.
The fountain monument was installed in 1735.
According to the original plans, when creating the Grand Cascade, a fountain was not planned in the bucket in front of it, and during the life of Peter I there was no fountain in the bucket. For the first time, the fountain "Samson Tearing the Lion's Mouth" was installed in a ladle in front of the Great Cascade of Peterhof in 1735 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the historic victory of the Russian army over the Swedes at Poltava (Poltava Battle), won on June 27, 1709 on the day of St. Sampson the Hospitable. In the entire history of the existence of Peterhof, there were 3 Samson fountains in front of the Grand Cascade. The first one, installed in 1735, was cast from lead by the sculptor B.-K. Rastrelli, the pedestal for the sculpture was probably designed by the architect M. Zemtsov, and the hydraulic equipment was created by the hydraulic master P. Sualem. But by 1801, the sculpture had fallen into disrepair and was replaced by a bronze group created according to the designs of the Russian master of classicism M. Kozlovsky. At the same time, A. Voronikhin designed a new pedestal.
Rainbow over Samson...
The fountain was badly damaged during the German occupation during the Great Patriotic War. The original statue has been lost. In 1947, sculptors V. Simonov and N. Mikhailov, based on archival data, photographs and works by M. Kozlovsky, recreated "Samson", the restored ensemble was opened on September 14, 1947. On December 28, 2010, the statue was dismantled and sent for restoration, and on April 17, 2011 it was returned to its place.
The Voronikhinsky colonnades are in the background.
The marble Voronikhinsky colonnades (1800-1803) got their name from the name of their creator, the former serf Andrey Voronikhin, who was awarded the title of architect for the design of the Peterhof colonnades. Composed of paired columns, the colonnades end with pavilions with high domed roofs. In the center of each dome is a low fountain. On the flat roofs of the colonnade-fountains in the form of elegant gilded vases. The entrances are guarded by granite lions, carved according to the models of I. Prokofiev. The colonnades were restored in 1966.
Grotto.
ENSEMBLE OF THE EASTERN PART OF THE LOWER PARK:
Fountain "Adam"
Paired fountains "Adam" and "Eve" are located on the axis of the Marlin alley, the main alley of the park, running parallel to the seashore. "Adam" is located in the eastern part of the park, "Eve" - in the western; both fountains are the compositional and semantic dominants of the respective parts of the park and are located almost at their central points. Small squares are formed around them with diverging beams of large and small alleys. Fountains attract attention even from a distance, appearing in perspectives from different angles from many viewpoints.
Fountain-cracker "Oak"
"Oak" with gilded leaves was part of the decor of the fountain, built in 1735 according to the drawing of B. K. Rastrelli for the Upper Garden. In the middle of the 18th century, it was dismantled and stored in a pantry. In 1802, the fountain master F. Strelnikov repaired it, painted it in natural color
At the same time, tulip fountains and two figured benches were placed around the “Dubok”, from behind the backs of which a water canopy suddenly rises. The fountains "Oak", "Tulips" and benches, destroyed during the war years, were recreated in 1953 according to the surviving fragments and the drawing of 1828.
Fountain-cracker "Chinese umbrella", or "Fungus"
In 1796, F. P. Brower and I. V. Keyser created the Umbrella Fountain (“Chinese Umbrella”). A massive pillar serves as a support for the roof, completed with a wooden carved flower and bordered with scallops. Under the umbrella there is a round armchair with carved arms. Under the action of a fountain of one hundred and sixty-four tubes, jets hit the edge of the roof, preventing visitors from leaving. In the 1860s, the roof of the "Umbrella" was given the shape of a fly agaric mushroom, emphasized by the appropriate coloring, and it became known as the "Fungus". The fountain, destroyed by the Nazis, was recreated in 1949 in its original form according to the project of the architect A. A. Olya. The decorative decoration of the "Umbrella" was restored by the carver G.S. Simonov.
Monument to Peter I.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain"
Chess Mountain - a cascade located on the slope of the terrace, with black and white, "chess" plateaus.
At the top of the cascade is a grotto surrounded by three colorful figures of dragons, from whose mouths jets of water escape. The cascade consists of four ledges and ends with a round pool. On both sides of the cascade, stairs are built, decorated with white stone statues.
Roman fountains
The fountains are called Roman because their appearance is copied from two fountains installed in Rome, in the square in front of St. Peter's Cathedral. "Roman fountains" appeared in the park in 1739 and were made of wood with bowls lined with lead, designed by architects I. Blank and I. Davydov.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis damaged the marble lining of the pyramids, destroyed the pools, and blew up the pipelines. The fountains were restored already in 1949.
The height of the fountains is over 10 meters.
Fountain "Sun"
was built in 1721 - 1724 under the guidance of the architect N. Michetti. Twenty jets hit around the central column.
The fountain is located in the center of a rather large rectangular reservoir, where sturgeons were kept and swans and ducks swam in the 18th century. At the end of the century, the architect Felten converted the pond into a bath. At the same time, a wheel set in motion by water was placed in the reservoir. The wheel rotates a column, on top of which there are disks with 187 holes, from which jets pour out, making the fountain look like a sun with many rays. At the base of the fountain are figures of dolphins.
During the Great Patriotic War, the fountain was completely destroyed and restored only in 1956.
Monplaisir Palace
Translated from French (French mon plaisir), the name of the palace means "my pleasure" - that's what Peter I called it. Monplaisir is located in the eastern part of the Lower Park, right on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. The building was built from 1714 to 1723.
Monplaisir was the favorite palace of Peter I - the interior and exterior decoration of the palace is distinguished by rigor and rationality.
Fountain "Sheaf" - the central fountain in the Monplaisir garden
The "Sheaf" fountain is one of the first fountains in Peterhof, built at the direction of Peter I. It was created in 1722-1723 by architect N. Michetti and fountain master Sualem. The center of the composition is a high tuff pedestal in the form of a bundle of ears (sheaf), from which a powerful jet of water shoots. Below in a circle are 24 more inclined, thinner jets.
Monplaisir garden
Another Fountain Fountain in the Monplaisir Garden
Even though it's mid-May, spring is just beginning...
And the meteor flies to Petersburg...
View of the Sea Canal from the Gulf of Finland.
ENSEMBLE OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE LOWER PARK
Fountain "Eve".
It is an octagonal pool with 16 jets of water. The statue is made of Carrara marble by the sculptor D. Bonazza, and was installed before the construction of the fountain, in 1720.
Palace "Hermitage"
In the ensemble of the western part of the Lower Park, a special place is occupied by the elegant Hermitage pavilion, which is located symmetrically to the Monplaisir Palace. During the construction period, this pavilion was for some time called the Small Monplaisir.
The two-story building is distinguished by well-found proportions. Windows and doors have a small deglazing characteristic of the time of Peter the Great. Openwork wrought-iron lattices of windows and balconies at the level of the second floor adorn the northern and southern facades.
Hermitages were widespread in the royal residences of Europe in the 18th century. They were intended for communication of persons especially close to the court or for the solitary pastime of monarchs (“Hermitage” in French - hermit's hut). Even a lifting table was provided, which was served below and rose to the banquet hall on the second floor in order to do without the presence of servants.
The Peterhof Hermitage is the first building of its kind in Russia. It was built in 1721-1724. designed by architect I. Braunshtein.
At the direction of Peter I, the Hermitage was surrounded by a moat filled with water, across which a drawbridge (now a stationary one) was thrown from the side of the radial alley.
And then we go to the Palace of Marly
Marly Palace is the main building of the western part of the Lower Park. Despite its small size, it plays an important role in the overall structure of the entire ensemble. Three main alleys radiate from the palace, cutting through the park from west to east: the central one is Marlinskaya, the northern one is Malibanskaya and the southern one is birch.
The palace stands on an artificial lintel between the large Marlin Pond and the Sectoral Ponds.
A high embankment, located north of Marly, protects the palace and the Marly Garden from the wind from the Gulf of Finland.
Cascade "Golden Mountain"
The Golden Mountain Cascade is so named because the vertical part of the steps of the cascade is trimmed with gilded copper sheet. If you look at the cascade from below, standing at the foot, you get the impression of a flowing golden stream. It is located near the Marly Palace.
Lion Cascade
The idea of arranging the Lower Park was based on the principle that each palace should have a corresponding cascade. In 1721, the construction of the Hermitage pavilion began and the alley leading to it was broken. According to the original plan, the prospect of the Hermitage Alley from the south side was to be closed by the Hermitage Cascade.
The cascade, designed in the style of late classicism, is somewhat unusual for the Peterhof ensemble. It is distinguished by the severity of antique forms, the conciseness of the water design, the emphasized restrained colors of the stone, and the complete absence of gilded details.
In the middle of the colonnade, on a hill of granite blocks, a statue of the work of F. P. Tolstoy "The Nymph Aganip" was installed.
We return to the Grand Palace and the cascade.
The palace is the main building of the Peterhof palace and park ensemble. Initially, a rather modest royal palace, built in the style of "Peter's baroque" in 1714-1725 according to the project of Zh-B. Leblon, and then N. Michetti, was rebuilt under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1747-1752 according to the model of Versailles (architect F.-B. Rastrelli), in the so-called mature baroque style. 30 halls, including richly decorated ceremonial halls, stuccoed in marble, with painted ceilings, inlaid parquet and gilded walls.
And these are the fountains of the Upper Park
The upper garden, which has an area of 15 hectares, was laid out under Peter I. Peter, known for his practical approach to everything, used the garden as a vegetable garden. The Upper Garden acquired its modern look as a regular park by the second half of the 18th century. At this time, fountains appear in the garden
Fountain "Neptune"
Initially, the figures of the fountain were created in Nuremberg (Germany). A swimming pool with a pedestal for the installation of the composition had already been built on the square of the city market, when it turned out that there was simply not enough water for the functioning of the fountains in the local rivers. The sculptures were dismantled and put into a barn, where they lay for about a hundred years, until the future Russian emperor Pavel stopped in Nuremberg in the 1780s, traveling around Europe. The city authorities sold the composition to him, estimating it at a huge sum for those times - 30 thousand rubles.
During the Great Patriotic War, all the sculptures were dismantled and taken to Germany. In 1947, the sculptural group was again delivered to Peterhof and installed in the same place, but the fountain was launched only in 1956.
Last look at the palace, at the park...
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Fountain "Mezheumny" is located in front of the main entrance to the Upper Garden of Peterhof. Currently, the image of the fountain is one of the postcard views of Peterhof.
The fountain also has a second name "Indefinite", which is a reflection of the numerous changes in the sculptural design.
In 1738, a sculpture group "Andromeda" was installed in the fountain, which depicted Perseus on a horse, protecting Andromeda from a dragon. Four dolphins swam around the sculpture. The sculpture was in the fountain until 1775. It was too big for the water supply of the fountain. Of the entire sculptural group, only a dragon and four dolphins remained in it.
In 1859, a crater vase was installed in the middle of the fountain.
During World War II, the fountain was completely destroyed. After the war, it was restored by A.F. Gurzhiy according to surviving sketches.
Fountain "Pyramid"
The Pyramid Fountain, created by the architect Nicolo Michetti in 1724 on behalf of Peter I, is located in the eastern part of the Lower Park of Peterhof. It is one of the most beautiful fountains in Peterhof.
Its peculiarity lies in the layout, thanks to which the fountain platform is not visible from the alleys. Therefore, the sparkling water pyramid suddenly opens up to the eyes of visitors when they are in close proximity to the fountain.
The fountain consists of four cascades oriented to the cardinal points. It also has an important symbolic meaning. In the 18th century, there was a tradition in the Russian army to install obelisks in the form of pyramids in battlefields. One of these obelisks was a water pyramid on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, dedicated to the victory of Russian troops in the Northern War.
Fountain Favoritny
Favorite Fountain, or Favoritka, is one of the most interesting and original fountains of Peterhof. It is located behind the western Voronikhinskaya colonnade. The fountain was made in three months in 1725 by order of Catherine I, it was designed by the architect M. Zemtsov. The fountain vividly illustrates J. La Fontaine's fable "Ducks and a Poodle": "The dog Favorite is chasing ducks on the water, then the ducks told her this: you suffer in vain, you have the strength to drive us, but you do not have the strength to catch."
The composition of the fountain is constantly in motion: in a small pool, a funny dog chases four copper ducks brightly painted with oil in a circle. Streams of water fly out of the duck's beaks and the dog's mouth. The barking of a dog and the quacking of ducks sound as musical accompaniment.
The figures of the fountain are set in motion by a special mechanism hidden at the bottom of the pool.
During the Great Patriotic War, the fountain was destroyed. In 1957, the water supply device of the fountain was reconstructed, ducks and the dog Favoritka were recreated from copper.
Western Square Pond (with the fountain "Italic Venus")
One of the so-called "Square Ponds" (which are actually rectangular) is located next to the Special Storeroom of the Grand Palace.
Square ponds were intended to accumulate water supplied to the Grand Cascade.
In the center of the pond is a fountain with a sculpture of Venus Italica - a copy of the sculpture of the same name by Antonio Canova.
Fountain Sun in Peterhof
The magnificent fountains of Peterhof are famous not only for their extraordinary beauty, but also for the great variety of both architectural and engineering ideas. One of the most interesting fountains in the park is undoubtedly the Sun Fountain.
The fountain is located in the southern part of the Lower Park, not far from the Monplaisir Palace. During the time of Peter the Great, Menageria was located here - a menagerie. In the pond surrounding the fountain, sturgeons brought here from the Volga were bred, swans, geese and ducks glided along its water surface.
The fountain was built in 1721 according to the design of Nicola Michetti with the active participation of the emperor. Fifty years later, the design of the fountain was significantly redesigned by the architect Yuri Felten, and it acquired the form familiar to us today. A turbine is installed at the base of the fountain, which, under the pressure of water, rotates a bronze column topped with gilded discs. From the holes in the discs, as if the sun's rays, thin water jets hit in all directions.
Fountain "Adam"
The fountain "Adam" was built in St. Petersburg in the period from 1718 to 1726. designed by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Bonazza.
This fountain, located on the territory of the Peterhof Palace and Park Ensemble, is part of a single architectural idea, along with the Eva fountain. The fountains are similar in artistic style and engineering.
Fountains "Adam" and "Eve" are located on the axis of the main alley of the park (Marlinskaya alley) at the central points of the eastern and western parts of the park, respectively.
The pool of the fountain looks like a regular octagon, in the center of which there is a sculpture on a pedestal, which is surrounded by sixteen inclined jets of water.
These are the only fountains on the territory of Peterhof that have retained their original appearance.
Fountain "Sheaf"
The Sheaf fountain is located in the Monplaisir garden of Peterhof. The garden, like the palace itself, was designed by Peter I in the eastern part of the Lower Park.
Construction began in 1721 under the guidance of architect N. Michetti.
The fountain is a powerful water cannon. Twenty-four jets gush from the base of a circular pool, twenty-one meters in diameter. The jets break out in the form of ears, which form the shape of a sheaf. The central jet beats up four and a half meters.
The fountain is surrounded by four bell fountains, which create a complete composition of the Monplaisir garden.
Currently, the garden is one of the most popular places in Petrodvorets.
Fountain Oak
The Oak Fountain is the first fountain in the Upper Garden in Peterhof. In 1734, P. Sualem created a plan for the future fountain. B.K. Rastrelli created sculptures for him from lead: an oak modeled after the same sculpture at Versailles, three tritons and six dolphins. The lead oak was moved to the Lower Park in 1746. For two hundred years, the fountain was constantly rebuilt; by the 19th century, only dolphins remained from the original composition. In 1929, the fountain took its final form.
Now the fountain, which has retained its former name "Oak", delights with its elegant decor. In the middle of the round pool, the bottom of which is lined with slabs of dark and light granite, there is a tuff hill in the shape of a starfish with six rays. At the ends of the starfish are six bronze dolphins, from whose mouths thin jets of water shoot up. In the center of the hill you can see the marble sculpture "Cupid putting on a mask".
Terrace fountains Peterhof
Terraced fountains are located on the sides of the Grand Cascade in Peterhof, on the terraces in front of the Grand Palace. The idea of creating fountains on the terraces arose in the first quarter of the 18th century. In 1799-1800, the architect F. Brouwer and the fountain master F. Strelnikov, according to the project of A. Voronikhin, created 20 bowl fountains and 10 cascades from Pudost limestone. In 1852-1854, according to the drawings of A. Stackenschneider, the details of the cascades and bowls were made of marble. In this form, the fountains have survived to this day.
Ten identical fountains are located five to the left and five to the right of the Grand Cascade. There are marble bowls on the ledges, from each of them a jet of water shoots up. Below the bowls are marble cascades of four steps, their vertical walls ending with triangular pediments with gilded mascarons, from which water flows down the steps. At the bottom of the cascades one can see single-jet water cannons in a long marble trough that connects five fountains together.
Fountain - cracker Dubok
Fountain Fountain "Dubok" is a funny fountain-curiosity in Peterhof. Initially, it was made according to the project of B.K. Shot in 1735 as part of the fountain in the Upper Garden. In 1802, it was installed in the Lower Garden as part of a composition of several humorous amusements.
The Oak Fountain is a six-meter metal tree with a hollow trunk, five hundred tubular branches and several thousand green-painted metal leaves, standing on an oval island surrounded by a narrow stream. Jets of water erupt from the tips of each branch. There are five fountain tulips under the tree. Near the tree there are two benches, on which one has only to sit down, as water jets rise from behind the backs.
During the war years, the entire composition of the fountains, including oak, tulips and benches, was destroyed. The fountain was re-created in 1947 by the masters Lavrentyevs, according to the project of the architect A.A. Olya and according to the surviving fragments and drawing from 1828.
Fountains "Klosha"
In 1724, near the Marly Palace in the western part of the Lower Park, on the alley along the reservoir, it was planned to build four fountains on the subjects of Aesop's fables. However, the plan was not carried out, and the figures of four Tritons, made in 1721 from bronze according to the drawing of the architect I.-F. Brownstein. Wooden bowls with tubes, from which water spouted over the heads of the Tritons, were replaced at the end of the 18th century with flat disks with a conduit outlet in the center. The water flowing out under low pressure forms a kind of bell. "Tritons", surrounded by a transparent veil, seem to be in the native element of the underwater kingdom. Since then, the fountains have been called "Cloches", which means "bells" in French.
Destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, "Klosh" were recreated in 1955.
Sea channel with an alley of fountains
The creation of the Sea Canal, 12 meters wide, was the idea of Peter I. The canal was assigned not only a decorative, but also a navigable role; in the middle of the 18th century, light ships could sail through it into the harbor in front of the Grand Palace. Fountain Alley - 22 pools with fountains on the lawns on both sides of the Sea Canal.
According to the idea of Peter I, 22 pools were installed along the canal. Initially, they were called Nichelny, as they were located in niches, and further from the water than they are now. Four pools were with fountains decorated with sculptural groups based on scenes from Aesop's fables. There were also vase fountains. In 1835, the pools with fountains were moved closer to the canal, the pipes of the fountains were redesigned in such a way that the water jets formed different geometric shapes, including pyramids. Therefore, the fountains began to be called Pyramid.
In 1854-1860, fourteen pools were replaced with new ones made of Carrara marble. Eight pools remained the same, only they were painted in the color of marble, they were replaced later, in the 60s of the XX century. Single-jet water cannons were installed in the pools, hitting a four-meter height, perhaps from that time the name Fountain Alley appeared, since the jets looked like amazing trees from the water.
Eva Fountain
The Eva fountain in Peterhof is named after the legendary biblical progenitor of the human race. Its construction began in 1725 under the leadership of T. Usov, in 1726 the fountain was tested. Located in the western part of the park, the Eva fountain is paired with the Adam fountain, located in its eastern part . Both fountains are located on the axis of Marlinskaya Alley.
The Eve Fountain is a sculpture of Eve, located on a high pedestal in the center of an octagonal pool made of hewn profiled granite. The sculpture is surrounded by sixteen fan-shaped water jets seven meters high.
There is a small square around the fountain, from which large and small alleys diverge like rays.
Fountain "Neptune"
The fountain "Neptune", decorated with a three-tiered sculptural group, is the central fountain of the Upper Garden of Peterhof. The statue of Neptune rises on a high pedestal, surrounded by masks of sea monsters, from which oblique streams of water beat.
The composition called "Neptunov's Cart" was installed in the central basin of the Upper Garden in 1736. The sculptures were made of gilded lead. In 1797, instead of the "Neptune's Cart", a sculptural group "Neptune" was installed, which has survived to this day. After the war and the dismantling of the fountains, they were launched again by craftsmen under the guidance of A. Smirnov only in 1956.
The figures of the fountain were made in Nuremberg in honor of the memory of the Peace of Westphalia, and then sold to Russia. A copy of the fountain, installed in the city park of Nuremberg, has been there since 1902.
How to get there: by bus from the stations Baltiyskaya, Avtovo, Leninsky Prospekt. By train from the Baltiysky railway station to the New Peterhof station, then by local buses plying in the city. On a meteor from the pier on the Palace Embankment or near Decembrists Square (meteors begin to run from May to September)
Opening hours: box office 09:00 - 19:30, fountains from 10:00 - 18:00, weekends: 10:00 - 19:00.
Ceremonial launch of the fountains: Grand Cascade: 11:00 am, Fountains "Water Road": 13:00, 14:00, 15:00.
Today Peterhof is the most popular of all St. Petersburg suburbs. During the operation of the fountains (from May to September) it is full of tourists. Such popularity is not easy, because Peterhof is often called the Russian Versailles, with all its fountains and palaces. You can verify this by visiting this suburb. It is easy to get from St. Petersburg to Peterhof. You can use any mode of transport convenient for you: train, bus or meteor. The whole journey will take no more than 30 minutes. Please note that if you go by train, then to get to the palace and park ensemble you will need to walk a few more kilometers, or use a local bus. A ticket for this bus will cost no more than 15 rubles. But by choosing this type of transport, you can get to know the city of Peterhof better, and not just with its part where the park is located. A meteor and a suburban bus will take you straight to the palace and park ensemble and you won't have to stray.
The palace and park ensemble itself consists of two parts: the Upper Park, the palace and the Lower Park. Actually, all tourists strive to get into the Lower Park, since it is there that the famous fountains are located. You need to buy a ticket to enter the park. For adult residents of Russia, a ticket will cost about 350 rubles. There are also preferential tickets, they are cheaper. The ticket gives the right to enter the park, where all the fountains are located. However, if you want to get into the palace or another complex located in the park, you will have to buy a ticket to enter them separately. Please note that if you arrive in Peterhof on a meteor, then you will go straight from the pier to the middle part of the park, leading straight to the main cascade. If you arrive in Peterhof by bus or train, your path through the park will start right from the palace, from the Upper Park.
I do not like to go into history and overload readers with dates, however, in order to have an understanding of how such beauty was built, I will give some facts. Peterhof was conceived by Peter I after visiting Paris. During his visit to France, Peter spent a lot of time in the suburbs of Paris and paid special attention to Versailles. He liked this suburb so much that he decided to build something similar, but more magnificent in Russia. Thus, the idea of building a palace and park ensemble with a huge number of fountains was born. Now many can say that Peterhof is something like a plagiarism on Versailles. However, in my opinion, Peterhof has many differences from Versailles, which make it unique. For example, it is more compact, and its palace fits more organically into the park ensemble than Versailles. They are completely different buildings and cannot be compared. A large amount of effort was invested in the construction of Peterhof. The best architects of France, Russia and Italy participated in its construction. The most difficult thing turned out to be to think over the water supply system for the fountains. There were several water supply projects, but they were all either too expensive or very cumbersome. As a result, Peter I himself, who had a good engineering education, developed a water supply system. He suggested supplying water from the Ropsha Heights, from where it flowed by gravity into the fountains and provided the necessary pressure. To this day, this system is considered unique in the world. Now, of course, many fountains use electric pumps that provide the necessary water pressure, but some fountains still receive water using a vertical drop system, in a natural way.
Musicians often perform in the park in summer
For the first time, the fountains were launched in 1721, in honor of the celebration of Russia's victory in the Northern War. The opening was attended by a large number of representatives of foreign countries with retinues. After the opening of Peterhof, Peter moved his summer residence here. But the development did not stop there. During the reign of Nicholas I, new parks were laid here - Alexandria, Lugovoi and new buildings were built - the Farm Palace, the Gothic Chapel, the Belvedere. After the First World War in 1918, the park was nationalized and given to the state, but there was not enough money to maintain it, many fountains fell into disrepair and were closed. The flood of 1924 aggravated the condition of the park. Water from the Gulf of Finland flooded the Lower Park and littered many fountains with sand and silt. Soon, experts began to restore the fountains, and in 1926 many of them were already restored. However, another disaster awaited Peterhof - during the Second World War, as a result of fierce battles, Soviet troops had to leave the city. On the day of the liberation of the city - January 19, 1944, a terrible picture of devastation and desolation was discovered: museums were looted, palaces were in ruins, fountains were destroyed. None of the suburbs of St. Petersburg suffered as much as Peterhof. After the war, its active restoration immediately began, and already in August 1946, the fountains were launched again. Now, thanks to the restorers, architects and engineers, we can again admire the beauty and richness of this historical monument.
Upper park
The upper park covers an area of about 15 hectares. Numerous small gardens (bosquets), arched alleys (berso) with arbors, flower beds and lawns entwined with plants are located here. Such parks had the function of the main entrance to the palace. But the main role in the park is assigned not to the palace, but to mirrored pools with fountains located in the center:
Having passed the entire Upper Park, you will see a magnificent palace that separates the Upper and Lower parks.
lower park
You will need more time to explore the lower park than the upper park, be patient and don't forget to wear comfortable shoes. If you are traveling with small children, you can use the services of excursion electric cars that will take you around the entire lower park past the fountains.
There are 150 fountains and 6 large cascades in the park. Getting into the Lower Park, you immediately find yourself near Grand Cascade- the world's largest fountain ensemble, which includes 60 fountains. This cascade has been restored and rebuilt three times. The design of the large cascade includes more than 250 sculptural works, shining with gold. It looks especially beautiful in the sun. Each sculpture has its own meaning: for example, Neptune and Amphitrite symbolize Russian naval victories, while Diana and Actaeon personify Russia and the Swedish king Charles XII. The entire cascade as a whole praises Russia's victory in the Northern War.
Big and Small grottoes, located in the center of the Grand Cascade, decorated with fountains and not noticeable at first glance, give the cascade elegance and lightness. The grottoes can be visited by purchasing a separate ticket.
All the waters of the Grand Cascade descend into a vast bowl pool - bucket. On the sides of the bowl are pagan and forest creatures that create new jets of water. The Grand Cascade is crowned by the most famous composition, which is worth paying special attention to and enjoying its beauty - Fountain "Samson tearing apart the mouth of a lion". This fountain was created in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava and symbolizes the victory of Russia over Sweden. The jet escaping from the mouth of a lion reaches a height of 20m, in one second the fountain consumes up to 70 liters of water! During the launch of the Grand Cascade, the Samson fountain is the first to turn on, and only when the jet from the lion's mouth reaches its peak height, the other fountains of the cascade are launched.
Samson and Voronikhinskaya Colonnade
Departs from the Grand Cascade sea channel connecting the palace with the Gulf of Finland. Along the canal there are 22 fountains spouting from marble bowls. This channel serves as the central axis of the Lower Park. Previously, it was navigable, this included ships of guests visiting the palace. After the establishment of the Grand Cascade, navigation along the canal ceased. Now there are 2 small bridges on the canal, from which a beautiful view of the palace opens.
There are a large number of fountains in the lower park, each with its own history and characteristics. However, I will not talk in detail about all the fountains, otherwise it will be an endless story. I'll just talk about the main ones briefly.
- Fountains of the Large Parterre Flower Gardens: Nymph and Danaida. These are the first fountains of Peterhof.
- Fountain Favoritny. This is a fabulous fountain or a fountain "with a hidden meaning." Find it yourself!
- Fountains Adam and Eve. They symbolize the marriage of Peter I and Catherine I.
- From a distance, a jet escaping from a pipe raised above the water really looks like a whale jet.
- Menager fountains. The strength and height of the jets of these fountains reaches 15m. Peter I himself made drawings of fountain water cannons for them.
- It adorns the Orangery Garden, the richest garden in terms of flower diversity. Here, as before, you can see tulips, daffodils, roses, phloxes and other flowers. In the center of the composition is the struggle of Triton with a fantastic beast. This fountain had not only aesthetic value, but also economic. Previously, water was taken from it for watering flowers and trees in the garden.
- Two fountains inspired by the fountains in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. From the place where the fountains are installed, 7 alleys diverge, including the alley leading to the Monplaisir Palace.
- This is the largest fountain in the Lower Park with a water flow rate of more than 150 liters per second. The water cannon of the fountain consists of 505 nozzles.
- It is the central building of the Menagerey Garden, where the Petrovsky Menagerie with ponds and aviaries for birds was originally located. The central water cannon of the fountain is equipped with a rotating column, on top of which a structure with 187 holes is fixed. Rotating, the jets resemble the rays of the sun. Today it is the rarest example of a mechanical fountain.
- Fountains-crackers. One of the most interesting fountains in the park. They suddenly turn on, spraying unsuspecting passers-by with their jets. There are several cracker fountains in the Lower Park: Umbrella, Oak, Fir-trees, Sofas, Water Road. The last fountain is turned on 3 times a day for only a few minutes. Don't miss the opportunity to see this spectacle!
Talking about Peterhof should not be limited to fountains. There are a large number of pavilions in the park complex, which are of no less interest: the Hermitage, the Bath complex, Aviaries for birds, Monplaisir, the Marly Palace. Special attention should be paid to Monplaisir (translated as "my pleasure"). It was here, and not in the big palace, that Peter I most often stopped when he came to Peterhof. Adjacent to the palace is a Dutch-style garden with several fountains and sculptures. Monplaisir is worth visiting and enjoying its decoration.
Peter I. If you throw a coin in your boot, a wish will come true
Swans swim behind the aviary in the pond
In the center of the park is the Great Peterhof Palace, which was created by several architects, one of whom was Rastrelli. For a long time it was the main residence of the royal family. In the interiors of the palace you can see numerous paintings and portraits of Russian emperors, silk flowing along the walls and gilded wood carvings.
View from the palace to the bowl fountain
Undoubtedly, the Peterhof palace and park ensemble occupies one of the important places in the cultural and historical heritage of Russia. Everything here is imbued with royal luxury. It is worth visiting Peterhof during the fountain season. Please note that all fountains are turned off in winter. But as soon as spring comes, the park blooms again with all its colors. Next to the park ensemble there is another park in which there are no fountains, but this makes it no less interesting - Alexandria Park. It is a wilder park with exquisite pavilions. You can walk along it, or take a sightseeing tram.
No wonder Peterhof is considered the most visited suburb of St. Petersburg. Many tourists aspire to visit here. The beauty, wealth and brilliance of the situation reigning here tirelessly remind of the power that Imperial Russia possessed! Well, how did you feel its resemblance to Versailles?
is the capital of fountains. Fountains of Peterhof are monuments of world culture. Water enters the fountains of Peterhof in a natural way through a system of locks, canals, reservoirs and springs from the Ropsha Heights, and the height of the jets can vary depending on their content. Pumps in Peterhof were never used. Almost 60 km of rivers, 16 ponds, canals and streams from the Ropsha 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 opening of the Peterhof Fountains is accompanied by a costume theatrical performance and colorful fireworks at the Grand Palace. The opening of the fountains in 2019 took place on May 18. Autumn Festival of Fountains closing fountains in Peterhof in 2019 will be held on 20 and 21 September. You can go to the evening grandiose show as part of an excursion.
The valves of the fountains of Peterhof are opened daily in the morning by a team of eleven people manually in a strictly prescribed sequence - this is a whole ritual. Among the fountains of Peterhof, four cascades stand out: the Grand Cascade, the Golden Mountain, the Lion and Chess Mountain. All active fountains of Peterhof throw more than 1000 liters of water into the air in a 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: the Upper Garden, the Lower Park, the Grand Cascade, the 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), fountains of Square Ponds (sculptures "Italian Venus" 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 for 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 fountain "Big Cascade" and the Sea Canal, overlooking the Peterhof pier. The Sea Canal is decorated with the Alley of Fountains (12 pairs of fountains with a jet height of 4 meters).
The Sea Canal conditionally divides the Lower Park into two parts: eastern and western.
Eastern part: Ekaterininsky building, Monplaisir Palace, Bath building, Aviaries, Chess Mountain cascade, Bells, Sheaf, Pyramid, Sun fountains, Jesters fountains (step on its secret part and the fountain splashes ), "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, the Menager Fountains, the Golden Mountain cascade, the Cloches (" Tritons).
Grand Peterhof Palace
The central place in the Lower Park is given to the majestic building "The Great Peterhof Palace", which, like 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 fountains "Bowls" organically fit into the park ensemble. Fountains "Bowl" (Italian) produces luxurious jets of water in the western part of the Lower Park, and "Bowl" (French) - in the east. Behind the western Voronikhinskaya Colonnade, the original Favoritny Fountain, a favorite of children and adults, smiles kindly at the guests. The idea of this fountain is as follows: the dog Favoritka is trying to catch up with the ducks and all this action is accompanied by acoustic effects.
Photo of the fountain "Big Cascade" in Peterhof
Russia's victory for access to the Baltic Sea is embedded in the architectural idea of the Grand Cascade fountain, the largest triumphal monument of the 18th century. The Grand Cascade fountain is the most beautiful and solemn among the fountains of Peterhof. The "Great Cascade" has a length of 42 meters along the facade, three staircases, along which water rain flows 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. The entrance to the Grottoes Museum is through the upper terrace of the Cascade. The lower grotto is crowned by the Basket Fountain, the strongest and most watery (9 high jets and 28 sloping 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 jet of water from the fountain "Samson" hits up to 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 sparkled with new colors.
On the axis of Marlinskaya Alley, which stretches along the shore of the Gulf of Finland for two kilometers, there are two paired fountains, originally preserved for more than three centuries, surrounded by four Trellis arbors: the Adam fountain and the Eve fountain. Fountain "Adam" (1722) is located in the eastern part of the Lower Park. Fountain "Eve" (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. As conceived by 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, diverse and very beautiful. Admire the water the color of lapis lazuli pearls, because lapis lazuli is gilded stars that shine from the inside! Come to Peterhof, touch the "dance of drops on the water" and treat yourself to a few moments of magic in the captured photographs.
Fountains of Petrodvorets. Text: Gurevich I.M. Color photos: Belous D.V. Soviet artist. Moscow. 1979
The ensemble of parks, palaces and fountains of Peterhof-Petrodvorets, located 29 km from Leningrad and arose in the first quarter of the 18th century, is a kind of triumphal monument in honor of the successful completion of Russia's struggle for access to the Baltic Sea. Regular parks, 144 fountains and 3 cascades, gilded statues of gods and heroes of antiquity, the majestic architecture of palaces - all this expresses the idea of the triumph of Russia, "feasting on the expanse of the sea."
Petrodvorets is a monument of great artistic value. It belongs to the treasury of world art, is a high achievement of culture, a vivid embodiment of the creative genius and creative work of the Russian people. Over the course of two centuries, many talented architects, artists, sculptors, masters of landscape art, thousands of serfs and working people took part in the creation of palaces and parks.
The beginning of the construction of Peterhof dates back to 1714. The idea of creating the ensemble (the main layout of the central and eastern parts of the Lower Park, combining the palace, the grotto with a cascade and the canal into one compositional whole) belongs to Peter I. Often, mentioning the desire of Peter I to see here in Peterhof a residence that "befits the first sovereigns" , and based on the external similarity of some Peterhof buildings with those of Versailles, Peterhof was called the "Russian Versailles". “Peterhof is often compared with Versailles,” wrote the famous artist and art historian Alexander Benois, “but this is due to a misunderstanding.” He noted that the sea gives a very special character to Peterhof. Peterhof, as it were, was born from the foam of the sea, as if called to life by the command of the mighty sea king ... Fountains in Peterhof are not an appendage, but the main thing. They are a symbolic expression of the water kingdom, a cloud of splashes from the sea that splashes along the coast of Peterhof. This organic connection with the sea is the main feature of the ensemble, well identified by its builders.
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Architectural ensemble of Peterhof. Plan: 1. Fountains "Samson" and "Grand Cascade" |
Sketches made by the hand of Peter I, “points” of decrees, inscriptions and notes on the drawings prove that his influence on the construction of Peterhof affected not only the general plan, but sometimes determined in detail the decorative solution of individual structures.
The main executors of the instructions of Peter I were the architects I. Braunstein, J.-B. Leblon, N. Michetti, M. Zemtsov, P. Eropkin, T. Usov, I. Ustinov, F. Isakov, hydraulic engineers V. Tuvolkov and P. Sualem, sculptor K. Rastrelli and his Russian students, as well as gardeners L. Garnihfelt , A. Borisov. Each of them played a significant role, embodying the idea of Peter I, while demonstrating artistic taste and creative originality. A huge merit in the creation of Peterhof belongs to the construction teams of the Office from Buildings, masters and apprentices of garden, fountain, painting, carving and other specialists who came from all over Russia and invited from abroad.
In 1723, the formation of the Peterhof palace and park ensemble was basically completed. By this time, almost all the planning elements of the Lower Park and the Upper Garden were formed, the Grand Palace and the Monplaisir Palace were built, and the water supply system of fountains was built.
Monument to Peter I. 1872. Bronze. The outstanding Russian sculptor of the 19th century M. Antokolsky created an artistically generalized image of the great commander and reformer of Russia. Peter I, dressed in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment, walks leaning on a cane, holding a telescope in his hand, as if he had just examined the shores of the Gulf of Finland reclaimed from the Swedes. The figure of Peter I is filled with unshakable confidence, determination and restrained strength.
Flying diamond fountains
With cheerful noise to the clouds;
Under them shine idols
And they seem to be alive...
Crushing against marble barriers,
Pearly, fiery arc
Falling, splashing waterfalls.A.S. Pushkin
The unique conduit of Peterhof was created in 1720-1721 according to the project of the Russian engineer Vasily Tuvolkov. The total length of the canals of the water conduit is 49 km, there are 18 storage ponds on its route, containing more than 1 million 300 thousand cubic meters of water and occupying an area of almost 100 hectares.
The main feature of the Peterhof water supply system is the absence of any water-pressure structures and pumps: the principle of communicating vessels is used here - the difference in levels at which ponds and fountains are located.
Over the two centuries of its existence, Peterhof has become the largest palace and park complex, widely known for its famous fountains, art collections, and festive illuminations.
After the Great October Socialist Revolution, the country imperial residence became the property of its true owner - the people. The parks and palaces of Peterhof opened their doors wide to the working people. On May 18, 1918, the first tour of the workers of Peterhof took place through the halls of the Grand Palace. Immediately after the revolution, the palaces of Peterhof were turned into museums.
Already in the first 10 years (1918-1928), extensive work was carried out to account for museum property, protect and restore monuments, and new expositions were created based on a deep scientific study of the exhibits. Ten active Peterhof museums covered the development of Russian history, culture and art of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
If in 1918 only 7,000 people visited the palaces and parks of Peterhof, then in 1940 the number of visitors reached two million people. But the peaceful life of the Soviet people was interrupted by the perfidious attack of Nazi Germany.
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, work began on the rescue and evacuation of museum valuables. Museum staff and park workers hid the sculpture in the ground, packed and sent works of art to the rear. In the three months that passed from the start of the war to the capture of Peterhof by the Nazis on September 22, 1941, 16,000 museum exhibits of painting, porcelain, glass, furniture, and fabrics were evacuated from palaces and pavilions. The marble sculpture of the parks and part of the bronze one were hidden in hiding places in the territory of the Upper Garden and the Lower Park.
From September 1941 to January 1944, the Nazis looted and removed from Peterhof several thousand museum exhibits. They destroyed the Grand Palace, Marley, Holguin and the Rose Pavilions, the English Palace. Barbarously destroyed "Monplaisir", "Hermitage", "Tsaritsyn Pavilion" and "Cottage". The Nazis took out the sculpture left on the cascade, including the central group "Samson", cut down a third of all green spaces, more than 12 thousand trees. The total damage caused to the monuments of Peterhof is estimated at 560 million rubles.
During the period of occupation, the destruction of monuments of culture and art was methodically carried out. It was an act of premeditated barbarism, not dictated by military necessity.
Immediately after the liberation of Peterhof in 1944, by decision of the Soviet government, the revival of the palace and park complex began. As a result of priority work, on July 17, 1945, the Lower Park was opened to visitors. In 1946-1956, the lost bronze sculpture was recreated and the fountains were restored.
On August 25, 1946, the first 38 fountains were launched, and on September 14, 1947, all the fountains of the Grand Cascade and its central group “Samson tearing the lion's mouth” started working. A miracle happened, the fountains and parks of Petrodvorets were raised from the ruins by the hands of Soviet workers.
In the post-war years, the Hermitage Pavilion, the Monplaisir Palace of Peter I, many halls of the Grand Palace, three cascades and 144 fountains were restored. In 1978, the Cottage Palace in Alexandria Park was revived. The parks of Petrodvorets, Lomonosov, Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Gatchina, which form the green belt of Leningrad, are figuratively called the “pearl necklace”. And, undoubtedly, Petrodvorets can be considered one of its largest pearls.
The architectural and artistic ensemble of Petrodvorets includes two green areas - the Upper Garden (15 hectares) and the Lower Park (102.5 hectares).
The Upper Garden is located above a natural slope, while the Lower Park extends from the foot of the slope to the bay (0.5 km wide). The connecting link in the composition of the parks is the Grand Palace - the largest architectural structure of the Peterhof ensemble.
The author of the original design of the palace is unknown. The first version was based on the drawings of Peter I. The work was carried out from 1714 to 1716. Since 1716, the management of the construction of the palace was entrusted to the French architect J.-B. Leblon, whom Peter I invited to Russia to erect buildings in the new capital - St. Petersburg.
J.-B. Leblon emphasized the ceremonial significance of the palace: he built a through front vestibule with columns, expanded the doors and windows in the central hall, decorated it with wooden panels, paintings and carvings. Leblon did not have time to complete the construction; in 1719, the architect I. Braunstein became his successor, who used the palace decoration projects developed by Leblon. The work on decorating the study of Peter I should be considered the most significant. Fourteen carved oak panels for the study were made according to the drawings of the French sculptor N. Pino.
Since 1721, the management of the construction of the palace passed to the architect N. Michetti, who added galleries to the palace on both sides, completed with two-story outbuildings.
Since 1747, the reconstruction of the palace, which lasted for several years, began, which was carried out according to the project of the outstanding Russian architect V. Rastrelli.
The composition was based on the old scheme: the central part, adjacent galleries and side buildings. Rastrelli, basically retaining the appearance of the building, characteristic of the architecture of the time of Peter the Great, enlarged the central part of the palace, adding two side wings, and connected them with galleries to two side buildings - the Church and the Armorial.
Inside the palace, the architect created a luxurious enfilade of state rooms and living quarters in the Baroque style. All rooms were richly decorated with gilded wood carvings, mirrors, picturesque ceiling lamps and parquet floors. The painters I. Vishnyakov, the brothers I. and A. Velsky, B. Tarsia, P. Ballarini, D. Valeriani, L. Werner worked together with Rastrelli. The carved decor of the palace premises was made by Okhta carvers, typesetting parquets were made by masters N. Zhdanov and A. Voronitsyn. In interior design, Rastrelli achieved unusually strong decorative effects. The Main Staircase, the Dance Hall and the Audience Hall, which survived until 1941, were the most valuable monuments of Russian art of the mid-18th century.
In the 60-70s of the 18th century, some rooms in the Grand Palace were redesigned in the spirit of the new style established in architecture - classicism. The dining room, Throne and Chesme halls were decorated anew. Gilded carved decor gave way to molding here. The decoration projects for these halls belonged to the architect Yu. M. Felten. The Chesma Hall was decorated with twelve paintings by the artist F. Hackert, which depicted various moments of the victorious battle in Chesma Bay during the Russian-Turkish war of 1767-1774. Four more canvases on this theme, executed by the artist R. Paton, adorned the Throne Room of the palace.
Designed by architect J.-B. Wallen-Delamot created two Chinese cabinets, decorated with Chinese lacquer painting.
In the 19th century, work was carried out in the Grand Palace on the decorative design of the premises of the eastern half, which was supervised by the architect A. Stackenschneider.
Barbarously destroyed by the fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War, the palace is being restored according to the project of architects V.M. Savkova and E.V. Kazanskaya. The work is being carried out by the team of the Leningrad Restorer Association. In 1952-1957, the external appearance of the palace was revived and the restoration of its interiors began.
At present, the Picture Hall, the White Dining Room, the Throne Room, the Chesme Hall and the Audience Hall have been restored in the palace. Oak and Chinese cabinets, Partridge, Sofa, Crown and Dressing rooms and many other rooms.
During the period that has passed since the beginning of the restoration, a huge and very complex work has been done to revive gilded carving, painting, typesetting parquets, moldings, and fireplaces. The collection, consisting of three hundred and sixty-eight portraits by Pietro Rotari and his Russian students, a suite of twelve paintings by F. Hackert, decorative crystal chandeliers, artistic bronze, porcelain, and furniture sets again decorate the interiors of the palace. In the Throne Hall, the bas-reliefs “The Return of Svyatoslav from the Danube” and “The Baptism of Olga”, performed in the 70s of the 18th century by sculptors M. Kozlovsky and A. Ivanov, were recreated, as well as two bas-reliefs with an allegorical depiction of “Truth” and “Justice” by the sculptor I. Prokofiev. The decoration of the main halls - bizarre gilded carving, molding, picturesque plafonds, lacquer panels, oak carving, type-setting parquets were recreated by Leningrad restorers.
The Grand Palace is one of the most interesting historical and art museums in the country. It presents collections of works of Russian and Western European painting, sculpture, and applied art.
From the terrace from the Grand Palace, a panorama of the central parade ensemble - the Grand Grotto with a cascade, a canal and the sea, opens up a uniquely beautiful panorama. A large grotto with a cascade is one of the most grandiose fountain structures in the world, it combines 64 fountains, 255 sculptures and decorative ornaments. The sea channel connecting the Grand Cascade with the bay, and an alley of 22 fountains divide the Lower Park into two parts: western and eastern.
On the shores of the Gulf of Finland, at an equal distance from the sea channel, there are the Monplaisir Palace in the eastern part and the Hermitage Grand Pavilion in the western part of the park.
The lower park belongs to the best examples of regular style parks. Its layout is distinguished by symmetry in the arrangement of alleys, palaces, park pavilions and fountains; geometric outlines of lawns and ponds. Figured cutting of trees and shrubs, trellis fences along the paths and parterres, intricate drawings of flower beds, an abundance of sculptures give it a look characteristic of a regular park.
Three radial alleys, going from the slopes to the sea, to the Monplaisir and the Hermitage, are intersected by three radial alleys, coming from the Marly Palace, at the western border of the ensemble. The middle of them - the main one - is called Marlinskaya. It houses the fountains "Adam" in the eastern and "Eve" in the western parts of the park. The system of 8 alleys, diverging from these fountains in different parts of the park, forms two stars. In its eastern part is the palace of Peter I "Monplaisir" - a unique monument of Russian architecture and artistic culture of the early XVIII century. Architects I. Braunstein, J. Leblon, N. Michetti, painters F. Pilman, F. Vorobyov, R. Bushuev, I. Tikhanov and others took part in the construction of Monplaisir (1714-1723).
The facades of the palace are simple and concise, while the interiors attract with the richness and harmony of decoration: picturesque plafonds, lacquer panels, tiles, exquisite molding, etc. Monplaisir houses a large collection of paintings by Dutch, Flemish and Italian artists of the 17th - early 18th centuries .
“Monplaisir” is one of the most revered relics of Russian history,” as V. G. Belinsky wrote. Destroyed by the Nazis, the palace has now been completely restored. In the manufacture of new lacquer panels for the Lacquer Cabinet of the Palace, Palesh artists took part under the guidance of the People's Artist of the USSR N. M. Zinoviev. The main element of the decorative decoration of the interiors of the lusthaus and galleries, symmetrically located around the central building of the palace, are paintings by Dutch, Flemish and Italian masters of the 17th-18th centuries.
In the Central Hall, of particular interest are the painting and stucco decoration of the ceiling - images of characters from the Italian comedy of masks, allegories of the seasons and the four elements. The Lacquer Room, Kitchen and Pantry adjoin the Central Hall from the east. In the Kitchen there is a collection of authentic copper kitchen utensils from the early 18th century, pewter dishes made in English with the stamps of the greatest masters of that time, Delft faience, and in the Buffet Room there is a collection of Russian art glass made in the first quarter of the 18th century.
Three more rooms adjoin the Central Hall from the west. This is the Marine Cabinet, from the windows of which a magnificent view of the expanses of the Gulf of Finland opens. The cabinet panels are decorated with tiles depicting thirteen types of sailboats used in the Russian fleet of the 18th century. Further - the Secretarial and the Bedroom, where the personal belongings of Peter I are exhibited.
Already in the middle of the 18th century, "Monplaisir" was a whole complex of estate-type buildings. From the west and from the east, galleries were attached to it to accommodate guests, the Bath Building, created by the architect E. Gan in the 60s of the XIX century. The Assembly Hall - the construction of the famous Russian architect M.G. Zemtsov.
In the western part of the complex, a large stone building stands out - the Catherine's building, built by the architect V. Rastrelli (1748). Currently, the restoration of its interiors, destroyed by fire during the Great Patriotic War, has begun.
In front of Monplaisir there is a garden with figured flower beds and fountains. A straight alley connects the Monplaisir ensemble with the "Chessboard Mountain" - the cascade of the Eastern part of the park. In the same area of the park there are original cracker fountains: "Sofas", "Oak", "Umbrella", a kind of water obelisk - the Pyramid fountain, the machine fountain "Sun". Symmetrically to Monplaisir, the Hermitage is located in the western part of the park. The building stands on the shore of the bay, on a massive stone pedestal surrounded by a moat. The pavilion was built in 1722-1725 under the guidance of the architect I. Braunstein. The Hermitage, one of the most interesting monuments of Russian architecture of the first quarter of the 18th century, is distinguished by its lightness, perfection of proportions and architectural forms.
The Central Hall on the second floor offers a magnificent view of the Gulf of Finland and Kronstadt. The walls are decorated according to the trellis principle with paintings by Western European masters of the 17th-18th centuries from the collection of Peter I.
Destroyed by the Nazis during the war, the Hermitage was restored and opened for inspection in 1952.
Almost simultaneously with the Hermitage, also in the western part of the park, the Marly Palace was built according to the project of the architect I. Braunstein. It is located on the shore of a rectangular pond and is the center of the western area of the park with the Golden Mountain cascade, a group of fountains (Menagers, Tritons) and an orchard. The Nazis destroyed Marly. The facades of the palace were restored in 1954-1955, and a comprehensive restoration of the interiors of the Marly Palace and the western part of the Lower Park is currently underway.
The city of palaces, parks and fountains - Petrodvorets is widely known all over the world. Every year, more than three million people come to get acquainted with the monuments of Russian culture and art, to see the extraordinary charm and originality of Peterhof, filled with the life-giving breath of the sea, spread wide along its shores, to take a walk along the shady alleys of the park, where centuries-old trees rustle and the incessant symphony of fountains sounds. The revived palace and park ensemble of Peterhof has acquired a new meaning today: it is not only a monument of history and art of the past, but also a symbol of the creative power and creative genius of our contemporary Soviet man.
upper garden
Many poetic lines are dedicated to Peterhof - the "capital" of fountains. The famous Russian poet of the 19th century P. A. Vyazemsky, for example, wrote:
How bright, how emerald dark
In the shade of their dense gardens,
And how brilliant and how transparent
Water-flowing Peterhof
It is difficult to find a more precise definition for the gardens of Peterhof than the epithet "water-draining". Indeed, the fountains are the soul of the Lower Park, its best decoration. One hundred and forty-four fountains and three magnificent cascades, operating in the current Peterhof, have earned him worldwide fame.
Fountains are an indispensable decoration of a classic regular park, allowing you to arrange and organize its individual planning elements, create closed perspectives, and deprive a geometrized park of some monotony. The special meaning of the fountain structures in the parks of Peterhof, created as a symbol of Russia's maritime power, was well understood by the creators of the ensemble. In 1717, the architect Leblon wrote to Peter I about the need to search for water supplies to supply fountains with "playing waters", because parks without the latter "seem very boring." The French master proposed to build water structures, that is, to follow the principle applied in Versailles. However, despite all the beauty of the Versailles fountains, they have one significant drawback - an extremely complex water supply system, which allows them to be turned on only twice a week for two hours, while the Peterhof fountains still work for five months daily. The water consumption in them is expressed by a significant figure - 100,000 cubic meters for ten hours of work.
Upper garden. Fountain "Neptune". On the pedestal stands the figure of the formidable god of the seas, at whose feet sea horses, dolphins, tritons and other mythological characters are carved. About 40 large figures and small details, made with great skill, form a rich sculptural decoration of the fountain, effectively combined with the play of water.
The bronze sculpture of the fountain was made in Nuremberg in 1652-1660 by sculptors H. Ritter, G. Schweiger and I. Eisler. In 1799, the sculptural group "Neptune" was installed in Peterhof.
At first glance, it would seem rational to use for this purpose an inexhaustible water reservoir, which is the Gulf of Finland. But the creators of the water conduit of the fountains of the Lower Park took a different path - after all, the use of sea water would require the construction of a large number of additional pumping facilities, which would increase the cost and complicate the delivery of water.
That is why in 1720 Peter I himself went on an expedition to the surrounding area, and 20 kilometers from Peterhof, in the Ropsha region, on the so-called Ropsha Heights, discovered large reserves of spring water and underground springs.
The construction of the conduit was entrusted to the first Russian hydraulic engineer Vasily Tuvolkov. They began to dig the canal in January 1721, and on August 8 of the same year, Peter I, with his own hand, with a spade, opened the way for water from the Kavashi River to a new conduit. The water reached the parks by six o'clock the next morning. It was the first day of work of the Peterhof fountains. The official opening of the residence took place on August 15, 1723. The newly created water cannons amazed the emperor's guests with their variety and abundance of water. The chamber junker K. Berchholz, who was present at the celebration, wrote in his diary: "... the fountains abounding in water were especially good."
For more than two hundred and fifty years, the famous Peterhof fountains have been operating, and the principle of their operation is so simple and original that even in our time, when technical progress has reached a very high level, the original system is used.
The supply of water to the nozzles of the water cannons does not require any pumping facilities - the elementary physical law of communicating vessels is used here: reservoir ponds are located much higher than the park (for example, the Rose Pavilion Pond, from where the Samsonovsky water conduit originates, is located at a height of 22 meters above the bay level), therefore when the dampers open, the water reaches the mark at which they are located by gravity. Water reserves are practically inexhaustible, so the powerful jets of fountain structures of Peterhof will delight many generations of visitors to the world-famous ensemble.
Upper garden. Fountain "Neptune". Allegorical depiction of the Pegnitz River in Nuremberg as a Nereid. Full of majestic calmness, two figures of Nereids with oars in their hands (the Nuremberg rivers Regnitz and Pegnitz) contrast with the dynamic figures of riders on sea horses.
Every day, five months a year, at 11 o'clock in the morning, to the sounds of the "Hymn to the Great City" from R. Glier's ballet "The Bronze Horseman", a solemn ceremony of starting water is performed. This is a kind of festive ritual. It was no coincidence that we bought it for Peterhof. Soon, a statue of Apollo Belvedere was installed on the side of the pool of this fountain, cast by the "caster" V. Ekimov according to a model made from an antique original by the sculptor F. Gordeev.
An indispensable addition to the regular park was marble sculpture, brought to Peterhof from Italy and made by "the first local masters." The upper garden is decorated with four works by the famous sculptor A. Bonazza - "Flora", "Zephyr", "Vertumn" and "Pomona". The first restoration of the Upper Garden was carried out in 1926-1928, when it was cleared of wild lilac thickets, which blocked the prospect of the Grand Palace, that is, reduced one of the most important effects of the entire ensemble.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Upper Garden and its fountains were almost completely destroyed. In 1956-1968, it was reconstructed on the basis of axonometric drawings made in the 70s of the 18th century. Restoration of the layout, green spaces, fountain pools and sculpture has recently been completed. With each passing day, the harmony of the strict layout of the Upper Garden with the majestic breadth of space, enlivened by low fountains, becomes more and more clear.
The Upper Garden is organically merged with the Lower Park. The central parterre is continued in the park by the sea channel and together with it forms the main axis of the entire ensemble.
The creators of unique fountain structures, as well as the builders of palaces, largely proceeded from the prevailing landscape and terrain.
Therefore, cascades decorating the natural slope that defines the boundary of the Lower Park from the south have become a characteristic fountain decoration for Peterhof. The main link of the whole composition is the famous Grand Cascade.
Upper garden. Vertumn. 1757. Marble. Sculptor G. Bonazza. Vertumn - the ancient Roman deity of gardens, personified the change of seasons. In an effort to conquer the heart of Pomona (goddess of fruits), Vertumn appeared to her in various forms. Pomona fell in love with Vertumnus, who took the form of a beautiful young man. Vertumnus is depicted with a mask, which should remind of his reincarnations.
Upper garden. Zephyr. 1757. Marble. Sculptor G. Bonazza. According to ancient mythology, Zephyr is the god of the winds.
Upper garden. Eastern Square Pond. In 1737, the cannon of this pond was decorated with a gilded lead group “Proserpina and Alpheus with Sirens and Dolphins”, made by C. Rastrelli. In 1773, after the sculpture was removed, a composition of six water cannons shooting from the mouths of dolphins was created by the architect I. Yakovlev. The design of the fountain was restored in 1968. In the center of the pool is the sculpture "Apollino". Marble copy of the early 19th century from an antique original (4th century BC).
lower park
Grand Palace and Grand Cascade. Solved as a single architectural complex and are the artistic and compositional center of the Peterhof palace and park ensemble. The Grand Palace was built in 1714-1723 with the participation of architects I. Braunstein, J.-B. Leblon, I. Michetti, M. Zemtsov. Rebuilt by architect V. Rastrelli (1747-1754). Destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, the palace is being restored according to the project of architects V.M. Savkova and E.V. Kazanskaya. The facades were restored in 1952-1958.
Grand Palace. Church building. During the reconstruction of the Grand Palace (1747-1754), the architect V. Rastrelli attached two side wings to its central part with the help of through galleries - the “Church” and the “Building under the Coat of Arms”. Their gilded figured domes, crowned with lanterns and bulbs, with ornaments of garlands and palm leaves, greatly enhanced the decorative splendor and elegance of the building. The picture shows the Church building (1750-1751). Recreated according to the project of architects V. Savkov and E. Kazanskaya in 1958.
Grand Palace and Cascade
The panorama of the Grand Cascade is full of solemnity and grandeur. The variety of silver jets, the brilliance of the gilded sculpture, the powerful water column of the Samson soaring upwards create a feeling of a joyful holiday. The Grand Cascade is a kind of basement floor of the Grand Palace and connects it with the bay by a canal line. In the creation of the Grand Cascade, an organic synthesis of various types of artistic creativity was embodied: architecture, sculpture, fountain and landscape art.
The artistic design of the Grand Cascade design dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. His idea is to glorify the "victorious" triumph of Russia, which gained access to the Baltic Sea and became one of the mighty powers of Europe. This idea is repeatedly affirmed in the allegorical form in the sculptural decoration of the cascade. More than thirty bronze gilded statues of gods and heroes of antiquity, twenty-nine bas-reliefs on mythological subjects, mounted on the facades of cascading stairs, interpret this theme in one form or another. The general plot outline of the sculptural scenery of the cascade embodies three themes: the glorification of the triumphant victory of Russia in the fight against Sweden during the Northern War, the praise of Russia, fertile and powerful, subjugated the water element, and a satire on the defeated enemy. The victorious country is depicted as Perseus, who killed the terrible monster Gorgon Medusa and freed Andromeda. The allegory is easily deciphered: Perseus-Russia, who defeated Sweden and liberated the original Russian lands from foreign domination. The inexhaustible wealth of the country is personified in the form of Ceres, the ancient goddess of fertility; her dominion on the sea is in the images of the lords of the water Tritons, Galatea, personifying the calm sea.
Grand Palace. Corps under the coat of arms, architect V. Rastrelli (1750-1751). The dome of the building is decorated with a rotating weather vane - a three-headed eagle with outstretched wings, an orb and a scepter in its paws. The eagle soaring over the palace embodies the idea of the triumph and greatness of Russia.
The leading theme in the allegorical content of the sculpture of the Grand Cascade was a satire on the Swedish invaders and Charles XII. This is how the meaning of the image of Actaeon, the hunter, according to ancient mythology, who dared to break the ban and looked at the goddess Diana while bathing, is interpreted. The daring hunter was roughly punished: Diana turned him into a deer, and he was torn to pieces by his own dogs. In this myth, a hint of specific events was seen: the arrogant Sweden encroached on the sea coast of Russia and, as a result, was justly punished, betrayed by its allies. It is noteworthy that the sculpture of the Grand Cascade is plotted with the cultural and historical events that took place in the Russian state of the era of Peter I. At the foot of the cascade stairs, the stormy jets of the Volkhov and Neva fountains foam. The names are given according to the allegorical figures of rivers decorating them. This is a kind of reminder that the conquest of the water element at the beginning of the 18th century was also marked by the construction of the Ladoga Canal, which helped
... Russian mighty hand
Connect the Volkhov streams with the Neva.
The rhythmic step of the cascading stairs is subordinated to the compositional and ideological center of the entire grandiose fountain complex - the sculptural group "Samson of Russia, the roaring lion of Sveisky gloriously tore to pieces." The three-meter statue, in the form of a biblical hero, representing Russia the victor, is installed on a pedestal resembling a rock, and surrounded by eight water cannons beating from the mouths of gilded dolphins. Above them, escaping from the mouth of a defeated lion, a twenty-meter water column flies up and envelops the heroic figure of Samson in a cloud of rainbow splashes.
Here, in the very center of the entire ensemble of the Lower Park, the allegorical meaning of the sculptural group "Samson Tearing the Lion's Mouth" takes on a special meaning. The monument was erected in 1735, in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Poltava battle, which finally decided the outcome of the Northern War in favor of Russia. Its creator was K. Rastrelli, the father of the famous architect. The famous battle took place on June 27, 1709, on the day of St. Samson, who was considered the "heavenly" patron of the Russian army, and the state emblem of Sweden includes the image of a lion. Thus, the main idea that determined the purpose of creating the Peterhof residence - the glorification of Russia, which defeated the formidable enemy, receives its final form in the sculptural monument. The dominant position of the Samson fountain as the culmination of the entire composition, in addition to the height of the jet and its power, is emphasized by another interesting effect: when the fountains of Petrodvorets turn on, water appears in the gaping mouth of a lion, ready to shoot up a twenty-meter column, but the Tritons fountains do not yet work on the upper terrace of the cascade, "Sirens" and "Naiads", located on the curb of the bucket. And only when the height of the “Samson” jet reaches the limit, symbolically demonstrating the outcome of the duel, from the shells into which the sea deities blow, fountain jets burst out in wide arcs: the lords of the water, as it were, trumpet the glory of the hero who defeated the enemy.
The Grand Cascade is an example of the synthesis of the arts: already the fountains mentioned above reveal the close interconnection of all visual techniques. The architectural solution of the cascade determines the composition of the main ensemble of the park.
Three waterfall staircases are united by a grotto, cut along the facade by five high arches with mascarons on keystones. Stairs descend to the right and left of the grotto. Each of the seven figured steps of the side cascades is decorated with bas-reliefs and brackets. The measured and solemn rhythm of the steps is emphasized by the arrangement of gilded bronze statues and decorative vases with gilded bronze decorations on the sides on granite pedestals. Fountain "Samson" is installed in a deep semicircular ladle, passing into the sea channel. On the granite curb of the ladle, the sculptural groups "Sirens" and "Naiads" were placed.
One of the main elements of the Grand Cascade is the varied use of water jets. The main element here is the twenty-meter water column of the Samson fountain. One hundred and forty-two jets, pouring over sixty-four fountains of the cascade, connecting and crossing, create an openwork pattern that completes the architecture of this monumental building. Water is used as an active participant in the artistic solution and is included in the composition of many statues. The movement of water emphasizes the dynamism of the sculptures, depicting "victorious images of the glory of Russia." Water flows down the cascading stairs in smooth, flowing waterfalls. The downward movement of water involuntarily makes the eye follow the main group, which expresses the main idea of the entire ensemble. The rhythmic arrangement of the sculpture corresponds in the water design to the arrangement of two water cannons on each step of the side cascading stairs, creating strict verticals. From the shells of the "Sirens" and "Niads" rush silver streams, showered with pearl drops at the foot of the rock on which the "Samson" rises. In front of the grotto on the site is the Basket fountain - the last building on the cascade, created in the second half of the 19th century by the architect N. Benois. Twenty-four jets are intertwined in an openwork pattern above a large ring made of tuff, and in the center, like sparkling flowers from water, nine water cannons rise. The water of the "Basket" is drained through the central three-stage cascade into a deep semicircular ladle. The multi-water fountain "Basket" perfectly completes the enchanting water composition. The water falling down the cascading stairs comes from vertical water cannons and two fountains - shells on the top step and flows like natural streams from the semicircular tuff pedestals of the Neva and Volkhov.
The solemn flow of water pouring into a large bucket, a canal organically connected with the sea, an allegorical sculpture sparkling in the sun further enhances the main idea - the glorification of Russia's naval victories. The role of sculpture in the composition of the Grand Cascade is exceptionally great. She not only decorates it, but links the various parts of the ensemble into a single artistic whole, combined with architecture and water design. The Grand Cascade was created simultaneously with the main architectural structures of the Lower Park - the Monplaisir Palace and the Upland Chambers. However, the sculpture of the cascade was originally made of lead. The sculptural group "Samson tearing the mouth of a lion" was created from the same material. Lead decorative sculpture of the Grand Cascade, made by C. Rastrelli, F. Vassou and C. Osner based on drawings by J.-B. Leblon, I. Braunstein, N. Michetti and M. G. Zemtsov, by the end of the 18th century came into complete disrepair. On August 19, 1799, a decree was issued: “Instead of the statues standing in Peterhof on the cascade ... cast at the Academy of Arts from bronze metal, in choosing for this figure, adhering to the older ones, as they stand on the cascade.” The decree was preceded by an examination and a memorandum compiled by one of the leading Russian sculptors of that time, IP Martos.
A galaxy of brilliant Russian sculptors of the 18th century took part in the creation of new sculptures of the Grand Cascade. Many statues were created according to antique originals, for others the models were made by F. Shchedrin (“Perseus” and “Sirens”), F. Shubin (“Pandora”), I. Martos (“Akteon”), I. Prokofiev (“Akid”) and others. The sculptural group of the Samson fountain was cast according to the model of the outstanding Russian sculptor M. Kozlovsky, the author of the monument to Suvorov on the Field of Mars in Leningrad.
The cascade, built in 1714-1721, has largely retained its original artistic appearance, full of mighty power and grandeur.
Samson tearing the lion's mouth. Ormolu. The central sculptural group and the most powerful fountain of the Grand Cascade. It was erected in 1735 to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Poltava and personifies the victories of Russian weapons in the Northern War. The original sculpture by K. Rastrelli in 1802 was replaced by a statue cast according to the model of the sculptor M. Kozlovsky. The "Samson" stolen by the Nazis was recreated by the Soviet sculptor V. Simonov (1947).
Sculpture of the Grand Cascade. The sculptural decoration of the Grand Cascade, numbering 255 statues and decorative details, is the most valuable collection of works by Russian sculptors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries: I. Martos, F. Shchedrin, F. Shubin, I. Prokofiev, F. Gordeev, J. Rachette and others . The patriotic theme of glorifying the power of the Russian state was vividly embodied in the design of the cascade. The images of ancient mythology are used as a means of allegorical depiction of Russia's victories in the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea.
After the liberation of Petrodvorets, when a decision was made to restore the unique complex, Soviet sculptors were entrusted with recreating the stolen statues. The revival of the Grand Cascade was an act of great political significance. In 1944, the famous Leningrad poetess Olga Berggolts, seeing the ruins of Petrodvorets, wrote the lines:
And a symbol of accomplished revenge,
As a sign of human triumph
Let's put it here, in the same place,
Samson tearing the lion.
And from the black ashes, from here,
Where death and decay, the old garden will rise
Let it be so! I strongly believe in miracles.
You gave me this faith, Leningrad.
And the miracle happened! The Samson, revived by the Leningrad sculptors V. Simonov and N. Mikhailov, took its original place in the center of the grandiose cascade. Exciting photographic documents have been preserved: thousands of Leningraders gathered along the route of the car that was carrying the recreated monument from the Monumentsculptura factory to Petrodvorets. On September 14, 1947, the grand opening of the largest fountain in the Lower Park took place, which became a monument to Soviet patriotism.
In 1948-1950, the sculptor I. Krestovsky recreated the statue for the Volkhov fountain. V. Ellonen, who revived the Neva, and N. Dydykin, on whose model the Tritons group was again cast, did an excellent job with their task. Restored by remarkable master restorers, the Great Peterhof Cascade became not only a triumphal monument to the victories of Russian weapons in the Northern War, but also a symbol of the victory of the Soviet people over fascism in the Great Patriotic War.
Symmetrically with respect to the Grand Cascade, in the western and eastern parts of the Lower Park, there are two more fountain structures that adorn the natural slope that borders the park from the south. In the eastern part - this is the "Chessboard Mountain" cascade, in the western - the "Golden Mountain" cascade.
Big cascade. East side. Faun of Florence. 1800. Gilded bronze. Copy from an antique original (II-I centuries BC). Cast V. Ekimov. Beats the tympanum and dances intoxicated with joy - Faun - one of the many gods of the ancient Romans, the patron of forests and fields.
Big cascade. East side. Amazon. 1801. Gilded bronze. V. Ekimov cast according to the model of F. Gordeev from the ancient original (V-IV centuries BC). The image of the Amazon was supposed to remind of the courage and invincibility of the Russian army, similar to the army of courageous Amazons-mythological female warriors.
Big cascade. Pandora. The sculptor F. Shubin created a captivating image of a young woman enchanted by the festive jubilation of the fountains. Here she still does not dare to open a vessel of misfortunes and troubles.
Big cascade. East side. Perseus. 1800. Gilded bronze. Sculptor F. Shchedrin. Perseus is a legendary hero who cut off the head of the Gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turned all living things into stone. Perseus freed the beautiful Andromeda, doomed to be eaten by a sea monster. In one hand, Perseus holds a sword, and in the other, the severed head of a medusa, whose face bears a portrait resemblance to the face of the Swedish king Charles XII. The image of Perseus and his feat were personified in the 18th century with Peter I and his victories.
Big cascade. Statue of Venus Callipygus. 1857. Copper, gilding. Electroplated copy from an antique original (3rd century BC). Workshop of I. Hamburger.
Big cascade. East side. Ceres- Goddess of fertility and agriculture. 1801. Gilded bronze. Sculptor F. Gordeev. V. Ekimov cast from the antique original. The statue on the Grand Cascade represents the prosperity of the Russian state.
Big cascade. East side. Faun Capitoline. 1800. Gilded bronze. Copy from an antique original (2nd century BC). Cast V. Ekimov.
Big cascade. East side. Meleager Belvedere. 1800. Gilded bronze. V. Ekimov cast according to the model of F. Gordeev from the antique original (4th century BC). Meleager in Greek mythology is a hero who killed the monstrous Calydonian boar and freed his native city from enemies, the sculpture allegorically glorifies the feat of arms of the heroes of Russia.
Big cascade. East side. Bacchus with satyr. 1800. Gilded bronze. He cast E. Gastkla after the model of F. Gordeev from the original by Michelangelo. Bacchus is the god of winemaking and fertility, satyrs are deities of mountains and forests, companions of Bacchus.
Big grotto. Arcade. Sculptural group "Pan and Olympius". 1857. Copper, gilding. Electroplated copy of an antique original. Workshop of I. Hamburger. According to ancient mythology, Pan is the god of forests, Olympius is a legendary shepherd who learned from Pan to play the flute.
Big cascade. Sculpture in the arcade of the Great Grotto. In the break of the balustrade is the sculptural group "Tritons blowing their shells". 1801. Gilded bronze. Sculptor I. Prokofiev. The group was recreated by N. Dydykin in 1949.
Big cascade. Western side. Pandora. 1801. Gilded bronze. Sculptor F. Shubin. Pandora was created at the behest of Zeus to punish people for possessing fire, which was stolen for them by Prometheus from the gods. Zeus gave her in marriage to her brother Prometheus and, as a wedding gift, gave them a vessel in which all human misfortunes were contained. Out of curiosity, Pandora opened the vessel and unleashed all the troubles, leaving only one hope.
Big cascade. Fifth eastern waterfall ledge. Bas-relief "Triumph of Amphitrite". 1721 -1723. Lead, gilding, painting. Sculptors F. Vassu, K. Osner, K. Rastrelli, English masters after drawing by A. Leblon, I. Braunstein. Recreated by sculptor V. Rubanik in 1947. Amphitrite is the daughter of the prophetic old man Nereus, the wife of the powerful ruler of the seas - Poseidon.
Big cascade. The third eastern waterfall ledge. Bas-relief "The Abduction of Dejanira by the Centaur Ness". 1721 - 1723. Lead. Gilding. Coloring. F. Vassu, K. Osner, K. Rastrelli, English masters after drawing by A. Leblon, I. Braunstein. Recreated by sculptor V. Bogatyrev in 1947. The mythical half-man, half-horse, centaur kidnaps the wife of Hercules - Dejanira. Hercules shoots Nessus with a bow and frees her. The bas-relief allegorically depicts the liberation of the Baltic lands by Peter I.
Big cascade. Samson tearing the lion's mouth. 1802. All the attention of the viewer is directed to the center of the bucket, where the mythical marine inhabitants - sirens, naiads, tritons - send silver streams to the foot of the Samson. All eyes are directed here, where, escaping from the mouth of a defeated beast, a twenty-meter water column takes off and a cloud of iridescent spray envelops the heroic figure of "Russian Samson, the lion of Eve gloriously tore to pieces."
Bucket of the Grand Cascade. In the foreground is the Naiad and Triton group. In the distance is the fountain group "Sirens". 1805. Gilded bronze. Sculptor F. Shchedrin. Sirens - according to ancient mythology, are magical inhabitants of sea islands, who lured seafarers into their possessions with enchanting singing, from where they never returned.
Big cascade. Bucket, east side. Statue "Neva". 1805. Gilded bronze. Sculptor F. Shchedrin. Recreated by V. Ellonen in 1950. The mythological symbolism of the Grand Cascade includes two figures depicting the Russian rivers Neva and Volkhov. The Neva is depicted as a young woman squeezing a snake with her hand. Volkhov is represented as a mighty old man with an oar in his hand. Peter's victories made it possible to carry out the construction in the first quarter of the 18th century of the Ladoga Canal, which connected the Volkhov and the Neva.
Big cascade. Bucket, west side. Volkhov. 1805. Gilded bronze. Sculptor I. Prokofiev. The statue was recreated by I. Krestovsky in 1948.
Big cascade. Western side. Ganymede. 1800. Gilded bronze. Copy from an antique original by Leoxapa. Cast by E. Gastklu. Ganymede in ancient mythology is a beautiful young man who was carried away by an eagle to Olympus, where Zeus made him the butler of the gods.
Actaeon. 1801. Gilded bronze. Sculptor I. Martos. The mythical hunter Actaeon saw the goddess Diana while she was bathing. The angry goddess turned Actaeon into a deer, and he was torn to pieces by dogs. At the beginning of the 18th century, the myth of Actaeon received a different interpretation in Russia. Actaeon is Charles XII, punished for his arrogance, fleeing from the persecution of his former allies, who went over to the side of Russia after the Battle of Poltava.
Big cascade. Western side. Germanicus. 1801. Gilded bronze. Copy from the original by Cleomenes. Cast V. Ekimov. Germanicus - the famous Roman commander of the 1st century AD, the winner of the Germanic tribes.
Discus thrower. 1800. Gilded bronze. Copy from an antique original (school of Alkamen). Cast V. Ekimov.
Grand Cascade- the central fountain structure of the Lower Park, unites 64 fountains. The sculptural decoration of the cascade expresses the idea of glorifying the power of the Russian state and has over two hundred statues and decorative details. The ensemble was restored in 1945-1947.
Big stall. Voronikhinsky colonnades
In the Lower Park, there are several fountain ensembles that harmoniously combine various fountains and decorate its various planning sections. These ensembles include the Great Parterres, the square near the Chess Mountain, the Monplaisir Garden and others.
At the foot of the Grand Cascade is the so-called Grand Parterre, consisting of two symmetrical parts and organically completed by the so-called Voronikhinsky colonnades.
The Voronikhin colonnades are a unique work that combines fountains and architecture in the literal sense of the word, decorative water features and park pavilions.
One of the features of regular park building is the use of various architectural structures, most often trellis, in order to hide unwanted, less spectacular points of view and direct the viewer's eye in the direction where the impression will be greatest. Thus, emphasizing the brilliant prospect of the sea canal and reinforcing the idea of the direct connection of the Grand Palace and the Grand Cascade with the sea, two wooden galleries were built in the first quarter of the 18th century on the site of the current marble colonnades.
At the end of the 18th century, the wooden galleries were dismantled, and in 1803 the largest Russian architect of that time A.N. Voronikhin created in their place colonnades, rectangular in plan, made up of paired columns and ending on the sides of the canal with pavilions with high domed roofs. In the center of each gilded dome rises a low stream of a fountain; water flows down the dome, and then in a continuous veil falls along the windows into a semicircular pool at the foot. Fountains in the form of graceful gilded vases with water cannons in the center are also installed on the flat lead roofs of the colonnades.
Ensemble of the central part of the Lower Park. Grand Palace. terraced fountains. In the foreground are the Large Flower Gardens and the Italian Chalice Fountain (1721-1722). Architect I. Michetti. Fountain masters Baratini brothers.
View of the Grand Cascade and the sea channel from the upper terrace. The statues along the waterfall stairs are a kind of parade of more than thirty allegorical images glorifying the military victories of Peter I. the power and prosperity of Russia: the warlike Perseus with the head of the Gorgon Medusa cut off by him; light, airy Galatea - the keeper of the calm sea; shamed, fleeing Actaeon.
The transformation of these architectural structures into original fountain complexes made it possible to organically include them in the central composition of the entire ensemble. The success of A. Voronikhin was marked by the award of the title of architect, and the colonnades went down in history under the name of "Voronikhin". The Voronikhinsky colonnades in the 50s of the 19th century were faced with colored marble according to the project of A. Stackenschneider.
Damaged during the war years, these fountain-architectural structures were completely restored in 1966. At the entrance to them, as in the 19th century, granite lions carved according to the model of I. Prokofiev stand on pedestals. The western and eastern parts of the stalls are marked by fountains called "Bowls" - according to the type of their architectural design. White marble figured bowls, skillfully made in the 19th century by the craftsmen of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory, replaced the original wooden ones. At the same time, the curb of the round pools was also updated. The design of these fountains at the beginning of the 18th century was created by the architect N. Michetti, and their conduit was created by the Italian D. Baratini and the Frenchman P. Sualem. From here come the frequently mentioned names of the fountains - "Italian" and "French".
Powerful jets escaping from the depths of marble vases sparkling in the sun are on the same line with the water column of the Samson fountain, organically fitting into the general front complex.
At the corners of the stalls, above the semicircular marble benches, rise small marble bowls, decorated with ornaments on the rim and lion masks. These are the fountains "Nymph" and "Danaida", designed by the architect A. Stackenschneider. They are a typical example of the fountains of the mid-19th century, when water is used not as an architectural element, but as a decoration, contributing to a more vivid disclosure of the plot contained in the sculptures - the goddess of the springs of the Nymph and doomed to forever fill the bottomless barrel of Danaida. The bronze and copper statues repeat the antique original (Nymph) and the work of the German sculptor H. Rauch (Danaid).
These two fountains, placed in the corners of the parterre, elegantly complete the composition of the Large Flower Garden from the north.
And in the south, along the ledges of the natural slope, as if continuing the magnificent and majestic picture of the Grand Cascade, there are ten original fountain compositions. These are the so-called Terrace Fountains.
On the middle ledge - five on each side of the Grand Cascade - low jets rise above the round marble pools. Water from them pours out through a bronze mascaron onto a small four-stage cascade, and from there into a common trough for every five fountains, decorated with a marble curb of a complex profile. On the lower terrace of the slope, in the basin-chute, five jets rise with. each side. Terraced fountains were built by the architect F. Brower in 1800 from Pudozh stone, and in 1854 they were faced with marble.
After restoration, they were opened in 1946. Thus, by the end of the 18th century, the main fountain decoration of the Lower Park was completed. Much earlier, water cannons rose near the sea channel. Initially, they intended to decorate it with the so-called "niche" fountains, that is, located in trellis niches, assuming to make them plot-based - on the themes of Aesop's fables. Four wooden groups took their place by 1724, however, soon dilapidated, were removed. One of the groups, repeated in metal (1725), has been preserved.
In the center of the round pool, by means of a water wheel, three figures of ducks and a figure of a “favorite” dog rotate. From the open beaks of ducks and the mouth of a dog, jets of water beat. The fountain is called "Favorite" and was created on the theme of Aesop's fable "The Dog and Ducks". The instructive meaning was emphasized by a special tablet outlining the text of the “fable”: “The dog is the favorite of the duck chasing ducks on the water; then the ducks said to her like this: you suffer in vain, you have the strength to drive us, but you don’t have the strength to catch us. Thus, the surviving "niche" fountain reminds of the original design of the canal.
In 1735, the architect M. G. Zemtsov moved water cannons closer to the curb, designing new pools for them from Pudozh stone in the form of flower baskets with two handles. Eight of the twenty-two basins retained the shape of the baskets of 1735, the rest were replaced by marble circles in the middle of the 19th century. The water of twenty-two water cannons of the alley of fountains goes into the canal through the holes of gilded mascarons fixed on its walls. This is how the complex of the central part of the Lower Park, which is located at the foot of the Great Peterhof Palace, is interrelatedly decorated with “playing waters”.
Voronikhinsky colonnades(east and west). Two marble colonnades (1800-1803), which complete the composition of the parterres in front of the Grand Cascade, were built according to the drawings of the outstanding Russian architect A.I. Voronikhin. At the entrances to the galleries, on the sides of the stairs, there are eight granite lions made according to the models of the sculptor I. Prokofiev. During the Great Patriotic War, the marble lining of the Voronikhinsky colonnades was significantly damaged. In 1961 - 1965, restoration work was carried out. The author of the restoration project is the architect A. Gessen. At the same time, the gilded domes and bowl-fountains on the colonnades were restored. Western Voronikhinskaya colonnade. Statue "Lion". 1802. Granite. Sculptor I. Prokofiev.
Eastern parterre at the Grand Cascade. Fountain "Danaida". 1853. Gilded bronze. Architect A. Stackenschneider. The statue is a copy from the original by X. Rauch, modeled by I. Vitali. Danaida is the daughter of the mythological king Dan, doomed for the murders of her husband to forever fill a bottomless barrel with water.
Western parterre at the Grand Cascade. Fountain "Nymph". 1853. Built according to the project of architect A. Stackenschneider. Decorated with a gilded copper statue of a Nymph, the ancient goddess of springs. The statue is a galvanized copy of an antique original (3rd century BC). Made in 1856
Fountains "Adam and Eve"
These are two identical fountains; they close the perspectives of the oblique alleys leading from the Grand Cascade to the Hermitage and Monplaisir. In the center of the octagonal pools are marble statues surrounded by a wreath of sixteen jets. In the eastern part "Adam", in the western - "Eve". Each of the structures closes the perspective of eight alleys, converging in radii to the platform and pool where the sculpture stands. The fountains themselves are installed strictly symmetrically with respect to the sea channel. Fountain "Adam" - one of the first fountains in the Lower Park. The Eva Fountain is several years younger, but their location and the layout of the plots on which they stand speak of the strict observance by the creators of the Lower Park of the principles of regular park construction and the unity of design.
Marble statues, created by G. Bonazza based on the originals by A. Rizzi in Venice, brought to Russia in 1717, were, according to contemporaries, so good that "there were few of them seen in the glorious Versailles." However, the fountain "Adam" was opened only in 1722, and "Eve" - in 1726. Two fountains were built according to the designs of the architect N. Michetti.
The statue of the mythical first man on earth is perceived as the personification of Peter I, for just as Adam gave rise to the human race, so did Peter I of Ross from non-existence to existence. This opinion, which is widespread in the literature of the 19th century, is confirmed by the story of the creation of the Eve Fountain. It was built after the death of Peter I, when his wife Catherine I "deigned to appoint a place where to put the Evin fountain." The empress, supporting the widespread opinion about Peter I as the "Great Converter of Russia", also wanted to emphasize her involvement in his reforms, symbolically portraying herself as Eve - the "first" woman on earth.
Both fountains were restored in 1949.
Marlin alley. Fountain "Adam" . 1722. Architect I. Michetti. The compositional center of the eastern part of the Lower Park. The marble statue (1718) by G. Bonazza is a free copy from the original by A. Rizzi.
"Eve". marble statue. 1718. Free copy by G. Bonazza from the original by A. Rizzi.
Ensemble of the eastern part of the Lower Park
Monplaisir Palace. South facade. The Seaside Palace of Peter I was built in 1714-1723 with the participation of architects I. Braunstein, J. Leblon and I. Michetti. The palace was significantly damaged during the Great Patriotic War.
Monplaisir garden. Fountain-bell. Statue "Psyche". 1817. Gilded bronze. Copy from the original by A. Canova, modeled by I. Martos. Figured bronze gilded pedestal was made in 1723 according to the drawing by I. Michetti. Recreated by sculptor Y. Troupyansky in 1950.
Monplaisir garden. Chinese garden. Fountains-crackers. Fountain "Sun"
The Monplaisir Garden was created as a regular park in miniature. Five fountains in the centers of individual sections of this small garden make up its water scenery.
Two perpendicular alleys divide the square area of the Monplaisir Garden into four small sections. At the intersection of these alleys with twenty-five lush jets, the Sheaf fountain sparkles. In the small squares formed by the intersection of the alleys, in round pools on figured pedestals, four gilded bronze statues rise, the water from under which falls around the pedestals with smooth bells - hence the name: bell fountains.
These fountain structures were made according to a special decree: “In Monplaisir, in the middle of the garden, at the crossroads, put fountain No. 1; and where there are four gilded statues, make round copper chiseled pedestals not thick under them, put them in gilding and let water in, so that from under it the water flows to the ground smoothly, like glass.
The decree dates back to 1721, and in 1723 all the fountains were ready. The name of the central fountain is explained by its shape: the jets scattering with splashes resemble a bunch of ripe ears of corn, from which grains fall off. In the books of the 19th century, you can also find another name for this fountain - "Crown". At the same time, the original order of the jet was changed, and the tuff decoration was crown-shaped. In the post-war years, the restoration of various complexes of the Lower Park was carried out in such a way that, where possible, the appearance of the buildings of the 18th century was restored. Thus, the central fountain of the Monplaisir Garden regained its original appearance. The sculpture crowning the pedestals of the bell-fountains was cast in bronze and gilded in 1817 according to the models of IP Martos. It was put up to replace the old dilapidated lead statues. On the figured pedestals, recreated after the war by the sculptor A. Troupyansky, sculptures were again installed: “Satyr with a kid” and “Apollino” - copies from ancient originals, “Psyche”, copying the statue of A. Canova, and “Bacchus” - created according to the original by D . Sansovino. From the east, the Monplaisir Bath Building, the Assembly Hall with kitchens adjoins the coastal Chinese Garden. It was planned in 1860 by architect E. Gan in landscape style.
Following the principles typical for the gardens of Japan and China, the architect sought to create a variety of landscape paintings in a small space.
Chinese garden. 1860. Architect E. Gan. Fountain "Sink". Sculptural group "Cupid and Psyche". First half of the 19th century. Marble. Copy from an antique original (2nd century BC). Based on the model of A. Canova.
Bath building "Monplaisir". View from the facade and the Chinese garden. Architect E. Gan. 1866
Fountain "Sun". 1774-1775. Built according to the project of architects Y. Felten and I. Yakovlev. The bronze rotating column is topped with gilded discs, from which fountain jets gush like rays of the sun.
Monplaisir alley. Statue "Psyche". 1830s. Marble. Copy by an unknown sculptor from the original by A. Canova
Fancy paths, flower beds, a winding stream with a humpbacked bridge, marble statues, shady trees create an exceptionally cozy corner. An artificial hill enlivens the relief of the garden; a grotto decorated with tuff is made in it. A stream pours from the grotto along the edges of two marble shells installed here, which gave the name to the fountain - "The Shell". A high jet beats in the center of a small tuff island. Five fountains of the Monplaisir Garden close the perspective of the alley leading from the Chess Mountain cascade, and on the square of this cascade, occupied by parterre flower beds, two fountains called Roman fountains rise symmetrically in relation to it.
The first of the cracker fountains that have survived to this day in the Lower Park were two divans in the Monplaisir Garden. They were placed opposite the lusthauses of the palace. Sofas made of trellis lattices and a platform strewn with gravel in front of them were covered with a trellis arbor in the 18th century. From here, covered green galleries led to the side wings of Monplaisir. The peculiarity of these fountains is that they turn on unexpectedly and pour water over the guests of Peterhof, who wished to relax in the picturesque Monplaisir Garden.
Two more crackers appeared in the Lower Park at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century. In 1803, the metal tree “Oak” skillfully made according to the drawing by K. Rastrelli was transferred from the Upper Garden to the Lower Park. Each branch of the tree and the metallic brightly colored tulips that surround it end with a tube-nozzle from which water flows. The visitor, admiring the beautiful scenery of the fountain, does not notice when water starts to beat from behind the garden benches and suddenly pours over him.
"Dubok" was destroyed during the war. Fountain craftsmen A. Lavrentiev and A. Smirnov recreated the original fountain using one branch found during clearing of rubble. The Chinese Umbrella Fountain, originally designed by the architect F. Brower in 1796, was also recreated. You easily enter under an umbrella, but it is impossible to get out from under it dry when 164 jets create a continuous water curtain. Not far from the "Dubka" fountains-crackers "Fir-trees" are located. Three small metal trees were created in 1784. Their trunks are made of steel tubes embossed to look like “natural” bark, branches are made of brass, needles are made of green-painted tin. From a distance, the Christmas trees are perceived as real, and only close up you can see that they are surrounded by a continuous veil, splashing water from the branches.
Fountains-crackers of the Lower Park are unique. There were similar water games in Versailles and other parks, but today they are preserved only in Petrodvorets. They are especially loved by young visitors to the Peterhof Ensemble.
Each fountain construction of the Lower Park is unique in its own way, its. builders forced fountain jets to take the most whimsical and unexpected forms. So, one of the sections of the park is decorated with a water cannon, called the "Sun".
In the 70s of the XVIII century, on the site called "menageria", that is, "menagerie", architects Yu. Felten and I. Yakovlev, instead of the former pond, where a rare waterfowl was kept, an imperial bath was arranged. The pond is surrounded by high walls, and a fountain is installed in the center. Its purpose is to spray bathers. Two gilded bronze disks with holes along the outer edge of each are mounted on a high rod, decorated with round glass bowls originally silvered from the inside, playing in the sun. The round pedestal, decorated with tuff and sixteen water cannons in the form of dolphins, hides a water wheel, due to which the rod rotates. The discs sparkle in the sun with gilding, and the erupting jets resemble rays. Hence the name of the fountain - "The Sun". In 1925, the walls of the baths were dismantled, and the fountain was included in the system of decorative elements of the Lower Park.
Restored in 1956, the water cannon is an interesting example of a machine fountain and enjoys constant success among visitors to Peterhof, as well as the famous cracker fountains.
Western aviary. 1721 -1722. Wooden domed pavilion-poultry house lined with tuff and shells. Inside the enclosure, an ornamental and plot painting on the theme of the myth of Diana and Actaeon, performed by L. Caravaccus, has been preserved.
"Roman" fountains"
"Roman" fountain. Two fountains symmetrically located in front of the Chess Mountain cascade were created in 1739 according to the project of architects I. Blank and I. Davydov. The architect V. Rastrelli rebuilt the fountains, slightly modifying their shape (1763). The fountains were faced with marble (1799). During the war, the Nazis destroyed the pools, damaged the decor of the fountains. The restoration was made in 1949.
The architectural solution of the "Roman" fountains is simple: two octahedrons are placed one on top of the other, decorated with slabs of white, gray, pink marble and bronze gilded details - mascarons, garlands, wreaths. The lower octahedron is larger than the upper one, and each of them is, as it were, a sculptural support for water. Five jets rise from the upper vase, the water of which falls sequentially along the rim of the upper and lower bowls into the pool in a continuous veil.
The name of these fountains "Roman" is explained by the fact that they look like water cannons at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
"Roman" fountains were created in 1739 by the architects I. Blank and I. Davydov, in 1763 they were rebuilt by V. Rastrelli. At the end of the 18th century, they were faced with colored marble and bronze ornaments were added to them. The restoration of the fountains was completed in 1954.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain". Greenhouse
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain" - the central fountain construction of the eastern part of the Lower Park, which is four drain plateaus, decorated with tuff stone, with two grottoes - upper and lower. The upper grotto is closed by a massive door, in front of which three winged dragons prostrate, as if guarding the entrance to a magical fairyland.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain". Statues of Pluto and Pomona. Early 18th century. Marble. Works by unknown Italian masters. Pluto - in ancient mythology - the god of the underworld and wealth. With his left hand he holds an overturned cornucopia, from which money, fruits, flowers pour out, to his right a dog with three heads - Cerberus - the guardian of hell. Pomona is the goddess of autumn abundance of fruits. In his right hand he holds a cornucopia filled with fruits and flowers.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain"- the most significant fountain structure in the eastern part of the Lower Park. Initially, the cascade, the construction of which began in 1721, was supposed to be decorated as the ruins of a Swedish fortress, which determined its early name - "Ruin". At the end of the thirties of the XVIII century, it was rebuilt according to the project of M. Zemtsov, I. Davydov, I. Blank: three painted wooden dragons appeared, made by K. Osner, and the cascade began to be called the "Dragon Mountain", and since 1769, when the drain the slopes were painted with black and white squares - "Chessboard Mountain". The marble statues of the "Chessboard Mountain" are a significant collection of decorative park sculpture of the 18th century.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain". Jupiter statue. Early 18th century. Marble. The work of an unknown Italian sculptor. Jupiter - the ruler of the universe - rests on the globe, on the right is an eagle with outstretched wings. This image served as an allegory of the greatness of Russia.
Cascade "Chessboard Mountain". Fountain figures of winged dragons. 1739. Bronze, coloring. I. Blank, I. Davydov. K. Osner. Recreated by sculptor A. Gurzhiy in 1952 on the basis of graphic materials of the 18th century.
From the mouths of dragons, water pours, falling in a transparent veil into a small semicircular pool at the foot of the ridge in front of the lower grotto. Black and white squares appear through the water stream. The steps of the cascade, painted with oil paint, resemble chessboards. Along the tuff base from the upper terrace you can go down two stairs, the eastern one and the bus one. On the outer side of each of them there are five marble sculptures. Mounted on high pedestals made of gray stone, they organically complement the design of the cascade.
The cascade began to be built in 1721 according to the project of the architect N. Michetti, after the decree of Peter I to make "Marble cascade with a small grotto and a wild mountain against the model." Then this building was called the "Ruin Cascade": in a note to the decree, the king orders to put a ruined tower on the mountain, as if a symbol of the captured Swedish fortress.
However, at the end of the 30s of the 18th century, the reconstruction of the structure was entrusted to the architect M.G. Zemtsov, who decorates it with four drain plateaus, and in front of the upper grotto, the sculptor K. Osner, based on the drawings of I. Davydov and I. Blank, sets up three figures of dragons carved from wood and painted with oil paint. Hence the second name of the cascade is “Dragon Mountain”, but it bears its current name from the middle of the 18th century, when the drain steps began to be painted with black and white squares.
The appearance of the Chess Mountain cascade changed somewhat in the middle of the 19th century: the architect N. Benois replaced the wooden figures with lead ones, placing them frontally, in one row. They were stolen by the Nazis, and in their place are now bronze ones, recreated by the sculptor A.F. Gurzhiy according to the drawings and drawings of the 18th century.
Marble statues at the "Chessboard Mountain" - the rarest collection of decorative park sculpture of the XVIII century. Particularly expressive are the figures of Pomona, the goddess of autumn abundance, Adonis, the god of resurrecting and dying nature, and Pluto, the god of the underworld. The Nazis could not find the sculpture buried in the ground, and now the marble statues have taken their original places. The cascade has been restored and now, in all its splendor, delights visitors to Petrodvorets.
Among the water cannons, the design of which dates back to the first quarter of the 18th century, the Triton fountain, or the Greenhouse fountain, as it is called by its location, is also interesting.
In the center of the Orangery Garden, on the approaches to the Grand Cascade from the East, in a round pool, there is a bronze group “Triton tearing the mouth of a sea monster”, in theory close to “Samson”. Initially, the sculpture of the fountain was made of lead, it was created by the sculptor K. Rastrelli in accordance with the project of T. Usov. Already at the end of the 18th century, during his inspection trip to Peterhof, I. Martos noted its extreme dilapidation and the need for replacement. However, only in 1876 a new sculptural group "Triton with a crocodile" was made by electroforming according to the drawings and models of D. Jensen. The sculptural group was stolen by the Nazis during the war. At present, the sculptural decoration of the fountain has been reproduced according to the drawings and drawings of the 18th century by the sculptor A. Gurzhiy. Invaluable help in this kind of work is provided by the images preserved in the Peterhof archive in the albums of P. Saint-Hilaire, A. Bazhenov and others. The water design of the Triton Fountain consists of five jets - a central strong jet escaping from the mouth of a monster, and four low bronze turtles spouting from open mouths. The fountain complements the decoration of the Greenhouse complex and organically connects it with the rest of the Lower Park.
Pavilion "Big Greenhouse". 1722-1724. Architect I. Braunstein. During the Great Patriotic War, the building was burned down by the invaders. The greenhouse was restored according to the project of the architect V. Savkov (1954). The Big Orangery is one of the most interesting monuments of garden and park architecture of the 18th century. Gradually curved galleries, completed with risalits, radiate from the central two-storey building. A light balustrade with decorative vases, pilasters adorn the facades of the building.
Fountain "Triton" ("Greenhouse"), 1726. In the center of the orchard, located in front of the southern facade of the Big Orangery, there is a fountain (architect T. Usov), in the round basin of which there is a sculptural group “Triton tearing the mouth of a sea monster”. 1726. Bronze. Sculptor K. Rastrelli. The Triton stolen by the Nazis was recreated by A. Gurzhiy in 1956.
In the eastern part of the park, a section of the so-called Pyramid Garden is decorated with one of the most beautiful fountains - the Pyramid. In the architectural design of this water obelisk, which still effectively looms in the perspective of the alley from afar, water dominates, without foaming and sparkling jets it is dead and meaningless. The Pyramid Fountain impresses with its decorative features. In the center of the square pool, on a granite pedestal with marble steps, surrounded by an elegant balustrade with vases, a foamy mass of water rises in the form of a regular pyramid formed by 505 jets of various heights. The sparkling water block contrasts with the dense greenery of the surrounding trees and the dark water of the Gulf of Finland, which is viewed from the perspective of an alley going north.
The fountain was created by architects I. Michetti and M. Zemtsov in 1724. The project of his original water supply device, which allows you to adjust the height of the jets and create a geometrically correct seven-stage pyramid, was created by the talented French hydraulics P. Sualem.
The fountain was restored in 1953.
Ensemble of the western part of the Lower Park
Large Menager Fountains. Architect N. Michetti. Located in round marble pools in front of the Golden Mountain cascade. The name comes from the French word menager - to save, save. Built simultaneously with the "Golden Mountain" in 1722.
Andromeda. Early 18th century. Marble. Statue by P. Baratta. Andromeda is chained to a rock. Her long hair falls down her back. On the right is the head of a sea monster.
Fountains of the Marly Cascade
Symmetrically to the cascade "Chessboard Mountain" on the other side of the canal, in the western part of the Lower Park there is another fountain structure - the cascade "Golden Mountain". The construction of the Marly Cascade (“Golden Mountain”) was started by decree of Peter I. The idea arose by analogy with a similar structure in Marly Park, located near Paris.
The cascades of this park made a very strong impression on Peter, and he ordered "a large cascade, which is against the pond, should be made in all proportion against the Marlinskaya cascade, which is against the royal chambers." But the peculiarities of natural conditions and the creative originality of Russian architects made it possible to create a unique, harmonious ensemble of the western part of the Lower Park of Petrodvorets.
The beginning of the construction of the "Golden Mountain" dates back to 1721, when the architect N. Michetti creates a project for decorating the natural slope with a solemn twenty-two-step cascade staircase, and the sculptor K. Rastrelli is instructed to create for it a group depicting "the story of Yerkulov, who derets with a seven-headed reptile called hydra ...". The work is mostly completed by 1726, but the sculptural group was never created.
The cascade acquires its current appearance in the 30s of the 18th century. At this time, the famous architect M. Zemtsov worked most intensively in Peterhof. He rebuilds the Marlin cascade, adding marble and gilded statues to its decoration, and at his direction, the steps of the waterfall stairs are lined with gilded copper sheets. Hence the current name of the cascade - "Golden Mountain".
A significant part of the collection of marble sculpture appeared here later: it replaced the statues installed according to the project of M. Zemtsov only in the middle of the 19th century.
At present, the complex restoration of the Golden Mountain cascade has been completed. Structural elements have been restored. Wooden stairs with balustrades have been replaced with stone ones. The marble facing of the drain steps has been restored. From three gilded mascarons of sea monsters, mounted on the upper wall of the cascade, water flows down 22 marble steps, the plumb lines of which are upholstered with gilded copper sheets.
Marble statues, gilded steps, granite stairs, from the platforms of which a view of the sea, Marlinsky pond, Menagery fountains, give this building scope and monumentality.
Six fountains adorn the parterre at the Golden Mountain cascade. Symmetrically in relation to the cascade, in two round pools, jets of the so-called Menager Fountains, thirty centimeters in diameter, rise, creating the impression of water abundance and power. The fountains were built in 1722-1725, and their name comes from the French word "menager" - to protect. The abundance of these fountains is deceptive, their jets are empty inside. Nevertheless, their effect is magnificent and was enhanced by the gilded balls that used to play on the tops of the water columns, which have not been preserved now.
The fountain ensemble of the Golden Mountain is complemented by four fountain structures of the original design: these are the bell-fountains Tritons. Triton babies support bowls with the edges curved down over their heads. Water enters the bowl from the nozzle, to which a concave plate is tightly attached, ensuring the fall of water in the form of a transparent veil. The current bronze figures of tritons replaced a sculpture stolen by the Nazis, cast back in 1721, the year the fountains were created.
On the territory of Petrodvorets, in addition to regular ones, there are several more landscape parks covering an area of more than a thousand hectares with many palace buildings, pavilions and small-form architecture.
But these structures failed to rise to those peaks of artistry, to the amazing unity of design and implementation of the complex of the Lower Park and the Upper Garden. The palaces, parks and fountains of Peterhof are monuments of a significant time, when great creative changes take place, as a result of which Russia becomes one of the first states in the world, national self-consciousness is strengthened, and new ways of economic and cultural progress are opened. In this sense, Peterhof can be called a monument of Russian glory. One of the most striking features of the regular Peterhof palace and park ensemble is the achievement of an unusually impressive, organic synthesis of various types of artistic creativity - architecture, sculpture, water-decorative design and landscape art.
Everyone who has ever been here will forever keep in his heart the memory of
legends of their old
and eternally young Peterhof
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