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Peterhof
Peterhof
(from Dutch - Peter's Hof, meaning in English - Peter's
Yard)
is the most spectacular Russian site, often called "The
Capital of Fountains" or "Russian Versailles". It was
modeled after French Versailles which Czar Peter the Great
had visited during his "Grand Embassy" to Europe in 1697.
Peter the Great palace construction did not start
until 1714 when Northern War with Sweden became a smaller
burden and Peter's thoughts could be occupied with creation
of his summer residence . He actively participated in
drawing future palace plans and park sketches.
Peter chose Peterhof location based on
its proximity to Kronshtadt, the island fort that housed his
fledgling Russian navy.
By 1723 an army of designers and craftsmen
had created a palace so magnificent that even the demanding
Peter called it his "Seaside Paradise".
Peterhof park
has a unique fountain system that requires no pumps.
Water for the fountains is supplied by a gravity-fed water
system, twenty-two kilometres long, skilfully designed
to exploit the natural slope of the terrain. This system
operates no pumps and supplies enough water to the fountains
and cascades of Peterhoff to keep them working for up to ten
hours a day.
At all times, Peterhof was a place of
amusements for Russian royalty an nobility. Peter liked
playing jokes on his guests showing them 'trick' fountains.
Those would start all of a sudden soaking everyone around.
The musical staccato fountains still shoot up
at unpredictable intervals and children drench themselves in
warm weather while trying to guess which one will go off
next.
Today, the Peterhof ensemble amounts over 150
fountains and 4 cascades. Every year hundreds of thousands
tourists from all over the world visit this "Capital of
fountains" to enjoy the unforgettable miracle, as
Peterhof has been regarded throughout its history.
Location:
30km (18 miles) south from St.Petersburg,
onshore of the Finnish Gulf.
Open:
summer season
Lower Park -
daily from 9.00-19.00 (ticket office till 16.30)
Grand palace -
10.30-18.00, limited admittance, day off Monday, last
Tuesday of the month.
Monplaisir palace
- 10.30-18.00, day off Wednesday
Catherine Block
- 10.30-18.00, day off Thursday
Hermitage, Marli palace
- 10.30-18.00, day off Monday
Bath house -
10.30-18.00, day off Wednesday
winter season (from the middle of October):
Lower park -
open, fountains
do not operate.
Grand palace -
10.30-18.00, day off Monday, last Tuesday of the month
Catherine Block, Hermitage, Marli palace
- on weekends, 10.30-17.00
Monplaisir palace
- closed
Download full
Peterhof
map here (1,76 MB)
Tourists' remarks
" ... If you have kids,
they’ll especially enjoy the part of the gardens where
stepping on certain stones activates nearby fountains.
Accessing the palace itself is only allowed by guided tour,
so unless you are Russian-speaking, make sure to call ahead
and request an English-speaking tour guide ..."
" ...
There is gilt everywhere, both inside and outside the
palace. It was so ornate it was overpowering and I never
stopped wondering how the Tsars and family could live in
such opulence while all around them were peasants either
starving or otherwise having a hard time of it ... "
" ...
The grounds of the palace are unbelievable! There are three
waterfalls, 37 gilded statues, and a canal with a walkway
along each side containing more statues and 64 fountains.
The fountains receive their water from a reservoir some
distance away and the entire system operates without a
single pump. When you are on the path and look back at the
waterfalls and the palace, it is a very impressive sight. We
walked to the end of the canal where at a dock there were
hydrofoils that returned us to St. Petersburg and the bus
... "
" ...
If you walk east along Marlinskaya aleya and take any path
towards the sea, you'll reach Monplaisir, an elegant and
cosy palace that was used by Peter the Great to entertain
guests. The halls and rooms of the palace are much more
splendid than the exterior suggests. The main hall has
extravagant marble floors and a wonderful painted ceiling,
while the small study overlooking the sea is furnished with
a unique Chinese-style writing table and matching showcases.
The building adjoining Monplaisir, called Catherine's
Building, was used as the living quarters of Catherine the
Great when her husband, Tsar Peter III, was arrested and
subsequently murdered ..."
" ...
When we emerged onto the Peterhof grounds to view the
gorgeous cascading fountains, we gasped for a moment at the
din as we took in the sight of a line of several hundred
tour bus passengers (cruise ships guests among them) waiting
to enter the Peterhof Palace. Strolling the beautiful palace
grounds, we realized how fortunate we were to have booked a
private tour that gave us early admission
..."
" ... The palace and surrounding structures
simply feel like a real palace. With many palaces through
Europe, you get the feeling Disney was somehow involved in
the construction. At Peterhof, there is a definite feeling
of elegance, but elegance mixed with a practicality required
by day-to-day living. In short, you can definitely image
Peter the Great living there in the summer ..."
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