ocated 30 kilometers away from St. Petersburg, on the Baltic Sea coast, rises Petrodvorets (the Russian for Peter’s palace) – one of the most exquisite creations of the human mind and hand. The location of the park was chosen by Peter I who wanted to better supervise the construction of Kronstadt, his new military port on the Baltic Sea. The selected terrain was perfect, chiefly because it offered a high platform, sloping down steeply to the coast and this way affording an extensive view of the Gulf of Finland.

The ensemble of parks, palaces, cascades and fountains of Petrodvorets (also referred to as Peterhof) is of timeless historical and artistic significance. Petrodvorets is one of the most celebrated monuments of the Russian art of gardening. It is also a grandiose memorial to the heroism of the Russians who defeated the Swedish army in a decisive battle and acquired a key outlet on the Baltic Sea. 

The construction of Petrodvorets began in 1709 after authentic drafts by Peter I himself but the more significant installations (such as grottos, cascades and canals) were built only after the victory of the Russian navy in 1714. In 1721, the Hermitage Pavilion, the Marly Palace and the Orangerie were finished. By the year 1725, the palace-and-garden ensemble of Petrodvorets already comprised two parks – Upper and Lower, five stone buildings, more than twenty wooden galleries and pavilions, three cascades, sixteen fountains, ten large water reservoirs and innumerable statues of gold-plated bronze and marble. It is interesting to note that the ideas for the ensemble and its composition belonged to Peter I. There are records of preserved written orders, notes and drafts which indicate that Peter the Great gave specific suggestions about Petrodvorets’ appearance and decoration, explaining in detail what he wanted to see. Popular architects, among whom are Brounstein, Leblont, Zamtsov, Eropkin and Miketthi, and reputable sculptors did their best and worked on the emperor’s ideas. In 1733-1740, after a period of stagnation, the construction was renewed again under the supervision of the sculptor Bartolomeo Rastrelli whose work gave final touches to Petrodvorets, the magnificence of which has preserved its shine to the present day.

Petrodvorets suffered significant damages during the siege of St Petersburg (1941-1944), when the Germans invaded Russia. Almost all of the architectural monuments were destroyed, with the Lower Park and the Cascade being most damaged. Thanks to talented architects, the work on restoration was successful and the park revived. 

Let’s focus our attention on the park design. The territory of Petrodvorets can be divided into four major sections: the Upper Park, the Grand Palace with the Grand Cascade, the Monplaisir Palace and the Marly Palace. Each of these sections has an individual architectural design and artistic formation.

The Upper Park serves as a main entrance to the Grand Palace. Its central part is taken by a broad parterre, which commands a fascinating view of the palace’s façade. The parterre is flanked on both sides by rows of trees behind which are symmetrically located boscages. It is also decorated with statues by Venice sculptors from the 18th century. The main axis of the Upper Park composition is delineated by three fountains: the Neptune Fountain in the center and two round fountains at the ends. Two square pools are built on both sides of the palace. Actually, the palace serves not only as the focal point of the whole ensemble but also as the link between the Upper and Lower Parks.

In front of the Grand Palace and in the Lower Park is located the Grand Cascade [pictured on the left] which apart from its decorative purpose, plays the important role of a supporting wall that “holds” the palace from sliding down the slope. With its architectural motifs and gilt decoration, the Grand Cascade presents the best of Russian Baroque. The central part of the Grand Cascade comprises five massive arches, with seven-stair-cascades on both sides. Gold-plated statues of sirens and naiads, continuously poured with water from the fountains, are used for decoration. The water from the cascade goes to the large basin which contains one of the most significant sculptures of the 18th century – the Samson Fountain (also called “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Mouth” because of what it features), which you can see to the right. The Grand Cascade is connected with the Samson canal, adorned by other smaller fountains on both sides, and through the canal it reaches the Finnish Gulf. The Samson canal was itself built in 1721 and allowed small vessels to reach the palace. The construction of such a large-scale work as the Grand Cascade required a lot of qualified workers. It is known that it took Makarov, the supervisor of the project, one year and 56 assistant-workers to complete the Cascade only. 

Double alleys lead us to the Monplaisir Palace and the Hermitage Pavilion. Several water installations nearby the Hermitage Pavilion catch the eye: the tree-fountain (artificial bronze tree the branches of which spurt water), the sun-fountain (its sun rays being formed by water jets) and the joke-fountains which surprise the visitors by sprinkling them with water. On the western part of the park is located the Marly Palace, built after a French model of a royal residence.

Petrodvorets is undoubtedly one of greatest achievements in the art of gardening. With its 140+ fountains, it has gained a world-famous reputation of being the “city of fountains.”