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Peterhof is perhaps St. Petersburg's most famous and spectacular Imperial estate. Nestled on the shore of the Gulf of Finland (part of the Baltic Sea), the palace was built by Peter the Great initially as a resting place en route to the Imperial naval base at Kronshtadt. But the Tzar was quick to recognize the attractiveness of the area and masterminded a vast estate intended to rival the famous gardens of Versailles.
The Grand Palace, filled with fascinating and elaborate interiors, sits on top of a high seashore ridge overlooking the vast Lower Park. The original palace was built between 1714 and 1725 by the architects Braunstein, Zemtsov and Leblond. Later that century the palace was extended to its present size and redesigned by the court architect Francesco Bartholomeo Rastrelli, the creator of the Winter Palace, the Catherine Palace, Smolny Cathedral and many more of St. Petersburg's major landmarks. The original Baroque decor was preserved in some of the rooms, while others were redesigned throughout the 18th and early 19th century. During WWII the palace was seriously damaged but most of the rooms have now been restored to their former glory.
The palace at Peterhof sits amidst an enormous park, adorned with fountains, statues and pavilions. The Upper Garden, located between the St. Petersburg highway and the Grand Palace, is a typical French-style formal garden with five fountains including one depicting Neptune, the God of the Sea. The estate's Lower Park lies between the Grand Palace and the seashore and boasts the world's largest system of fountains, earning it the title the "Russian Versaille". The park's unique fountain system was designed in the 18th century by the engineer V. Tuvolkov, and doesn't require the use of any pumps to operate the fountains. There are three major cascades and over 120 fountains in the park. The most impressive is the Grand Cascade, located directly below the Grand Palace and featuring an impressive golden statue of Samson grasping the mighty jaws of the lion. The park's other cascades feature black and white chess board designs, Chinese dragons and numerous other features, as well as several joke fountains which are guaranteed to delight your children!
The park features numerous pavilions and small palaces, amongst which is Peter the Great's favorite, Monplaisir. Built by the architects Braunstein, Leblond and Zemtsov between 1714 and 1725, Montplaisir sits right on the sea shore and provided the perfect vantage point for Peter to spend hours watching the ships sail by. Among the park's other pavilions are the Hermitage, designed and built specifically for holding Imperial dinner parties, and the two-story residential Marly Palace, built in 1723 by the architect Braunstein. Away from the luxury of the Lower Garden in the overgrown Alexandria Park stands the modest English-style Cottage Palace, built in 1829 by the architect Adam Menelas.
Between 1944 and the early 1990s the town and the Imperial estate were known under the name Petrodvorets, which can still be found in some older guide books. So don't be confused by the two names!
How to get there?
- take a local commuter train from the Baltic Railway Station to the Novy Petergof station (approximate journey time - 40 minutes), and then take buses #348, 350, 351, 352, 356 or mini-bus "marshrutka" to Verkhny Park (Upper Garden)
- take a yellow double-decker bus from outside the Baltic Railway Station (metro: Baltiyskaya) to Verkhny Park (Upper Garden) in Peterhof
Telephone: +7 (812) 420-0073
The Grand Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 5:30 pm
Closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month
The Lower Park is open daily 9 am to 8 pm, weekends till 9 pm
Fountains operate from the last week of May to the first week of October, 11 am to 5 pm, weekends till 6 pm
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