Peterhof Palace facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Official name | Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi) |
| Inscription | 1990 (14th Session) |
| Area | 3,934.1 ha |
The Peterhof Palace is a stunning collection of palaces and gardens in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Its name, Peterhof, comes from an old Dutch phrase meaning "Pieter's Court."
Peter the Great, a famous Russian ruler, ordered its creation in 1709. He wanted it to be a grand country home. After visiting the amazing Palace of Versailles in France in 1717, he decided to make Peterhof even bigger and more impressive. Because of this, Peterhof is often called "The Russian Versailles."
The main architect for Peterhof between 1714 and 1728 was Domenico Trezzini. His building style helped create what is known as the Petrine Baroque style, which became popular in Saint Petersburg. The gardens were designed by Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond in 1714. He had worked with André Le Nôtre, who designed the gardens at Versailles. Later, from 1747 to 1756, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli expanded the palace for Elizabeth of Russia.
Today, the Peterhof palace and gardens, along with the city center of Saint Petersburg, are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Contents
Building Peterhof Palace
After the Great Northern War ended in 1721, Russia gained control of much of the Baltic Sea coast from Sweden. Peter the Great had already started building his new capital, Saint Petersburg, in 1703. This new city was in a great spot, giving Russia access to the Baltic Sea through the Neva River. The nearby Kotlin Island and its fortress, Kronstadt, also helped protect the city and its harbor.
Throughout the early 1700s, Peter the Great built and expanded the Peterhof Palace complex. This was part of his big plan to make Russia more modern and like Western European countries.
Monplaisir Palace: Peter's Retreat
In 1714, Peter the Great started building the Monplaisir Palace. Its name means "my delight" in French. Peter himself drew sketches for its design, choosing its location and even some of its decorations. This palace was built in a Dutch style. It was Peter's summer getaway, a place he used when traveling to and from Europe through the Kronstadt harbor.
Inside Monplaisir, Peter had hundreds of paintings he brought from Europe. He even had a special Maritime Study room. From this room, he could see Kronstadt Island on one side and Saint Petersburg on the other. Later, he decided to build an even larger royal estate with more palaces and gardens. This bigger project, inspired by Versailles, became the Peterhof Palace we know today.
Peterhof's Amazing Layout
Peterhof is built on a 16-meter-high cliff, very close to the sea. The Lower Gardens, which cover most of Peterhof's land, are located between this cliff and the shore. They stretch for about 200 meters from east to west. Most of Peterhof's famous fountains are found here, along with several smaller palaces. To the east of the Lower Gardens is Alexandria Park, which has 19th-century Gothic Revival buildings.
On top of the cliff, right in the middle of the Lower Gardens, stands the Grand Palace. Behind it, to the south, are the smaller Upper Gardens. Below the palace, on the face of the cliff, is the Grand Cascade. This cascade and the Grand Palace are the most important parts of the entire complex. At the bottom of the Grand Cascade, the Sea Channel begins. This channel, a huge water system from the Baroque period, cuts through the Lower Gardens.
The Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain
The Grand Cascade was inspired by a similar one built for Louis XIV of France at his Château de Marly. At the center of the cascade is a man-made cave called a grotto. It has two levels and is made of brown stone. Today, it holds a small museum about the history of the fountains.
The Grand Cascade has 64 fountains. Their water flows into a half-circle pool at the end of the Sea Channel. In the 1730s, the large Samson Fountain was placed in this pool. It shows the hero Samson opening the mouth of a lion. This represents Russia's victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War. The lion was a symbol on Sweden's coat of arms. Also, a big victory in the war happened on St Sampson's Day.
From the lion's mouth, a powerful jet of water shoots 20 meters high! This is the tallest fountain in all of Peterhof. The original statue was taken by German troops during World War II. A copy of the statue was put in its place in 1947.
One of the most amazing things about Peterhof is that all the fountains work without any pumps. Water comes from natural springs and collects in pools in the Upper Gardens. The difference in height creates the pressure needed to make most of the fountains in the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade, spray water.
The Lower Gardens
The Lower Gardens are designed in the formal style of 17th-century French formal gardens. Many trees have grown very tall, but recently, the paths have been trimmed to look like the original design. The many fountains here are very creative and unique.
The same cliff that holds the Grand Cascade also has two other different cascades. To the west of the Grand Palace is the Golden Mountain. It has marble statues, which are different from the golden figures of the Grand Cascade. To the east is the Chess Mountain. This is a wide slide with black and white tiles, like a chessboard. Two other important fountains in Peterhof are named 'Adam' and 'Eve'.
The Grand Palace
The Grand Palace is the largest building at Peterhof. It looks very grand from the gardens, but it's actually quite narrow inside.
The Chesma Hall is decorated with twelve large paintings. These paintings show the Battle of Chesma, a great naval victory for Russia during the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774. A German artist named Jacob Philipp Hackert painted them between 1771 and 1773.
The East and West Chinese Cabinets were decorated from 1766 to 1769. They were made to show off beautiful art from the East. Russian artists decorated the walls with patterns that looked like Oriental designs. They also hung Chinese landscape paintings in yellow and black lacquer. Another room in the middle of the palace is called the Picture Hall.
Other Important Buildings
The Grand Palace isn't the only historic royal building at Peterhof. The palaces of Monplaisir and Marli, along with the building called the 'Hermitage', were all built when Peterhof was first created during the rule of Peter the Great.
Peterhof's History
Early Years: 1705–1755
In the early 1700s, Peterhof looked different than it does today. Many fountains had not been built yet. The entire Alexandrine Park and Upper Gardens didn't exist. What is now the Upper Gardens was used to grow vegetables. Its ponds, which only had three at the time, were used for fish. The Samson Fountain was not yet in the Sea Channel. The channel itself was used as a grand entrance for boats coming into the complex.
A very important change was making the Grand Palace the main and most important building. The Grand Palace was first called 'Upper' and was not much bigger than other buildings. Wings were added between 1745 and 1755. This was one of many projects ordered by Elizabeth of Russia from the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The Grand Cascade also had fewer decorations when it was first built.
World War II and Restoration
Peterhof, like other famous palaces, was captured by German troops in 1941. It was held until 1944. Before the German army arrived, workers tried to save as many treasures as they could. They managed to save some, but many fountain sculptures, especially the largest ones, remained in place.
On September 23, 1941, German troops took Peterhof. A few weeks later, on October 5, 1941, Soviet troops tried to take the town back. They landed on the beach of the nearby Alexandria Park. However, they faced heavy German fire. The operation did not succeed, and the landing troops were surrounded. Some fought bravely in the Lower Gardens until the end.
The German army caused a lot of damage to Peterhof. Many fountains were destroyed, and the palace was partly blown up and burned. Restoration work began almost right after the war ended. This work continues even today. The Lower Park was reopened to visitors in 1945.
In 1944, the name of Peterhof was changed to "Petrodvorets," meaning "Peter's Palace." This was due to strong feelings against Germany during the war. However, the original name, Peterhof, was brought back in 1997 by the Russian government.
Peterhof was built to celebrate Russia's access to the Baltic Sea. It showed Russia's growing power and its connection to the sea.
Gallery
-
Poseidon and the palace church dome
-
The 20-meter-high vertical jet of water from the lion's mouth of the Samson Fountain
-
Church of the Grand Palace
-
The Upper Gardens of Peterhof
-
View of the Grand Cascade
-
The Hermitage Pavilion in the Lower Gardens
-
The Grand Throne Room
-
Aviary Pavilion
-
Olgin Pavilion
-
Tsarina's Pavilion
See also
In Spanish: Palacio Peterhof para niños
- List of Baroque residences
- Medici lions; the inspiration for the palace's Lion Cascade
- Peter the Great Statue
- Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
- List of World Heritage Sites in Russia
- Seven Wonders of Russia
