Peterhof is the most popular of all the suburbs of St. Petersburg. The palace and park ensemble is recognized as the highest achievement of Russian culture and is an example of a synthesis of architecture, sculpture, engineering. A unique fountain complex located in the Upper and Lower Gardens has long been recognized as a real wonder of the world. A unique system with ponds was built to supply it with water.
Each fountain has its own history and destiny. Today we will talk about a composition called "Neptune", which was updated and presented to the audience in April 2016.
Upper park
Covering an area of approximately 15 hectares, Upper Park is known for small picturesque gardens, arched alleys, colorful flower beds, but the main role, of course, is given to fountains with sculptural compositions. Around each of them are symmetrical green lawns with trimmed plants.
Peterhof Landmark
Located in the Upper Park, the Neptune Fountain, numbering about forty large figures, is set in the middle of a pool filled with water. This is the most significant and large-scale creation, which is the main attraction of Peterhof.
Initially, in 1736 the lead composition “Cart of Neptunov” was installed. The main sculpture was supplemented by proud horsemen on mythical horses, figures of women with oars and dolphins, and in the center was a gilded ball cast from copper, lifted by silver streams of water.
Fountain built by German craftsmen
After 61 years, the composition was dismantled due to frequent restorations, and instead a bronze fountain "Neptune" was installed, more than a hundred years waiting for its turn in Germany.
The fact is that back in 1660, German sculptors were engaged in the creation of a fountain, which was to become a symbol of the end of 30 years of war and the Westphalian peace. However, as it turned out, in the city of Nuremberg, this system cannot function due to insufficient water supply. And local authorities called it "an inappropriately expensive monument."
Emperor Buying a Song
The future Emperor Paul I, traveling incognito, saw a cascade and fell in love with it. And after his coronation, he returned to Germany, where the Neptune fountain was disassembled in a warehouse, and bought for a lot of money in order to install it in his residence in the future.
However, in Gatchina there was not enough water to support its life, and therefore it was decided to establish a cascade in Peterhof in place of the dismantled composition.
Since 1799, the magnificent sculpture, which turned out to be the oldest among all complexes, delights the eyes of visitors to the Upper Park.
Neptune Fountain in Peterhof: Description
The composition of the monument in the Baroque style includes more than 30 figures. The Neptune trident clutching in his hand is surrounded by racing riders, gentle nymphs and newt boys blowing into shells.
His figure stands on a high granite pedestal, decorated with images of dolphins, oak leaves, flowers. The ancient Roman god of the sea is surrounded by 26 upward jets of water and it seems that he controls the elements.
The pedestal is located on a large platform, supplemented by sculptures of riders galloping on winged horses, and in a huge pond there are figures of eight dolphins.
A remarkable fact, but the inhabitants of the German city could not come to terms with the loss of the fountain, and at the beginning of the 20th century an exact copy of a work of art was established.
Dismantling during the war
During the Great Patriotic War, the Neptune fountain was dismantled and taken as a trophy by the Nazis to Germany. But in 1947, the stolen masterpiece stored in the bunker was returned in 12 boxes, though without the figures of the horseman and Apollo, which were re-cast by our craftsmen from the remaining casts from plaster, and after 9 years the cascade again rose to its old place.
First restoration
The tests that fell to the share of the fountain were not reflected in the best way on its appearance: ugly cracks and chips appeared. In 2015, the Neptune Fountain in Peterhof, the photo of which is presented in the article, was closed for the first restoration in many years. The pond and its bowl, lined with natural stones, were cleaned, the design of the bottom of the reservoir was recreated, the pipeline, steps and marble slabs of the fountain were replaced.
All cracks disappeared, deformations were eliminated, and master restorers restored lost images from the documents of double-headed eagles preserved in archives, as well as small details on the sculptures surrounding Neptune.
Updated composition
On April 5, 2016, the restored complex was reinstalled. By the new season, the renewed Neptune Fountain in Peterhof pleased everyone who came to enjoy the views of the palace complex, and on May 21, he took part in the traditional cascade festival.
This is one of the most exquisite and magnificent compositions known to the whole world.