The Summer Garden in St. Petersburg is the only Russian park that is part of the European Garden Heritage Association, and the oldest of all city parks. The history of the garden is closely connected with the construction of the Northern capital. He is practically her peer. The park appeared in 1704 and is a vivid representative of the Dutch Baroque style. It is located between the Swan groove, the rivers Fontanka and the Moika, the Neva.
History
The Summer Garden is the real and most beloved creation of Peter I. The Tsar wanted to create a park in the Western European style for himself and participated in the planning of the territory.
The best architects and gardeners of that time were involved in the project. These were Rastrelli F., Schlüter A., Trezzini D., Schroeder K. and others. A few years after the opening of the garden, it became a real cultural and official place where celebrations and various ceremonies were held. Peter I delved into all the little things while the park was being built.
Planning decisions
The summer garden in St. Petersburg has a fairly simple layout. Three avenues go from the Neva River, which intersect several perpendicular paths. The Fontanka and Neva rivers are the natural boundaries of the park area. Swan groove and channel, it is fenced from the southern and western parts.
The first Summer Garden is the northern part of the park, which adjoins the palace. Here is the ceremonial decoration. In the southern part of the garden there were orchards and farm buildings. In those days, this part was called the Second Garden. Both zones were separated by the Cross Channel.
Shrubs were planted along all the alleys, which were carefully trimmed and called trellises. Four bosquets fenced with trellises were allocated. In the bosquet “Menagerie Pond” there was an oval-shaped pond, in the middle of which was an islet with a gazebo.
The “Bird’s yard” bosquet had a dovecote and small houses for birds.
The “Cross Gulbysche” bosquet was created as a complex interweaving of curving roads, with tunnels of vegetation. In the middle was a sculptural fountain.
The “French Parterre” bosquet is the most elegant area where a gilded sculpture flaunted, surrounded by flower beds and cascades of vegetation.
All the alleys located in the First Summer Garden were decorated with sculptures and busts of marble, which were specially brought from Italy. And in places where the alleys intersected, fountains were installed.
The first garden building in Russia is the Grotto in a park on the banks of the Fontanka River. Inside the Grotto was laid out with tuff and shells. Lanterns and mirrors were installed in the niches, in which the Triton fountain was reflected. It seemed that this is the mysterious kingdom of the God of the Sea.
On an artificial mountain of shells and stones towered the chariot of Neptune with gilding. There was a labyrinth in the garden, the paths of which were decorated with lead sculptures.
There were many buildings in the park. In the corner, in the northeast, there was the Summer Palace of the sovereign, and in the northwest - the Second Summer Palace, connecting to the gallery, where there were paintings by artists from Europe. The gallery and the Second Palace have not survived to this day.
After Peter I
There were galleries on the banks of the Neva River where dinner parties and ceremonies were held. In 1730, at this place, Rastrelli erected a wooden palace for the Empress Anna Ioannovna.
Elizaveta Petrovna also loved the Summer Garden. By this time, the trees had grown, the fountains were working properly. The flower beds with flowers were again broken. The construction of the park zone has already been moved beyond the Moika River. In 1740, according to the project of Rastrelli, a palace was built for Elizabeth.
XVIII century and later
It was during this century that the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg flourished. After that, the whole world and Russia became interested in landscape parks, and the regular style in the landscape was considered obsolete.
The park was badly damaged in 1777 when the largest flood occurred. Not only vegetation was damaged, but also sculptures and fountains. By the beginning of the 19th century, there were practically no sculptures in the garden, and only the Summer Palace of Peter I and the Grotto, which had become very dilapidated, remained from architecture.
In the 19th century, the Summer Garden became accessible to all, but still only to a “well-dressed public”.
Nicholas I carries out reconstruction activities, in 1826 the Grotto was completely rebuilt as a coffee house. A year later, a Tea House is being erected near it. A fence of cast iron appears from the side of the Moika River.
In 1839, a porphyry vase was installed near the gate in the south of the park. This is a gift to the Emperor from King Charles-Johann XIV. And in 1855, a monument to I. Krylov appeared in the garden
Fence
The history of the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg is impossible to imagine without a fence. Catherine II nevertheless decorates the park with a fence, the architect of which was Felten Yu. It began to be erected in 1770 and completed only 16 years later. There are many drawings left, and it is clear that the fence project has been revised several times.
Fencing links and gates were forged at the Tula plant, and the base, columns and vases were made of red granite, which was mined at the Vyborg field. A strict view of the fence was decorated with bronze and gilded decorations.
The total length of the structure is 232 meters. The fence has 36 fortification posts. At the time of the construction of the fence, the garden had three gates.
By the way, it was near this fence in 1866 that there was an attack on Emperor Alexander II. In memory of this tragic event, a chapel was erected near the central gate, which was dismantled in 1930.
The period after the revolution
The first plans for the reconstruction of the garden appeared in 1917, they wanted to remake it into an ordinary public park, where people of any social class could come. However, there was not enough money, and everything remained as it was.
In 1924, during the next flood, the park again suffered greatly, about 600 trees perished. A further description of the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg, or rather its history, can be continued by the stage when restoration work began, but they started only 10 years after the flood. At first they tried to find the central gate, but this does not work, so they make new links and close the gap. Small gates are biased closer to the center for symmetry.
During the Second World War, when the city was under siege, anti-aircraft artillery was placed in the garden. And the military are settling in the Coffee House, now it's a barracks. The tea house serves as an ammunition depot. All preserved sculptures are hidden in the ground. During the blockade, shells repeatedly fell into the park. In 1942, all flowers are given to schoolchildren for home breeding. For this reason, one of the alleys is called "School."
After the victory over German troops, the garden is restored, people come here to rest, and swans again settle in the pond. In the evenings and on holidays in the park, brass bands play and exhibitions of paintings are held.
In the 1970s, the garden suffered greatly from vandals, a huge number of sculptures are stolen or simply dismantled. Since 1984, all surviving sculptures are replaced with copies. The Tea and Coffee houses are being restored in the same year.
Summer Palace: Description
The summer garden in St. Petersburg is famous for its palace, although the decoration of this house cannot "boast" of splendor. This is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The original plan of the building was made by the sovereign himself.
The palace was erected in the Baroque style on two floors, the layout of which is absolutely identical. The house has only 14 rooms. On the first floor were the chambers of Peter I, the second floor was for his wife.
The royal family lived in the palace only in the warm season, from May to October. Therefore, the windows in the house are of one glass, and the walls are thin.
The facade has bas-reliefs based on the events of the Northern War. There are 28 of them. The roof is crowned with a copper weather vane with the image of St. George the Victorious, who is fighting a snake. Inside the house there is a wind mechanism that moves the weather vane.
Later, the office was located in the building. Today it is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Museum, and you can go here and see how the emperor lived.
Monument to I. Krylov
There is only one monument in the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg - I.A. Krylov. It was erected in 1855.
The sculptor was P.K. Klodt. The monument itself is on a pedestal 3.5 meters high. The very statue of the fabulist presents the figure of a writer who sits in a relaxed and laid-back pose. In the hands of Krylov book.
The relief of the monument is decorated with animal figures from the fables of the writer. They thought for a long time where to erect the monument, but Klodt decided: let him be in the garden, surrounded by walking children, and not in the cemetery.
Sculptural decoration
But not only a monument Summer Garden in St. Petersburg is famous. The modern park has 92 marble sculptures, of which:
- statues - 38;
- 1 herma;
- busts - 48;
- sculptural groups - 5.
For several centuries, while the park existed, it was supplemented by sculptural sculptures from various materials.
In 1977, during archaeological excavations in the backyard, they found the Bacchus herm, the original of which is still standing in the garden to this day. As part of the reconstruction of the park area, all the original sculptures were transferred to Mikhailovsky Castle, and marble copies were installed in their place. Only one original composition of sculptures remained under the name “Allegory of the Nishtadt Peace”.
Fountains
Despite conflicting opinions in society, 8 fountains were restored in the park. They were under Peter I. Later, when the fashion for regular gardens was gone, Catherine II even ordered them to be dismantled. Therefore, specialists involved in the reconstruction of the park defended themselves and said that this was not a “remake”, but only a reconstruction of the garden in the form in which it was at the time of its foundation.
During the reign of Peter I, the fountains worked on horse drawn traction, but it was not possible to achieve the necessary pressure. Therefore, in 1719-1720, another channel was dug through the Fontanka River, the water from which was supplied to the water-lifting wheels.
Park plants
Many photos of the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg depict an oak tree, which is 300 years old, he still remembers Peter I. The plant managed to survive the flood. In the garden there are old linden trees, which are about 215 years old, although most of the park is represented by oaks. It was the sovereign's idea; he planted these very trees for the needs of future generations.
During the period of the last reconstruction, large-scale work on the inspection of green spaces was carried out. It turned out that most of the trees have already reached their critical age. As a result, 94 of them were cut down and planted new plants.
In addition to preserving the old plantations, 13 thousand trellis lindens appeared in the garden. They were brought from a German nursery and now share bosquets.
The Red Garden, that is, the Pharmaceutical Garden, was also restored. Peter I loved when fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits were served, especially those grown near the house. An interesting fact is that it was in this garden that the first potato was grown in Russia, which the sovereign ordered from the Netherlands. Naturally, today the garden performs a demonstration function and was created more to the delight of the crows, which flock to it with the closure of the park, and then bathe in the fountain.
Mode of operation
The summer garden in St. Petersburg during the warm season (May - September) is open from 10 am to 20 pm. The rest of the year - from 10:00 to 20:00. In April, from the 1st to the 30th, the park is completely closed for drainage works. The day off is Tuesday.
You can get to the Museum of History in the Dovecote Pavilion from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exposition is open every day except Tuesday. According to the same schedule, the pavilion of the musical fountain “Lacosta” works.
Tea and Coffee House, a small greenhouse are open according to the schedule of the garden.
How to get there
The Summer Garden is located at 2 Kutuzova Embankment, within walking distance from four metro stations: Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor, Gorkovskaya and Chernyshevskaya. Walk to the park will take about 15 minutes.
There are many attractions in the area, so you won’t get lost. Nearby is the Engineering Castle, the Russian Museum and the Savior on Spilled Blood.
You can also get to the garden by buses plying the routes No. K212, 49, K76, 46 and by tram No. 3.
You can enter the park from the side of the embankment of the Neva River and the embankment on the Moika. Most of the sculptures and fountains near the embankment on the Neva.