One of the most popular tourist cities is Peterhof, located 29 kilometers west of St. Petersburg. A large number of monuments of architecture and history, museums, fountains, palaces from the time of Tsarist Russia are concentrated in this place. Tourists from all over the world come to admire the local beauty.
For example, Alexandria Park is one of the main attractions and a favorite place for visiting guests.
History of creation
There is a park in the northern part of the city, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The territory occupies about 115 hectares of terrain with picturesque landscapes.
Alexandria Park in Peterhof began its history in the 18th century, it was then that Emperor Peter 1 ordered to give these lands to cottages. Over time, this territory becomes the property of Anna Ioannovna, who decides to equip here a wonderful place for hunting.
To do this, an area of almost 6 square kilometers is fenced with a special fence and begin to build houses for guests. On the shore of the bay was erected a gazebo "Tempel" - the queen's favorite place. This building is a place often visited by tourists who came on an excursion to Alexandria Park. The menagerie in Peterhof (the so-called hunting grounds) represented a wide variety of animals - wild boars, hares, deer, wolves, bears, arctic foxes, and even there were tigers.
In the seventies in Tsarskoye Selo they decided to build a summer imperial summer house for relaxation. Already in the 19th century, Nicholas 1 presented these lands as a gift to his wife Alexandra Fedorovna.
Alexandria Park is considered a monument not only of architecture, but also of history, because it was here that four generations of the Romanov family lived.
Basically, the buildings in it are presented in the Neo-Gothic style. They were created by famous architects: the Scotsman A. Menelas, the Russian A.I. Shtakenschneider and the German K.F.Schinkel. During its existence, the park has undergone many changes, especially during the Second World War.
Nowadays, it is one of the national attractions of the region, representing a palace and park ensemble. It is also a great place for walking and relaxing with your family or friends.
Beauty Description
In addition to a wide variety of monuments located on the territory, Alexandria Park boasts its meadows, hills, glades. Majestic oaks, slender beauties of birch grow in the square. There are also rare species of trees and shrubs imported from exotic countries. Due to the successful combination of terrain and green spaces, the landscape of the park is simply incomparable. Also, the whole territory is decorated with small sculptures, arbors and guards.
One of the main attractions is the Nikolskaya Alley, which begins at the western gate in a stone wall and passes a straight line through the entire Alexandria Park - to the Big Pond. She divided the area into the northern coastal and southern upland.
Stately buildings
The Cottage Palace is also very popular among guests, it is he who is the main part of the park's architecture. Its balconies offer beautiful views of the Gulf of Finland. It was here that Nikolai 1 spent his summer vacation.
The building was built in neo-Gothic style. Around the house there is a large and beautiful garden planted with a gazebo and sculptures.
The Capella, which is a church built in 1834, attracts special attention. It is named after the great Alexander Nevsky. The building is not very large, on its facade you can count forty-three holy images.
Despite the construction style (medieval, Gothic), the Orthodox Church has been conducting its services here since 2006, and until that time there was a museum.
The history of one palace
Not far from the western entrance, on a hill, is the Farm Palace. His story is very interesting. Initially, a cowshed with a dairy farm was built in this place. Subsequently, minor changes, which were constantly introduced by architects, led to the fact that the simple pavilion became a palace.
Over time, this place became a favorite for summer summer vacation of the family of Alexander II. Near the palace was equipped with a playground for games.
The building also has historical value - it was here that the draft decree on the abolition of serfdom was considered. In addition, during the construction of the building, a technical breakthrough was made - the first elevator was installed, although it worked manually.
Throughout its history, the palace has seen a lot: children and grandchildren of emperors, a museum on its territory, a boarding house, destruction during the war.
In our time, a complete restoration of the building began, but all the efforts were destroyed by a fire that occurred due to the fault of workers. In this regard, everything was started all over again. So, in 2010, the Farm Palace, completely renovated, opened its doors to guests.
Famous buildings
The last in the list of major attractions of the park is the Lower Dacha of Nicholas II, which is located in a picturesque coastal location. Here the signing of a historical document took place - a manifesto on Russia's entry into the First World War.
During the revolution, this building received the most damage, therefore, for the safety of tourists, the remains of the building were blown up. In our time, restoration work has not begun.
Also on the territory of the park is the Big Ruin Stone Bridge. Its name is associated with the nearby ruins of the Moncuraj Palace - it was not completed by A.D. Menshikov at one time .
How to get there
Having decided to admire the sights of his native land, before setting off on a trip, it is worthwhile to find out how to get to the Alexandria Park from St. Petersburg. The easiest route for tourists is by car: just enter the address in the navigator and follow the paved path.
By train: from the Baltic Station, get to the New Peterhof stop. Then, at your request, walk a little over a kilometer on foot or use the local bus number 200A or 278 to the Museum stop.
It will be very successful to take minibuses that go along the St. Petersburg highway and stop opposite the entrance to the square. You can get from the metro stations "Avtovo", "Leninsky Prospekt" and the Baltic Railway Station.
Before you go on a tour, you need to ask when the Alexandria Park opens for visiting. The operating hours of the Upper and Lower Observation Decks are daily from 9.00 to 20.00, and on Saturday - until 23.00. The park accepts its guests all year round.
Guest Impressions
Visiting tourists, locals who visited the Alexandria Park, leave very positive reviews. Huge well-groomed territory, beautiful landscapes, a lot of greenery: trees, shrubs and flower beds; unique palaces, sculptures installed on the territory, bridges, fountains.
The only thing that upsets the visiting guests is the high prices for the admission ticket, but despite this, the number of people who want to get to know more closely the historical and cultural heritage of their native land is very large.