Peterhof was formerly the residence of the Russian tsars. It is rightfully considered the largest gem in a wide variety of historical monuments of architecture and park art of St. Petersburg. This ensemble is beautiful not only in spring and summer, but also at any time of the year. I must say that tourists here are entertained not only with walks in beautiful places and magnificent palaces, but they also organize multimedia shows with various pyrotechnic effects and elements of laser animation, festivals, exhibitions, etc.
general description
Peterhof in St. Petersburg is a museum reserve located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. It includes palace and park ensembles, built over almost two centuries. In the XVIII century, the Lower and English parks, as well as the Upper Garden were laid and developed. Ensembles of the 19th century include Lugovoi, Kolonistsky and Aleksandrovsky parks, the dacha of Alexander II and Sergievka. But the central place in all this composition is still occupied by the Lower Park with its unique beauty of fountains. And together with the Upper Garden, it forms the oldest part of the entire ensemble.
Its distinctive feature is that it is located in close proximity to the sea. Nine parks are part of the Peterhof Museum Reserve. Map of seaside parks shows that four of them border the Gulf of Finland - this is Nizhny, Sobstvennaya dacha, Sergievka and Alexandria.
History of occurrence
The place where Petrodvorets is now located, aka Peterhof, was first mentioned in 1705 in the travel log of Peter I. And after 9 years, the tsar was thinking about building his country residence here. In all respects, it was in no way inferior to the French Versailles.
Peterhof can rightfully be called the brainchild of Peter the Great. To our time, his drawings and drawings with notes made by the hand of the king himself have been preserved. Construction work was in progress, and by the end of the summer of 1723, Petrodvorets was inaugurated.
Old Peterhof
This is the name of the western part of the city, which is known all over the world thanks to the ancient majestic palace and park ensemble. According to the time of the formation of peasant settlements here, Peterhof is conditionally divided into New and Old. The first buildings began to appear on the site of the current buildings. It is believed that Old Peterhof arose much earlier, even before the construction of the Grand Palace with its parks and fountains.
Along with the laying of the city of St. Petersburg, Tsar Peter I began the construction of the Kronstadt fortress. And as you know, you can get there only through the waters of the Gulf of Finland. Since the sea was far from always calm, getting there was unsafe. That is why in the area of Old Peterhof, the king ordered the construction of a small pier, from where the ship with him went to the island of Kotlin. This crossing option was considered less dangerous.
Also, almost near the marina, small luminaries were erected for Peter I and his courtiers and a small church of the Annunciation. Unfortunately, these buildings have not been preserved. Later, in 1776, a new church appeared on the site of the old church - the Signs of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its architect was Felten. Then, the headquarters building and barracks of the Horse Grenadier Regiment were rebuilt next to it.
Initially, houses were built for the builders of the Tsar’s residence, but then they changed their minds and decided to move the ensemble to the east. Therefore, in 1710 a second settlement arose, which was the beginning of the construction of New Peterhof.
Grand Palace
This is the most significant and largest building of the entire palace and park ensemble. It is located on the border of the Lower Park and the Upper Garden. The palace itself was erected on a ledge, whose height is 16 m. It is clearly visible from the sea. In addition, it is located above all cascades and fountains.
The length of the Grand Palace along the facade is about 300 m. By its appearance, you can immediately understand that the building was built in two stages: first, the middle part of the building with a balcony, preserved from the Petrine era, and then the side buildings, outbuildings and figured roof (were already built in the middle of the XVIII century). The interiors of the palace are decorated in three main styles of the time. Here, in a bizarre manner, classicism, baroque and rococo were combined.
It must be said that during the Great Patriotic War, by order of the German command, the Grand Palace was blown up, and it was only begun to be restored in 1951. By the way, restoration work is carried out to this day.
Marley Palace
It is located at the westernmost border of the Lower Park. The palace is a square two-story building, over the entrance to which there are balconies with gilded wrought-iron bars. A somewhat rustic-looking, but nevertheless rather graceful silhouette of the building is reflected in the mirror waters of the ponds. Three alleys, running through the entire park, depart from it in the form of rays.
The interior design of the palace is very modest. It stood in its original form almost until the end of the 19th century, until cracks were found in its walls. Then the architect Semenov made an interesting proposal, which he subsequently brought to life: he completely dismantled the building of the Marley Palace and assembled it again with a precision that astounded everyone, but already on a concrete foundation. During the Great Patriotic War, the building was largely damaged. Its full restoration was completed only in 1982.
Peterhof Fountains
Even during the life of Peter I, many fountains were designed. They are cascading structures that are known in many countries of the world. On the territory of Peterhof there are 4 cascades and 173 fountains. The most popular is Samson Tearing the Lion's Jaws.
A distinctive feature of these fountains is that pumps are not provided in their device. Engineer V. Tuvolkov managed to create a truly unique system that supplies water to all the fountains of Peterhof. The fact is that 22 km from the garden and park ensemble Ropshinsky keys are beaten from under the ground, and water from them flows by gravity into a special conduit leading to locks and pools, and then directly to the fountains. This was made possible thanks to the natural elevations characteristic of this area.
Grand Cascade
This is one of the largest fountain structures in the world, and from the very beginning it was conceived as a decoration of the main entrance of the Grand Palace. It is a wonderful combination of fast flowing water and stillness of sculptures.
The large cascade consists of 64 fountains and 255 bas-reliefs and sculptures. All this composition is combined into one artistic design, designed to show the greatness and power of the Russian state. Its construction began in 1716, and in 1723 it was already put into operation. Sketches for him were created by Peter I.
Parks
Peterhof is famous not only for its famous palaces and fountains, but also for its numerous parks. Walking slowly, you may not even notice that one smoothly passes into another. Some of them are not quite like traditional parks. They are more reminiscent of the forest in which the alleys are laid. Parks of this type are called landscape.
The first of them appeared during the reign of Catherine II. He was called English, as his organization was engaged in the Englishman James Meders. The center chose a beautiful pond that appeared under Peter I in 1720.
Alexandria Park is considered the largest not only in Peterhof, but also in the world, since its area is 115 hectares. It is located east of the Lower Park and is separated from it by a stone wall, and on the other hand it is limited by the Znamenka estate.
The lower park is perhaps the most popular among tourists. Here is located most of the royal buildings and fountains. On its territory there are palaces such as Nagorny, Marly, Monplaisir, as well as a pond, a large grotto, etc. All this appeared during the reign of Peter I. Subsequently, the Lower Park was decorated with other beautiful buildings, including the Golden Marlin Mountain , Lion cascade and many other fountains.
Excursions
In the summer of 2014, 96 years passed since the day when a professional tour was held for the first time in the great Peterhof Palace. Today, there are 25 museums on the territory of the palace and park ensemble.
Excursions to Peterhof are organized and conducted not only by professionals, but also by employees of various structures. Therefore, those wishing to admire the beauties of this historical monument are not out of place to find out in advance how much the entrance to Peterhof costs, since the prices in the field of these services vary.
The cost of the tour directly depends on the events included in it, as well as on the time of its holding and the level of qualification of the guide himself. Individual visits are more expensive, but much more profitable, and more fun, to join groups of tourists. In addition, the larger the group, the cheaper the tickets to Peterhof.
You can take a trip on your own, for example, by minibus, train or by water. There, on the spot, you can buy tickets for entrance to Peterhof yourself and move around the territory of the museum-reserve, as you wish, but such an activity is very tiring. A much better excursion route compiled and thought out by the professionals of a travel company is much better. Often, it is not only financially profitable, but also promises many pleasant surprises.
Cost and duration of excursions
How much does one person enter Peterhof? On average, it will cost from 1 thousand rubles and above. The price depends on what exactly you would like to see, the time you spent in the museum and the type of vehicle on which you plan to come and go from here.
So that the tour is not too tiring and brings only joy from the seen masterpieces, you should not choose a visit time of more than 5-6 hours. During this time, it is quite possible to enjoy the view of the Grand Palace, fountains and parks, as well as learn a lot of interesting things from the stories of an experienced guide. In addition, there is no need to plan anything else on this day.
A special pleasure in the summer season can bring tourists a boat trip along the Neva to the Meteor. It includes a sightseeing tour and all the beauties of Peterhof in different versions. By the way, such water activities are usually ordered in advance. For those who want to save a little, there is such an offer: to go on a trip by water, and then return by bus, or vice versa.
Foreign citizens who want to visit the palace and park ensemble will need to know in advance how much the entrance to Peterhof costs, since the prices for them are slightly higher than for Russian citizens. Children under 3 years of age are served free of charge, while students and schoolchildren receive discounts on tickets.
What you need to know
Before visiting Peterhof in St. Petersburg, you need to find out some rules and restrictions that exist on the territory of this historical reserve:
● the price of the excursion always includes the price of a ticket to enter the Lower Park, guide services and travel expenses for tourists traveling there and back;
● Lower Park palaces are always closed on Mondays and on the last Tuesday of the month;
● every day the fountains of the Grand Cascade are solemnly launched at 11.00;
● photographing in all museums of Peterhof without exception is strictly prohibited;
● video and photography in parks are allowed only with a tripod, but for this you will have to purchase an additional ticket;
● fountains and the Lower Park are open daily: on weekdays from 10.00 to 18.00, and on holidays and weekends from 10.00 to 19.00.
How to get there by land
The Palace and Park Museum is located just 29 km from St. Petersburg, in the territory of Peterhof. You can get here in many ways.
The train leaves from the Baltic Station, you need to go to the station called New Peterhof. The prices vary from 50 to 70 rubles. Then there are buses that take 15-20 minutes. will take you to the fountains. You can also take a walk through Alexandria or, as the locals called it, Proletarian Park, then go through the city directly to the fountains. It takes a little time - just about half an hour.
From the Baltic station and from the Avtovo metro station shuttle buses go to Peterhof. Tickets cost about 80 rubles. Opening hours - from 6.00 to 24.00. On holidays and weekends, the queue for these buses is quite large, so you need to prepare for the fact that you have to stand in it for at least half an hour. On weekdays, minibuses reach the fountains in about 30-40 minutes, but provided that there are no traffic jams.
How to get there by water
Meteors can deliver you to the historical complex by water. They depart from several embankments of the city of St. Petersburg. The most convenient of them is located at the Hermitage, as it is located in the center, and also fits well into any tourist route. Travel time is 30 minutes, and motor ships leave every 15-30 minutes. Tourists they deliver directly to Peterhof. Museum address: St. Petersburg, Petrodvorets, Razvodnaya street, 2 (former Comintern).
There are some subtleties. Therefore, you need to understand what and how much it costs. Entrance to Peterhof will have to be paid separately directly at the marina, upon arrival at the place, since the cost of a ticket to the Lower Park is not included in the fare on the Meteor. The fact that the exit from the pier is only through the ticket office, therefore, permission to enter the museum-reserve will need to be paid for.
It is also worth noting that having purchased round-trip Meteor tickets, it will be impossible to visit the Upper Garden on them, since they operate only once. In addition, leaving the Lower Park, you can get back into it only if you re-buy entrance tickets to Peterhof.
Every year, about 3 million people from different parts of the world come here to enjoy the majestic beauty of palaces, numerous fountains and truly unique parks of Peterhof.