In June 2010, after a long restoration, the museum and Alexandria Park (Peterhof) opened its doors to visitors. This estate, named after Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I, was known from the beginning of the XVIII century, that is, long before it became "Her Majesty's Own Cottage". Until now, on the territory of the palace and park complex you can see the ruins of the estate of Alexander Menshikov. It was this favorite of Peter I who first bought a large territory that once belonged to the four owners, and began to build his residence on it, which he called "Mon Courage".
After Menshikov’s disgrace, the land passed to the Dolgoruky family, who had little interest in it. So, as a result, the Mon Courage estate acquired a different name - Dolgorukov Empty Places. Then the territory went to the imperial family. In the 1730s, there was a hunting estate of Anna Ioannovna, but later the attention of the monarchs turned to Tsarskoye Selo, and Peterhof again fell into disrepair. And only in 1825,
Nicholas I gives this “place where the Menshikov ruin stands” to his wife’s summer house. Then a monastic order is given to break up the regular Alexandria park around the cottage. Peterhof again became a popular place with the Russian nobility.
Already in 1829, the architect A. Menelas erected a "cottage" - a
summer palace in the style of English romanticism, a "farm" with outbuildings (like the Versailles one, where Marie Antoinette loved to imagine herself). In parallel with these construction works, the famous gardener P. Erler set up Alexandria Park (Peterhof). Later, the imperial residence was replenished with new buildings: the family chapel, made in the neo-Gothic style, and Nizhny Dacha, which Nicholas II chose as his summer palace. It was in the last building that the emperor signed the manifesto, according to which Russia entered the First World War.
But this building is now in ruins. After the revolution, the estate was declared a museum, but it did not last long as a temple of science. Already in 1933, the NKVD rest house was located here, and the museum was closed. During the Great Patriotic War, both palaces and Alexandria Park (Peterhof) were very affected. Especially went to the Lower cottage, which in the early 1960s was recognized as an emergency and blew up. Only in 1978, the restoration work of the Cottage Palace was completed. But now the administration of the estate-museum has far-reaching plans. Planned restoration of the Lower Cottage. The Gothic Chapel and the Ruin Bridge are completely rebuilt.
In addition, they are trying to return to this estate its very purpose. After all, for a long time it served as a venue for leisure activities for children from the royal family. The Alexandria Park
(Peterhof) is now turned into a resting place for young visitors
. How to get to this palace on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, any resident of St. Petersburg will tell you. An electric train runs from the
Baltiysky railway station , and minibuses and bus No. 200 from the metro stations Leninsky Prospekt, Baltiyskaya and Avtovo.
But since the cost of maintaining the estate has increased in order, and there are also attractions (in particular, a children's train), tourists can no longer visit the Alexandria Park (Peterhof) for free. The cost of admission is nonetheless symbolic: 30 rubles for adults and 10 for schoolchildren, retirees and students. And young guests under 6 years old are still welcome here for free.