PETERHOFF PALACE AND PARK
Duration: 5 hours
«The glory of Peterhoff is in the use of water. Water soars high in the air; it plumes and sprays from dozens of imaginative fountains; it splashes over statues of men and gods, horses and fish and unidentifiable creatures…it glides in mirror-like sheets over the edge of marble steps; it runs deep and dark in basins, pools and canals.»
( Robert K. Massie «Peter the Great»)
Peterhoff is the oldest of the Imperial residences; today it is a park complex which includes the principle palace and a number of minor pavilions and also the world unique place where you can find the most splendid fountains. It is located about 30 miles from the city centre, on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland . The best way to get there (if you happen to visit ST-Petersburg between May and October) is by sea.
Peterhoff is often referred to as Russian Versailles. The idea of creating the residence as luxurious as the one of the French kings belongs to the Peter the Great himself. He personally chose the site where several water underground springs were discovered nearby.
Construction and development of the system went until the middle of the XIX th century and resulted in creation of more than 100 fountains and four spectacular cascades which you can enjoy viewing today.
The luxurious Great Palace is a unique product of two centuries of work which houses the remarkable collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, porcelain and glass. Rooms dating back to Peter’s time can be found alongside gold-shining baroque halls of the middle of the XVIII century complimented with the calm austerity of rooms from the Classical period. It is situated as if on a pedestal above the shining gold statues and sparkling water of the Great Cascade and the jets of the terrace fountains. The visit to the Great Palace can be supplemented with visits of minor Palaces (Monplaisir, Marly, Cottage) and pavilions which are abundant in the area.
