Peterhof

Peterhof is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great, and sometimes called the “Russian Versailles”. It is located about twenty kilometers west and six kilometers south of St. Petersburg, overlooking the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. “Peterhof” may also refer to the adjacent town of 82,000 people. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fountains of the Grand Cascade are located below the grotto and on either side of it. Their waters flow into a semicircular pool, the terminus of the fountain-lined Sea Channel. In the 1730s, the large Samson Fountain was placed in this pool. It depicts the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion, representing Russia’s victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War, and is doubly symbolic. The lion is an element of the Swedish coat of arms, and one of the great victories of the war was won on St Samson’s Day. From the lion’s mouth shoots a 20-metre-high vertical jet of water, the highest in all of Peterhof. This masterpiece by Mikhail Kozlovsky was looted by the invading Germans during the Second World War; see “History” below. A replica of the statue was installed in 1947.

Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade. The Samson Fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct, over four km in length, drawing water and pressure from a high-elevation source.

The expanse of the Lower Gardens is designed in a formal (French) fashion. Although many trees are overgrown, in the recent years the formal clipping along the many alleys has resumed in order to restore the original appearance of the garden. Several fountains are designed with the specific purpose of soaking visitors.

Peterhof, like Tsarskoye Selo, was captured by German troops in 1941 and held until 1944. In the few months that elapsed between the outbreak of war in the west and the appearance of the German Army, employees were only able to save a portion of the treasures of the palaces and fountains. An attempt was made to dismantle and bury the fountain sculptures, but three-quarters, including all of the largest ones, remained in place. The occupying forces of the Nazi German Army deliberately and barbarically vandalized and largely destroyed Peterhof, particularly out of spite after the breaking of the siege of Leningrad. Many of the fountains were destroyed, and the palace was partially exploded and left to burn. Restoration work began almost immediately after the end of the war and continues to this day. It progressed remarkably quickly, and is still being carried out.

In 2003, St Petersburg celebrated its 300th anniversary. As a result, much of the building and statuary in Peterhof has been restored and new, and shiney, gilt-work abounds.

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