On August 15, 1723, it opened Peterhof
30 kilometers away St. Petersburg, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, was ceremoniously opened Peterhof — the summer residence of the Russian emperors. A response to France's Versailles.
From the German "Peterhof" - "Peter's Courtyard". A strategic road through Oranienbaum ran through it via a ferry crossing to Kronstadt.
On the 13th of September, our schnau "Munker" set out for Piterburg; at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, she dropped anchor opposite Piterhof.
(from the travel journal of Peter I, 1705)
The construction of Peterhof was dedicated to Peter's dream come true: access to the Baltic Sea.
The new Baroque palace, complete with "water extravaganzas," was intended to rival the French palace of Versailles in its opulence. Its scale—especially the cascade of unique fountains—was far superior.
A 22-kilometer water pipeline was specially constructed for this purpose. Pipes were laid from the nearby Ropshinskaya Upland, and water flowed (and still does) to the fountains by gravity—the difference in elevation allows for the water to be delivered under pressure. From the fountains, it flows into the Gulf of Finland.
If it weren't for the local landscape, the residence would have been built in Strelna instead of Peterhof, and its fountains would have been powered only by pumps (like in Versailles).
How fresh, how emerald gloomy
In the shade of their dense gardens,
And how brilliant and how transparent
Water-flowing Peterhof.
How friendly these water cannons are
They rustle among the century-old trees,
During the day and during the hours of night slumber
Their chant never ceases
(Pyotr Vyazemsky, 1865)
Nine years passed between Peter's idea and its implementation. Five thousand people were employed in the construction of Peterhof.
By the time of its opening, 40 fountains and basins with water jets were in operation (now there are more than 190). The Grand Palace was finished, the Lower Park was partially opened, the Sea Canal was dug, and the small palaces of Marly (which Peter copied from Louis XIV) and Monplaisir ("My Pleasure," Peter's favorite palace) were built. No European monarch, before or since, dared such a bold move: Monplaisir is the only palace built on the open seashore.
In a huge artificial pond near the Marly Palace, trained fish swam: they were taught to swim to the surface at the sound of a bell.
Peter himself designed many of the architectural details and even developed a special nozzle: two fountains launch a powerful jet 15 meters long, while using very little water thanks to a detail made according to the emperor's design.
On the opening day, Peter hosted a lavish reception for guests and foreign diplomats and personally gave a tour of the residence. He was able to enjoy Peterhof only one more summer, the following summer (he died in the winter of 1725).
Peter's descendants continued to build and rebuild the palace complex until the 1917 Revolution. Afterward, Peterhof became a site for workers' tours, rest homes, sanatoriums, and children's institutions were established, and playgrounds, reading rooms, and stages were added to the parks.
During the Great Patriotic War, Peterhof was sacked by the Nazis, who occupied it for two and a half years. Monplaisir proved an ideal firing point—it was effectively converted into a pillbox, and miraculously survived. The building was heavily damaged, but was one of the few that retained its walls and main structure.
Walks in the Lower Park were permitted the very first summer, in June 1945. Two years later, the fountains were restored and the sculpture of Samson and the Lion was restored. The Grand Palace was reopened to the public only 20 years later, in 1964.
Today, the Grand Cascade is one of the largest fountain structures in the world. It consists of 64 fountains, 255 bronze sculptures and bas-reliefs, and 142 gushing jets of water.
