Grand Peterhof Palace

The main building of the ensemble of the Lower Park and the Upper Garden. Originally built in the style of "Peter's Baroque" in 1714-1725 according to the project of ZhB. Leblona, ​​and then N. Michetti, was rebuilt in 1747-1752. architect F.-B. Rastrelli for the Empress Elizabeth in the so-called mature baroque style. The length of the facade facing the sea is 268 m. Two one-story galleries extend from the central building, ending with the Corps under the coat of arms from the west and the Church Building from the east. In the very first days of the Nazi occupation in September 1941, there was a fire in the palace that completely destroyed the interiors. In 1944, when German troops left Peterhof, the central part of the palace was blown up. After 8 years, during the restoration work, the appearance of the palace was restored, and in 1964 the first halls were opened for tourists.

Lower park

In the Lower Park, there are the main attractions in Peterhof: the Grand Cascade of Fountains, Peterhof Palace, Marly Palace and Monplaisir, access to the sea. By itself, it is a monument of palace and park art, modeled on the best parks in France in the 18th century. The thoughtfulness of the layout is striking, which has remained unchanged: at the end of each of the alleys there will be a palace or a fountain, and at each hill there will be a cascade. It is worth laying a lot of time to see all the palaces, pavilions and fountains.

Fountain "Samson"

“Samson” is the central fountain of the palace and park ensemble “Peterhof”. The jet shoots up 21 meters. According to the original plan of Peter I, a fountain with the image of Hercules defeating the Lernaean Hydra was to be created in Peterhof in honor of the victory over Sweden, but this plan was not implemented. The idea of ​​installing a commemorative fountain was returned to the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, when in 1734 preparations were underway to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Poltava victory won in 1709. It is believed that the figure of Samson appeared due to the fact that the Battle of Poltava took place on the day of Samson the Stranger ... The lion is associated with Sweden, since it is this symbol that is present on the country's coat of arms to this day.

Cascade "Chess Mountain"

The Chess Mountain Cascade is located in the eastern sector of the Lower Park. It consists of four consecutive slopes, made in the form of a checkerboard. The composition also includes the Upper and Lower grottoes. At the same time, the entrance to the Upper is guarded by three dragons, the water from whose jaws falls and obscures the entrance to the Lower grotto.
Initially, the cascade was conceived by the emperor as a symbol of the country's victory over the Swedish fortresses and was supposed to appear in the form of a destroyed fortress.