St. Petersburg is not in vain even today called the Northern Capital. The city is incredibly beautiful and rich in sights, as well as significant historical sites. But some of them stand out against the background of others like natural pearls among glass beads. They say that it is shameful to visit St. Petersburg and not to see the museum "Peterhof". What is this place and will it be interesting for everyone here?
History of creation
Literally translated from the Dutch language, "Peterhof" is the "court of Peter". The palace and park complex, which nowadays is called the State Museum-Reserve Peterhof, was built as the summer residence of Emperor Peter I. The date for the beginning of construction is 1712, the opening of the residence took place 11 years later, in 1723. Subsequently, the palace and park ensemble was supplemented and modernized, until the XX century. The main areas of the reserve are the Upper and Lower Gardens, the Great Palace is of great importance - the most large-scale and pompous structure. On both sides of the main gardens are also the English Park, Alexandria, Lugovoi Park, Kolonistsky Park, Alexander Park, Own Cottage and Sergievka.
Interesting Facts
During the Great Patriotic War, the entire territory of the museum was captured by the German invaders and seriously destroyed. Today's museum "Peterhof" demonstrates qualitatively reconstructed copies of the original buildings and monuments. But the hydraulic engineering works in the majority are really genuine and have been working properly for more than 300 years. The status of the reserve palace and park complex was received in 1918, today "Peterhof" is included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Monuments of the Russian Federation. The most famous object is the Bolshoi Cascade, in the center of which is a fountain in the form of a figure of Samson tearing the jaws of the lion. This building is a symbol of Russia's victory in the Battle of Poltava.
The State Museum "Peterhof": exposition
Any travel agency in St. Petersburg offers excursions to the summer residence of Peter. It is easy to get to "Peterhof" and independently, from the northern capital, there are electric trains, fixed-route taxis and other types of transport. What is especially convenient, tickets can be bought at the entrance. Passage to the territory of the Upper Garden is free. For the entrance to the Lower Garden and all museums located in the premises, you will have to pay separately. Plan your visit time correctly - on weekends there are too many tourists on its territory. Visitors from all over the world come to St. Petersburg to get acquainted with the cultural and historical sights of the majestic Russian city. Experts say that the whole day is not enough to go around the whole museum "Peterhof" and see all the attractions available. Under the open sky there are 4 cascades and about 170 fountains. The most interesting architectural objects are the Grand Palace, the Marly palaces , the Monplaisir and the Cottage, the Catherine complex, the Hermitage. Inside each of them is a museum collection.
Work schedule and visit rules
Fountains of "Peterhof" work only in the warm season. Annually in the museum there are two holidays - a solemn ceremony of opening fountains and closing them. In the warm season, the reserve is open to tourists from 9 am to 8 pm (8 pm). The museum "Peterhof" occupies a large enough territory. For this reason, there are designated sanitation zones for tourists, as well as places where you can buy drinks and snacks and relax in the shade. Visit this unique reserve is for any traveler who went to the northern capital. Pompous palace and park ensemble amazes the imagination, the museum is worth a look for everyone, including visitors to the city who are not interested in architecture.