travel russia st petersburg peterhof fountains

"The fountains of Peterhof are one of Russia's most famous tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors every year.
Fountains were intrinsic to Peter the Great's original plans for Peterhof - it was the impossibility of engineering
sufficiently powerful jets of water that prompted him to move his attentions from the Strelna site to Peterhof -
and subsequent generations competed with their predecessors to add grander and ever more ingenious water
features to the parkland surrounding the Grand Palace."
- saint-petersburg.com

The fountains and grounds of Peterhof are striking and, like the palace itself, are a much more "friendly" and liveable
scale than the gardens of Versailles which feel more formal and are so vast that they eliminate the human scale.
To me, Peterhof's potential for enjoyment falls somewhere between Versailles and Tivoli's Villa d'Este outside Rome.

TRAVEL:
August 2009 -


unless noted otherwise all images copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc



The most famous ensemble of fountains, the Grand Cascade, which runs from the northern facade of the Grand Palace to the Marine Canal,
comprises 64 different fountains, and over 200 bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations.



The view of the fountains, lower gardens, and sea canal from the terrace, Peterhof, Russia (2009).



Detail of the Great Cascade, Peterhof, Russia (2009).




Another detail of the Great Cascade showing the beginning of the grotto behind that was used for small parties, Peterhof, Russia (2009).



At the centre stands Rastrelli's spectacular statue of Samson wrestling the jaws of a lion.








copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
page last revised april 2015