Peter the Great's Summer Palace - St. Petersburg, Russia
During the communist reign in Russia, architectural styles could
best be described as bland. Fortunately, the summer palace of
Peter the Great wasn't affected.
Peterhof
Known as Peterhof, the summer palace of Peter the Great is a
very impressive area. The palace is arranged with a central
rectangle format over roughly two or three acres. This area is
then surrounded by areas of wood and "nature" as the Russians
call it. Peterhof stands out like a jewel among the bland
communist structures found in greater St. Petersburg.
Fountains, Fountains, Fountains
At the time of construction in 1715, Peter the Great was clearly
in his "fountain" phase. Peterhof isn't so much a palace as a
collection of some of the most impressive fountains you've ever
seen. There are fountains in the front, back, each side, in the
bathroom and so on. All of them are impressive and worth a look.
Foremost of the fountains of Peterhof is the Great Cascade.
Arriving from St. Petersburg by boat, one is offloaded on a long
pier at the end of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal cuts through
the woods surrounding Peterhof directly to the front of the
palace. As you proceed, you start to notice something big and
colorful at the front of the palace. Welcome to the Great
Cascade.
The Great Cascade sites at the base of Peterhof and is more
impressive than the palace. Created in the Baroque style, the
Great Cascade is hard to describe. At its base is a pool a large
pool with rock platforms crowned by golden statutes spouting
water. Rising up from the pool to the palace are two sets of
steps surrounding a plateau. The steps are a combination of
black marble inlaid with gold and white marble. The steps are
crowned with statues and, again, fountains, which make them a
combination of sprouting water and cascading falls. All of this
is built up on a collection of rock and rises over 30 feet to
the base of the palace. As I said, the Great Cascade is hard to
describe. If you would like to see it, just do a search for
"Peterhof" on your search engine of choice.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Great Cascade is the
power source. With fountains blowing water thirty to fifty feet
in the air, there must be some serious pump action at work?
Nope. Peter the Great created a system that runs entirely off
gravity. Great, indeed!
Day trips to Peterhof are hocked something fierce in St.
Petersburg. While I usually disdain tourist traps, this is one
you should definitely see.