PETERHOF PALACE

Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens in Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Known as ‘The Russian Versailles ‘, the
palace’s architectural style became known as Petrine Baroque.
Much of the palace and interior design was based upon Peter’s
own sketches, with the palace serving as an intimate summer
retreat. Peterhof subsequently became the most lavish and
popular of the Russian royal summer residences.
Peterhof Palace (or Peter's Court in German) served as Peter the
Great’s personal landing during the later part of his reign as the
Tsar of Russia
In the end of the Great Northern War resulted in the Treaty of
Nystad in 1721, ceding much of the Swedish Empire's claim to
the Baltic Sea. Peter the Great already began the construction of
his new capital St Petersburg in 1703 after successfully capturing
Swedish provinces on the eastern coast. This strategic location
allowed Russian access to the Baltic Sea through the Neva
River that flowed to the Gulf of Finland. The island of Kotlin and its
fortress Kronstadt northeast of St Petersburg provided a gateway
and commercial harbor access owing to the shallowness of water
closer to the city Throughout the early 18th century, Peter the Great
built and expanded the Peterhof Palace complex as a part of his
goal to modernize and westernize Russia.
Fountains only work during summer, from the end of April to the
middle of October. Perhaps the greatest technological
achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without
the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference
creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens.

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 The fountains of the Grand Cascade have 64 fountains. In the 1730s, the large Samson Fountain was
placed in this pool. It depicts the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion, representing Russ
20-meter-high over Sweden in the Great Northern War. From the lion's mouth shoots a 20-meter-high
vertical jet of water. This masterpiece by Mikhail Kozlovsky was looted by the invading Germans during
the Second World War. A replica of the statue was installed in 1947. The Samson Fountain is supplied by
a special aqueduct, over 4 km (2.5 mi) in length, drawing water and pressure from a high-elevation
source.

The Lower Gardens

Here the water fountains, called "The Sun," mimics the sun with a disc
of water jets. The entire fountain rotates on a vertical axis, changing
the sun's direction perpetually.

The most prominently positioned fountains are 'Adam' and 'Eve' as

they occupy symmetric positions on either side of the Sea Channel.
Like the Lower Gardens, the Upper Gardens contain many
fountains, distributed among seven broad pools. The landscaping,
though, is entirely different; unlike the Lower Gardens which are
strictly geometric, the Upper Gardens are not.

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The Grand Palace
The largest of Peterhof's palaces looks truly imposing when seen from the Lower or
Upper Gardens, but in fact, it is quite small having approximately thirty rooms.

Another room, positioned at the center of the

palace is the Picture Hall. Its walls are almost
entirely covered by a series of 368 paintings,
mostly of variously dressed women, differing in
appearance and even age, yet most were drawn
from a single model.

In 1941, German troops captured Peterhof. An attempt was made to

dismantle and bury the fountain sculptures, but three-quarters, including
all of the largest ones, remained in place and the palace was partially
exploded and left to burn. Rebuilding restarted immediately after the
war ended, and continues to this day.
The "purpose" of Peterhof was a celebration and claim to access to the
Baltic (while simultaneously, Peter the Great was also expanding on the
Black Sea littoral). Thus, Peterhof commemorates the imperial expansion
and modernization of Russia.