St. Petersburg is not without reason 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 from the rest like natural pearls among glass beads. They say that it is a shame to visit St. Petersburg and not see the Peterhof Museum. What is this place and will every tourist here be interested?
History of Creation
In a literal translation from the Dutch language "Peterhof" is "Peter's yard". The palace and park complex, which today is called the "Peterhof State Museum-Reserve", was built as the summer residence of Emperor Peter I. The date of commencement 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, up to the 20th century. The main territories of the reserve are the Upper and Lower Gardens, the Great Palace is of great importance - the largest and mostpompous building. On both sides of the main gardens there are also the English Park, Alexandria, Lugovoy Park, Kolonistsky Park, Alexander Park, Own Dacha and Sergievka.
Interesting facts
During the Great Patriotic War, all the museum's territories were captured by the German invaders and seriously destroyed. Today's Peterhof Museum demonstrates high-quality reconstructed copies of the original buildings and monuments. But most of the hydraulic structures are really genuine and have been working properly for more than 300 years. The palace and park complex received the status of a reserve in 1918, today Peterhof is included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Monuments of the Russian Federation. The most famous object is the Grand Cascade, in the center of which there is a fountain in the form of the figure of Samson tearing the mouth of a lion. This building is a symbol of Russia's victory in the Battle of Poltava.
Peterhof State Museum: exposition
Any travel agency in St. Petersburg offers excursions to the summer residence of Peter. It is not difficult to get to Peterhof on your own, from the Northern capital, electric trains, fixed-route taxis and other types of transport go here. What is especially convenient, tickets can be bought at the entrance. Access to the Upper Garden is free. Entrance to the Lower Garden and all museums located on the premises will have to be paid separately. Plan your visit to the complex correctly - on weekends there are too many tourists on its territory. Guests are coming to St. Petersburgfrom all over the world to get acquainted with the cultural and historical sights of the majestic Russian city. Connoisseurs say that a whole day is not enough to go around the entire Peterhof Museum and see all the available sights. There are 4 cascades and about 170 fountains in the open air. The most interesting architectural objects: the Grand Palace, the palaces of Marly, Monplaisir and the Cottage, the Catherine complex, the Hermitage. Inside each of them is a museum collection.
Working hours and visiting rules
Peterhof's fountains work only in the warm season. Every year, the museum hosts two holidays - a solemn ceremony of opening fountains and their closing. In the warm season, the reserve is open for tourists from 9 am to 8 (8 pm) in the evening. Museum "Peterhof" occupies a fairly large area. For this reason, there are designated sanitary areas for tourists, as well as places where you can buy drinks and snacks and relax in the shade. Any traveler who goes to the Northern capital should visit this unique reserve. The pompous palace and park ensemble is amazing. Everyone should visit the museum, including city guests who are not interested in architecture.
