Petergof’s fountains and palaces on the Gulf of Finland

Petergof on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland is a vast ensemble of palaces, gardens and fountains created in the early eighteenth century as an imperial residence for Peter the Great. The estate lies in a suburb of Sankt Petersburg and brings together formal terraces, water displays and coastal views in a single landscape.

Water, terraces and the Gulf of Finland

Petergof occupies ground above the Gulf of Finland, with its main terraces stepping down towards the shoreline and towards views across the water. The complex combines formal gardens, wooded areas and open lawns, laid out around fountains and canals that form an extensive hydraulic system linking different parts of the estate.suburb of St Petersburg The location south-west of Sankt Petersburg, facing north over the gulf, gives Petergof a maritime setting that is unusual among former imperial residences.

The estate developed between 1714 and 1723, when Peter the Great ordered the construction of palaces and gardens above the coast as part of his programme for Sankt Petersburg as Russia’s new window on Europe.building date 1714 - 1723 Over time Petergof grew into a large museum and park complex covering hundreds of hectares, with canals, cascades, smaller pavilions and woodland walks woven around the central palace axis.museum and park complex

The Grand Peterhof Palace and Petrine Baroque

At the heart of Petergof stands the Grand Peterhof Palace, a long Baroque building forming the main architectural focus of the ensemble and linking the Upper Garden with the Lower Park. Its facade stretches for several hundred metres, with a central block and wings punctuated by pilasters, decorative mouldings and roofline ornament that give the structure a strong horizontal presence.Grand Peterhof Palace The palace’s style belongs to the early eighteenth-century Petrine Baroque associated with Peter the Great’s building projects in Sankt Petersburg.Petrine Baroque

Domenico Trezzini, the Swiss-Italian architect who worked extensively in Sankt Petersburg, designed the original Baroque palace between 1714 and 1728, while the French landscape designer Alexandre Le Blond laid out the gardens around it.Trezzini and Le Blond In the mid-eighteenth century Bartolomeo Rastrelli enlarged the structure, giving the Grand Palace greater scale and richer decoration while keeping its role as the main link between the formal garden above and the park below.Rastrelli enlargement

Fountains, cascades and imperial gardens

Petergof is known for its elaborate fountains and cascades, fed by a network of canals that bring water from higher ground to the terraces near the palace. The system extends for many kilometres and originally worked without pumps, relying on gravity to drive jets and waterfalls in the Lower Park.system of fountains and canals Among the most recognisable features is the Grand Cascade below the palace, where water descends over gilded statuary and stone steps into pools aligned towards the sea.

Statues and sculptural groups line the garden axes and fountain basins, including the figure of Samson tearing open a lion’s jaws, associated with Russia’s victory at Poltava and reproduced at Petergof as part of the main water display.Samson Rending the Lion’s Jaws Smaller palaces and pavilions such as Monplaisir and other garden buildings stand near the waterfront and within the park, adding different scales and interiors to the walk through the grounds.palace and park at Peterhof The whole ensemble is part of the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage property recognised in 1990.UNESCO World Heritage List

Visiting Petergof: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Petergof lies south-west of central Sankt Petersburg on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland and forms a suburb linked to the city by road and rail connections.
• The grounds combine formal terraces with long park walks and numerous steps between the Upper Garden, the Grand Palace and the Lower Park, so moving through the ensemble involves repeated changes of level.
• The fountains are a defining feature of Petergof and their operation follows a seasonal pattern, with winter conditions affecting water displays in the gardens.
• The official language is Russian and the currency is the rouble.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Petergof

Where is Petergof and what kind of place is it?

Petergof is an imperial palace and park ensemble in a suburb of Sankt Petersburg on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland in Russia.

What can visitors expect when walking through Petergof?

Visitors move between the Upper Garden, the Grand Palace and the Lower Park along terraces, alleys, steps and paths lined with fountains, sculpture and coastal views.

What makes Petergof distinctive among former royal residences?

Petergof combines a long Baroque palace, extensive formal gardens and an intricate hydraulic fountain system with a direct outlook over the Gulf of Finland.