“Peterhof is the palace of the sea god. Here the fountains are not mere accessories: they are the essence of the place. They are the symbolic expression of the sea’s dominion, the mist that rises from the waves as they surge against its shores.” – A.N. Benois
After our excursion to Lomonosov, we headed to the Grand Palace at Peterhof, which is German for “Peter’s home”…or something like that. The Russians usually refer to it as Petrodvorets, but I call it Peterhof because it’s alot easier to pronounce.
Peterhof is situated on the Gulf of Finland and is about 20 miles from St. Petersburg. The estate was founded by Peter the Great and its beauty is said to rival that of the French Versailles. Well, I’ve been to Versailles and I must say that Peterhof is MUCH better. So that settles that debate!
Peterhof after WWII.
Peterhof was destroyed by the Germans in World War II, and Soviet authorities considered preserving the ruins as a symbol of German barbarity, but instead decided to rebuild the palace and fountains. A good decision indeed.
I took alot of pictures of Peterhof because it was awesome.
Ominous skies loom over the palace. The double headed eagle, a symbol of imperial Russia and the Russia of today, sits atop a gilded onion dome.
Our first view of the fountains.
The statue of Samson tearing open a lion’s jaws – this symbolizes Peter’s victory over the Swedes.
The cascading fountains.
Me in front of the cascading fountains.
More cascading fountains.
A view of the palace.
More fountains.
A view from the palace. The canal leads to the Gulf of Finland.
One of the many parks…and fountains.
A view of the palace from a bridge that crosses the canal.
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