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Peterhof
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Peterhof
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Just thirty kilometres from Petersburg Peter the Great found a suitable place in the marshy surroundings of the new capital city to supervise the building of the royal city. Shortly later he also had a (relatively modest) summer residence built. But the palace on the bank of the Finnish Gulf first obtained its present splendour under the reign of women: The Tsarinas Elisabeth 1st and Catherine 2nd had it extended and redesigned and made it the central point of court life with all its pomp and glory.
Amongst the architectural groups of buildings located on the south bank of the Finnish Gulf, Peterhof stands out in its historical and artistic significance. Peterhof is one of the magnificent palace and park combinations of the 18th – 19th centuries. The first time that the name "Peterhof" was mentioned in the income tax log of Peter 1st was on 13th September 1705. The upper garden and lower park in Peterhof are masterpieces of garden and park landscaping. Amongst the former tsar residences the "Russian Versailles" occupies the first place as an excursion destination. Peterhof combines over 150 fountains and five monumental cascades. It is correspondingly crowded in summer. In the protected area there are eight museums: Hermitage, Great Palace, Catherine's Palace, Cottage, Marly, Monplaisir, the Benois Family Museum, the Strelna Palace.
During the Second World War Peterhof was almost completely destroyed, but could be rebuilt based on photographs and drawings. The interior of the palace, which has been open for viewing since 1960, resembles those of other state palaces. A point of particular interest is the large cascade in front of the palace with its golden gargoyle sculptures – the largest fountain system in the world.
The park of the palace is laid out as in the other tsar residences. In the Upper, Lower and Alexandra Parks there are other palaces and numerous pavilions in different styles, most of which can be visited. |
Materials: Calcimur exterior lime paint, Sylitol concentrate, AmphiSilan, AmphiSilan Tiefgrund LF penetrating primer. |
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