This is Peter the Great's pet project at Peterhof was this small but charming summer palace, which the Tsar designed by and for himself, although he sought the help of several architects to do so. If you arrive in Peterhof by boat, Monplaisir is one of the first sights to greet you. Sitting in the eastern corner of the Lower Park, right on the shoreline of the Gulf of Finland, Monplaisir vaguely resembles a Dutch Colonial mansion, with its high gabled roof over the central corpus and narrow rectangular windows to keep out the wintry north wind. The facade on the opposite side of the palace is quite different, with long single-storey galleries topped by a balustraded terrace and supported by slender columns. Here, large French windows allow natural light to pour into the rooms, giving the whole building a summery, almost tropical feel.
Monplaisir was completed by 1723, and became Peter's preferred retreat, where he entertained only his closest friends and advisors. The rooms inside are almost entirely paneled in oak, and contain an interesting collection of 17th century art, much of which comes from Peter's own collection. Among the highlights inside is the delightful Lacquered Gallery, the creation of which required Russian icon-painters to spend months studying Chinese lacquering. The result is an extraordinary mixture of black, gold and red panels with a distinctly Russian accent. The Assembly Hall, which was the main reception room, used for riotous banquets in Peter's time, is decorated with latticed panels representing Africa, America, and Asia, and intricate rocaille coving.
Typically for Peter, Monplaisir displays an intriguing mixture of grandeur and homely comfort, with its pretty Dutch-tiled pantry, where Peter's wife Catherine would herself cook for guests, and the cozy Maritime Study, with tiles representing 13 different types of ship. From the windows, the view across the Gulf to Kronshtadt on one side and St. Petersburg on the other is particularly fine.
The fountains of Peterhof are one of Russia's most famous tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors every year. Many of the 120 breathtaking gravity-fed fountains were intrinsic to Peter the Great's original plans for Peterhof - it was the impossibility of engineering sufficiently powerful jets of water that prompted him to move his attentions from the Strelna site to Peterhof - and subsequent generations competed with their predecessors to add grander and ever more ingenious water features to the parkland surrounding the Grand Palace.
The most famous ensemble of fountains, the Grand Cascade, which runs from the northern facade of the Grand Palace to the Marine Canal, comprises 64 different fountains, and over 200 bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. At the centre stands Rastrelli's spectacular statue of Samson wrestling the jaws of a lion. The vista of the Grand Cascade with the Grand Palace behind it, the first sight to great visitors who arrive in Peterhof by sea, is truly breathtaking. The Grotto behind the Grand Cascade, which was once used for small parties, contains the enormous pipes, originally wooden, that feed the fountains.
The official opening of the fountains at Peterhof, which usually takes place at the end of May, is an all-day festival, with classical music, fireworks and other performances, as each section of the park's fountains is turned on one by one.
The most prominently positioned fountains of Peterhof are 'Adam' and 'Eve'.
They occupy symmetric positions on either side of the Sea Channel, each at the conjunction of eight paths. This is the Adam fountain
This is the Sun fountain, A water-wheel was concealed in the pedestal, and when the fountain was started up, water shot from the disc, and thus the fountain came to be called the Sun Fountain
This is another trick fountain, when you walk by it is starts to spray from metal flowers..
This is also a surprise fountain, when you walk by, these are down around your feet, and they spray when you are there...
It has been overcast all day, and now the sun is starting to shine... Which makes everything glitter in the sun.
This is called the Roman fountains, they were Destroyed during World War II. Some of them were restored, the rest had to be recreated.
In this one you can see both of them together.
This is the Dragon and chessbord cascade. It is located in the eastern section of the lower park. The water cascades over black and white marble arranged as on a chessboard. The ten statues lining the cascade were buried to keep them safe from the German occupation during World War II.
plus, my neck and back started to hurt after while because you spend all that time looking up! and my camera is not lightweight!
