Under the fountains of Peterhof

The city of Peterhof is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, 30 kilometers from St. Petersburg. It was founded in 1710 as a summer imperial country residence. Here is one of the most beautiful palace and park ensembles in the world. In this record, we go to the grottoes of the Great Fountain Cascade, the largest of the triumphal monuments of the first quarter of the 18th century. Together with me we will go through tunnels with water pipes, go down to the Lower Cascade, I will tell you how water is delivered to the fountains, and I will also reveal the most important secret of cracker fountains, with which Peter I liked to entertain himself and his guests.

My Peterhof was associated only with the palace park. In fact, Peterhof is a city where about 73 thousand people live. The name "Peterhof" from German (Peterhof, German: Peterhof) means "Peter the Great".

Disabled fountains.

Peter I decided to equip his summer residence as a triumphal monument of Russia's victory over Sweden in the Northern War (1700-1721).

This theme is found in all the fountains of Peterhof, but it is especially pronounced in the central fountain "Samson, tearing the mouth of a lion."

It was built in 1735 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Poltava battle. Named after the saint "Samsonius", on the day of which the main battle took place. Leo is also not accidental. This is one of the elements of the coat of arms of Sweden. It symbolizes the conquered state of Charles XII. And, as you might have guessed, Samson is the highest fountain of Peterhof.

From the terrace of the Grand Cascade.

Samson spends 70 liters of water per second. But how is water supplied to the fountains? Pumps? No! We get down to the grottoes under the fountains and understand.

During the construction of the imperial residence, the problem of water supply arose. The pumping method was not considered because of the high cost, so I had to find another way. Peter I read somewhere that water can be supplied to the fountains by gravity, by means of a natural elevation.

So they did. A canal was built with a total length of 24 kilometers, leading from nearby lakes to Peterhof. The total height difference is 100 meters, if not mistaken. Thus, the necessary pressure of water was achieved.

The maintenance of complex hydraulic engineering devices is carried out by the fountain team. Today it is 24 people in the summer and 10 in the winter. Fountains are turned on, as in the 18th century, manually.

Water flows through such pipes of the 19th century period.

It is no coincidence and the bright color of the pipes. The fact is that as students in the 18th century they took 10-year-old boys who should have been able to distinguish between pipes. Green carries water to the western part of the cascade, blue - to the Fountain Basket, pink - to the Samson's pedestal, red - 60 cm in diameter - to Samson himself.

The main responsibilities of the children included cleaning the pipes from the inside and removing the blockages in the fountain system.

Move on.

The heart of the Grand Cascade is the Lower Grand Front Grotto. The largest sculpture belongs to God Faun - the god of fields and pastures. When facing the internal walls, Pudost stone was used, which was mined in the Gatchina district.
In the center of the hall is a table with dishes. When the guests held out their hands to the fruit ...

... included the so-called fountain cracker. In the 18th century, jets hit 2 meters outward. Thus Peter I liked to have fun over his guests. No one was supposed to leave the grottoes dry!

In the 18th century there were no motion sensors, so a very simple way of switching was used. Actually, it is also included now. So, I reveal the great secret of Peterhof. See the guard by the wall? At the right time, it is he who turns on the fountain. Besides,
when all the guests were about to leave the grottoes, a dense water curtain turned on.

A few more photos from the terrace of the Lower Cascade.

Fountain "Basket".

And photos from other places in the park.

I liked the abandoned non-working cascade.

Useful information for guests of Peterhof:

The easiest way to enter the territory of the palace and park ensemble is by water on the Meteor. I rode the ships of the Astra Marine company. The timetable and departure points in St. Petersburg can be found at. It takes 30-35 minutes in time.