Lower Park

VWP7+C5 Petrodvortsovy District, Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Lower Park was created based on the model of formal gardens and has preserved all the features of its French originals. Although many decorative elements have disappeared over time, the wonderful architectural harmony of the garden, created by Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, a talented pupil of the creator of the Versailles gardens Lenôtre, has endured. The park is divided into three interconnected parts: the central (Parade), the western (Marlin), and the eastern (Montplezir).

Imperial Parks of Peterhof

The Lower Park was created based on the model of formal gardens and has retained all the features of its French originals. Although many decorative elements have disappeared over time, time has not been able to destroy the wonderful architectural harmony of the garden, created by Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, a talented student of the creator of the Versailles gardens, Lenôtre. The park is divided into three interconnected parts: the central (Parade), the western (Marli), and the eastern (Monplaisir).

The dates of the ensemble's formation are 1714 - 1723, with architects Johann Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste Le Blond (1679-1719), Michetti (1675-59), Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Andrey Nikiforovich Voronikhin, Andrey Ivanovich Stakenschneider.

The layout of the Lower Park is defined by two systems of alleys fanning out from the Grand Palace and the Marli Palace. The planning scheme is so thoroughly thought out that no garden decoration or detail is hidden from the guests' view. Each alley ends either with a palace or a fountain. A characteristic feature of a formal garden is the symmetrical arrangement of its main structures. On the slopes of the elevation are cascades – the "Grand" (in the central part, at the foot of the parade palace), the "Chess Mountain" (in the eastern part), and the "Golden Mountain" (in the western part). In front of each are paired fountains: "Bowls," "Roman," and "Menagerie." Only one of the four cascades of the Lower Park is located in the parterre – this is the "Lion" cascade, the latest created, but it completes the embodiment of Peter's idea laid down in the park's composition: each palace and pavilion corresponds to its own cascade.

The park, covering an area of 102.5 hectares, is adorned with about 150 fountains.

Sources:

https://peterhofmuseum.ru/objects/peterhof/nizhniy_park

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Нижний_парк_(Петергоф)

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Fountain joke "Dubok"

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

The prank fountain "Dubok" is one of the prank fountains of the Peterhof Palace and Park Ensemble. It is located in the Lower Park near the Montplaisir Alley. The prank fountain was created in 1735, and its surface was originally covered with gold paint. The branched six-meter hollow tree trunk made of tin tubes was externally covered with lead, which imitated bark.

Fountain joke "Christmas Trees"

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Fountain joke "Umbrella" or "Mushroom"

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Miniature fountains "Tritons" or "Bells"

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

The miniature "Tritons" fountains appeared on the shore of the Marlinsky Pond at the end of the 1720s. The sculptures of four identical boy-tritons holding flat bowls were cast in England in 1721 based on a drawing by the architect I. Braunstein. Originally, the "Tritons" were intended to decorate the Grand Cascade, but they were cleverly adapted for the construction of fountains, whose compositional design is simple and elegant. Four water jets spouted from the bowls above the heads of the "Tritons."

The "Hermitage" Pavilion — the first post-war museum of Peterhof

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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The Garden of Bacchus in Peterhof was designed by Nicolo Michetti in the 1720s as part of the ensemble of the Marly Palace in the western part of the Lower Park. Three paths connect it to the Garden of Venus, located between the Gulf of Finland and the Marlin Pond.

Sculpture of Peter I holding the young Louis XV in his arms

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

A few days later, Peter wrote to Catherine: "I inform you that last Monday the local little king paid me a visit... a child quite remarkable in appearance and stature, and for his age fairly sensible, who is seven years old..."

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Lion Cascade (Hermitage)

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Great Architects: Andrey Nikiforovich Voronikhin

The idea behind the design of the Lower Park was based on the principle: each palace should correspond to a cascade of fountains. In 1721, the construction of the "Hermitage" pavilion began, and an alley leading to it was laid out. The cascade project, referred to as the "Moses Cascade" in Peter's sketches, was prepared by the architect Nicolo Michetti, but the original plan was not realized. Initially, statues of Hercules and Flora were used as sculptural decoration, but a year later they were replaced by bronze figures of lions, made based on Prokofiev's models. The cascade, named the Hermitage Cascade by its location, received its second, more famous name "Lion's" – after its decoration.

The Grand Cascade is the most magnificent fountain structure of the Peterhof ensemble.

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Benois Family Museum

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

There are many world-famous artists, but artistic dynasties are few. Among them, the Benois family rightfully holds a special place. This lineage has French origins. As often happened with many foreign families in Russia, the Benois family, combining French and German blood, became Russified and became the progenitor of numerous Russian figures in the arts.

Grand Palace (Peterhof)

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

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Upper and Lower Grottos

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

The Upper and Lower Grottos, serving as the architectural center of the Grand Cascade of Peterhof, were built according to the design of Peter I. They are faced with tuff, decorated with fountains, marble, and gilded sculptures. The facade of the Grand Grotto is pierced by five tall arches adorned with gilded mascarons. Above this grotto is a terrace leading to the Small Grotto. The boundary between the grottos is marked by a marble balustrade with figures of two gilded bronze Tritons. Architects Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, Ivan Braunstein, and Nicola Michetti participated in the creation of the grottos, with construction taking place from 1716 to 1720. Entrance is through the arched doors of the Upper Grotto. According to Peter the Great’s plan, the walls of the underground structure are faced with tuff and shells, decorated with mascarons and ornaments.

Paired Fountains "Bowls" (Italian)

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

At the foot of the Grand Palace, in the center of the parterre flower beds, are the paired "Bowls" fountains, whose construction, according to the project of architect Nicolo Michetti, was completed at the end of 1722. The trial launch took place in the presence of Peter I. The oldest fountains of Peterhof, known for the power of their jets, received a second name – the "Great Fountains." Since the hydraulic work on the eastern fountain was carried out by the Frenchman Paul Soualem, and the western one by the Italians Giovanni and Giuliano Barratini, the western fountain is called the "Italian" fountain.

Paired Fountains "Bowls" (French)

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Imperial Parks of Peterhof

At the foot of the Grand Palace, in the center of the parterre flower beds, are the paired "Bowls" fountains, whose construction according to the project of architect Nicolo Michetti was completed at the end of 1722. The trial launch took place in the presence of Peter I. The oldest fountains of Peterhof, known for the power of their jets, received the second name – the "Great Fountains." Since the hydraulic work on the eastern fountain was carried out by the Frenchman Paul Soualem, and the western one by the Italians Giovanni and Giuliano Barratini, the eastern fountain is called the "French" fountain.