Petrovsky Park

Petrovsky Park is one of the best examples of a small-sized (only 15 hectares) landscape park in Russia. Created in the 1830s by Joseph Busch, it has preserved its appearance to this day. The compositional basis of Petrovsky Park is the extensive Lower and Upper Ponds and the winding Karost River in the hollow. On this shallow river, flowing from south to north towards the Gulf of Finland, two huge reservoirs—the Lower and Upper Ponds—were constructed in the 18th century using dams.

Petrovsky Park housed the fortress of Petershtadt, which belonged to Peter III. Only the palace itself and the gates of the Petershtadt fortress have survived to the present day. Canals were diverted from the Karost River, and the Upper and Lower Ponds were created. Several waterfalls were also built on the river. On the Lower Pond, a Playful Fleet was constructed for Emperor Peter III.

At the beginning of the century, the Lower Pond was called the "Small Amusement Sea." The Upper Pond (later called the Red Pond) was created in the middle of the century. Complex wooden locks, advanced for their time, were built to arrange the cascades.

Petrovsky Park stretches in a narrow strip along the right bank of the Karost River. From its round, hilly banks, there is a view of the mirror-like surface of the ponds. Their banks, covered with grass and planted with groups of trees that seem to grow here by chance, add simplicity and naturalness to the artistic appearance of the park. The waterfalls and bridges spanning the Karost River give special picturesqueness to the park in the Petershtadt area. The waterfalls are made from granite slopes of steps and scattered granite boulders. The bridge at the cascade of the Lower Pond was made in the form of ruins. There is also another two-arched ruin bridge here, imbued with romance. The three-arched Petrovsky Bridge is elegant and austere.

The park was mainly created based on the model of Italian gardens—with cascades, terraces, staircases, fountains, gazebos, and small bridges. Three small bridges were built opposite the palace of Peter III and near the Chinese House. They were wooden, with shaped railings.

However, elements of the regular style could also be noticed in Petrovsky Park. The park’s composition included geometrically shaped platforms and alleys bordered by trimmed shrubs and slender rows of trees.

By the beginning of the 19th century, nothing remained of the original layout of Petrovsky Park.

Sources:

http://www.oranienbaum.org/oranienbaum/petershtadt-complex/petrovsky-park/