VWP7+C5 Petrodvortsovy District, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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.
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