Fountain Sun, Alexandriyskoe Highway, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 198510
The tradition of keeping rare birds and animals in gardens found its reflection in the Lower Park. In 1719, architects Braunstein and Leblon created the Menagerie Garden for the menagerie envisioned by Peter ("menagerie" means animal enclosure). A significant part of the garden was occupied by the Menagerie Pond for keeping swans and rare waterfowl. In 1724, architect Miketti transformed the menagerie into a formal garden, and the Menagerie Pond was decorated with a modest fountain. Half a century later, during the reign of Empress Catherine II, architects Yakovlev and Felten designed a royal bath in the pond. The fountain was redesigned and named "Sun" after the pattern of its jets. The fountain consisted of a hollow column of water surrounded by 12 arched (parabolic) jets shooting from beneath the water around the circumference of a pedestal shaped like a wide basket. The fountain was unique in that the fountain nozzles were installed underwater so they were not visible above the water surface, creating the impression that the jets were emerging directly from the smooth water surface of the pond.
Between 1772 and 1776, architects Felten and Yakovlev completely changed the fountain’s design. During the operation of the Menagerie Fountain, its water column lifted a copper sphere. On the round pedestal, decorated with sixteen gilded dolphins, a bronze column was installed, topped with gilded discs, and the mechanism with a water wheel was hidden inside the pedestal. The water wheel rotated under the force of the water, and through a gear transmission, the rotation was transferred to the column with gilded discs. The water "Sun" is a fine example of an 18th-century mechanical fountain. Silver jets simultaneously spouted from the edges of the discs and from the open mouths of the dolphins, scattering in all directions and shimmering with a multicolored rainbow. The "Sun" fountain is a complex hydraulic structure. It consists of a large basin, a round pedestal with sixteen gilded dolphin figures spouting water, a rotating fluted hollow bronze column 3.5 meters high, ending with a finial of three interconnected gilded discs, each with 187 holes (nozzles) along the edges for releasing water supplied under pressure. The column’s rotation operates on the principle of a watermill: water hits the metal blades of a wheel inside the pedestal, which, via a gear transmission, rotates the column ending with discs that spray fine streams of water.
In 1925–1926, restoration work on the fountain was carried out according to Archipov’s design, including the complete overhaul of the aged and non-functioning fountain mechanism and the laying of new pressure and drainage pipes. By that time, the fountain had not operated for about 50 years.
During the Great Patriotic War, the fountain was completely destroyed and was only restored in 1956.
In 1956–1957, a new fluted column with discs was cast, the turbine was restored using old parts, and the fountain dolphins, destroyed during the war, were recreated based on two surviving samples.
In 2020–2021, a comprehensive restoration of the fountain was carried out. The foundation and concrete slabs at the bottom of the basin were repaired, the clinker brick facing and waterproofing of the pedestal were restored, leaks and cracks in the water supply system were eliminated, the drainage system was repaired, support bearings on which the column rotates were replaced, as well as pipe fasteners and other elements. The ceremonial launch of the "Sun" fountain after restoration took place on July 1, 2021.
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