In the northeastern part of the famous St. Petersburg Summer Garden there is a small but remarkable Summer Palace of Peter I. summer time anyone can take an excellent tour of the interiors created for the most famous Russian ruler.
How to get there by metro
The palace is located in the tourist heart of St. Petersburg - on the territory of the Summer Garden. The nearest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor. Travel time from them is about 20 minutes.
Please note that excursions to the palace are only strictly certain time, in groups of 15 people. You can check the schedule on the official website of the Russian Museum, to which the palace belongs.
The cost of an adult ticket is 500 rubles (summer 2019). You can pay for the visit only in cash: you should take this into account, since there are no ATMs near the palace.
A bit of history
The palace, designed by the famous Domenico Trezzini, was built from 1710 to 1712. Since 1703, Peter's summer house was located on this place. Several masters took part in the design of the palace facades in the "Dutch manir", including the famous representative of the early Baroque, the German architect Andreas Schlüter.
There is a legend that the palace was built on the Admiralty side of St. Petersburg in order to motivate the townspeople to settle around. This part of the city developed very reluctantly: on the opposite Petrograd side there was a port, trading area, a seating yard, and the first dwelling of Peter, his small house, was erected there.
Already in 1704, the need arose to settle the Admiralty Island: there was simply not enough workers here. Officers and officials moved here on pain of "belly deprivation." Alas, it is not given to us to find out whether the construction of the palace really influenced the activity of the settlement of the left bank of the Neva, but it began precisely from the time of the completion of the construction of the palace.
After the death of the emperor, the building did not fall into decay: even during the reign of his daughter Elizabeth, the Summer Palace began to be used for residence of high-ranking officials. It is worth noting that a unique exhibit has been preserved here: a wind device, ordered by Peter during his lifetime.
The palace, like many buildings in the city, suffered during the Great Patriotic War, its restoration began in 1946. It is noteworthy that during wartime the Summer Palace and Peter's House on the Petrograd side were open for a while for some time: it was a kind of symbol that Leningrad was not broken under the onslaught of the enemy, the city is still alive.
Since the 1920s, the Summer Palace was opened as a museum, however, the exhibitions held here were not related to its history. But already in the 30s, various things of Peter, interior items of his time, appeared in the museum. In 2004, the building was taken over by the State Russian Museum.
Summer Palace - perfect place in order to enjoy the beautiful old interiors and learn more about the history of St. Petersburg. Within walking distance from it are the most famous city attractions - the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
In short, in general:
- a palace with an interesting historical exposition;
- convenient location in the center of St. Petersburg;
- excursions are held only at a strictly defined time, it is better to plan a visit in advance.
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Address: Summer Garden
Architects, years of construction: Domenico Trezzini, 1710-1714
Until 1703, here, near the Neva and Fontanka, was the estate of a Swedish officer Konau... Immediately after the founding of St. Petersburg, this place was occupied by the summer residence of Peter I, which was called the Summer Garden. According to the historian K.V. Malinovsky, the Konau house was moved closer to the Neva for its reconstruction under the Tsar's summer residence.
Since autumn 1706
in the spring 1707
of the year this was done by the draftsman of the artillery order Ivan Matveyevich Ugryumov... The death of Ugryumov in 1707 slowed down the work, which confirms the report Kikina Peter I in February 1708
of the year: “In the house of your majesty, mansions are being made now, which are ordered to be postponed, and in the coming month they will be ready«.
On March 12, Kikin wrote to the tsar again: "In your house there are mansions, which, although not all have been moved a week, but the cook and others will be ready."
By that time, a small Havanese had already been dug near the Summer House of Peter the Great.
Gavanese Peter I was called a bucket-shaped harbor at the cape (arrows) formed by the Neva and Fontanka, so that a narrow part of the harbor emptied into the Fontanka. It was built by master Ivan Matveyev at the beginning of the work on the layout of the Summer Garden around 1704 and was used to approach the garden on small ships. It is known that in 1705, Peter I ordered to deepen the harbor everywhere by 8 feet and surround its walls with stone slabs. According to a number of researchers, this was the first stone paving of the embankment of St. Petersburg. It was Ugryumov who was entrusted with deepening it. Thus, the water surrounded the building from three sides and approached the very porch.
Havanets was faced with limestone blocks, which quickly deteriorated and fell into disrepair. If this structure was filled up in 1777, then the Neva embankment near Winter Palace over time, they were reconstructed, replacing limestone with more resistant granite.
In January 1711 Years Peter I ordered to move the wooden building to another place "near the Kalinkin bridge." On the vacated site in May, they began to build the foundation for the stone Summer Palace of Peter I. This house was built in the Dutch manner, as Peter I loved. The Tsar personally drew up the building project, after which the architect corrected it Domenico Trezzini... It became one of the first stone residential buildings in St. Petersburg, along with the Menshikov Palace, the house of Golovkin. The construction of the Summer Palace of Peter I took four years.
Peter I lived in this house only from May to October. Therefore, the palace is called the Summer Palace, it has rather thin walls. The palace is small and simple in layout: its dimensions are 25x15.9 m, the height to the roof is 8.1 m. There are only 14 rooms in the palace, two cooks, two interior corridors, the height of the rooms is 3.3 m. The layout of both floors is the same. The furniture of the Summer Palace has hardly survived.
The first floor of the Summer Palace housed Peter's chambers, the second - his wife Catherine and children. On the ground floor there was reception king. Here he accepted written requests and oral complaints. Next to the reception was equipped punishment cell, where Peter personally shoved the guilty ones and then he himself released them. From the first reception one could get into a large room - the second reception " The Assembly". It is decorated with a plafond "Triumph of Russia" (G. Gzell, 1719). Between the windows is the "Admiralty Chair" of Peter I, which was previously in the Admiralty Collegium. On the walls are portraits of Peter and his associates - BP Sheremetev, FM Apraksin, AD Menshikov and others. Behind the Second Reception is a narrow room where Peter's clothes were.
Further - cabinet... The interior of the office is decorated with: a tiled panel depicting genre scenes, landscapes, ships, a tiled stove. A picturesque plafond of the early 18th century. allegorically depicts the victory of Russia over Sweden in the Northern War. Several things of Peter I are presented in the room: a ship's clock with a compass, an oak cabinet with carvings, a model of a galley, and a work chair. In the office, Peter apparently spent a little time. Peter got up at five o'clock in the morning, then the secretary read him the files. After breakfast, at six o'clock, Peter went to construction work, to the Senate or to the Admiralty. After lunch, at four o'clock, he worked, read Dutch newspapers, and spent a lot of time in a lathe shop. In the evening, Peter rested - he went to assemblies or had fun at home.
A room adjacent to the study - bedroom... The plafond depicts the god of sleep Morpheus with poppy heads in his hands and sleeping cupids. The bedroom has a four-poster bed, restored in 1953. According to legend, the jester Balakirev was hiding in a large fireplace (partially altered in the 19th century).
Next, the corner room - Turning (Coffee)... The lathe served as a mechanical workshop. Peter knew 14 crafts, and this was his favorite room. Here he not only enthusiastically worked on the machines, but also received dignitaries, decided state affairs. The entrance to Turning was strictly limited. In the modern museum in this room there are looms, products carved by Peter from wood and bone, clothes of Peter I.
TO Lathe adjoins canteen... The plafond in this room glorifies Peter's activities: a kneeling woman is depicted in front of his portrait, symbolizing Russia.
In the back of the room there is a window in Cook(kitchen) through which the food was served. The cook has preserved its appearance from the beginning of the 18th century. The walls of the room are tiled with tiles, there is a canopy over the hearth, and dishes were washed in a marble sink. Water was supplied by pumps.
On the second floor there was reception Empress Catherine, the throne room and a kitchen with an oven in which Catherine I baked pies for her husband. Especially interesting here Green Cabinet, which has retained its original appearance. The cabinet is decorated with gilded pilasters, wood carvings, oval medallions depicting the four parts of the world. In the corner is a fireplace with sculptural images cupids. In the niches of the walls there are three cupboards, glazed with small panes. Here are exhibits from the Kunstkamera collection.
The first sewerage system in St. Petersburg appeared in the Summer Palace. Water was supplied to the house by pumps and went to the Fontanka. The work of the running sewage system was facilitated by the fact that the building was washed on three sides by water, the driving force was the Fontanka current. After the flood of 1777, Havanets was filled up, the sewerage system ceased to function.
There were no utility rooms in the Summer Palace, except for the kitchens. For them, another building was built along the Fontanka, known as “ Human chambers". It was in these premises that the famous Amber Cabinet, Ruysch's anatomical collection , library Peter I. The summer palace was connected with the human chambers by a special gallery.
The Summer Palace served as a place for Peter I to receive visitors with their written requests. State conferences of ministers under the leadership of the emperor were also held here. After one of these meetings in the lobby of the Summer Palace, an attempt was made on the life of Peter I by one of the schismatics. After that, his fellow believers were commanded to wear a rag of red and yellow fabric on their clothes in order to distinguish them from other people.
The facade of the building is decorated 28 bas-reliefs works by the architect Andreas Schlüter, which depict the events of the Northern War.
Andreas Schlüter came to Russia in 1713 and lived in the Summer Palace even before the end of its construction.
Above the door is the figure of Minerva (the goddess of wisdom), surrounded by victory banners and trophies of war.
The bas-reliefs are mainly devoted to mythological subjects and in allegorical form reflect the events of the reign of Peter I, glorify the victory of Russia in the Northern War and the return of the northern seas to Russia. In most of the bas-reliefs, the background is the sea with images of Peter's galleys. Peter's contemporaries associated many mythological plots with specific historical events.
South facade:
The leftmost bas-relief depicts the abduction by the god of the underworld by Pluto of Proserpine, the goddess of fertility (1st). The horses carry the chariot with the heroes of the plot to Taratar. The hovering cupid symbolizes Pluto's love for the goddess. Bas-relief (2nd): Atalanta and Hippomenus. Atalanta promised to become the wife of the one who would beat her in the run, Hippomenus threw golden apples three times on the run, and Atalanta stopped three times to pick them up. Bas-relief (3rd): Fight of Perseus with Medusa. The hero has already raised his sword over the defeated monster. The goddess Athena is in a hurry to help. Bas-relief (4th): Jupiter. The king of the gods Jupiter with an eagle and thundering arrows, at his feet a goddess in a crown. To the right of the main entrance Bas-relief (5th): Poseidon and Aphrodite. On a shell chariot, harnessed to three sea horses, the god of the seas Poseidon and his wife Aphrodite. Bas-relief (6th): Diana. The goddess of the hunt Diana with dogs on the seashore. Far right Bas-relief (7th): Venus and Adonis. Venus restrains her beloved Adonis, who goes on a deadly hunt.
East facade:
Bas-relief (1c): A sleeping boy on a dolphin. Bas-relief (2c): A boy (Cupid?), Clutching the beard of a sea ibex with both hands, rushes along the waves. Bas-relief (3c): A smiling boy (Cupid?) On a dolphin rushes across the sea. Bas-relief (4c): Cupid riding a seahorse. Bas-relief (5c): Europe with bulls. The scene preceding the abduction of Europa by Jupiter. Bas-relief (6c): Actaeon and Diana. The young man Actaeon, transformed by the goddess Diana into a deer, escapes from his dogs.
West facade (facing the garden)
Bas-relief (1h): Diana with nymphs. The goddess of the hunt, Aphrodite, bathes with her nymph friends. Actaeon, who was watching them, was turned into a deer by the angry goddess. Bas-relief (2h): Arion with his lyre floats on the sea on his dolphin savior. Bas-relief (3h): God Apollo pursues the nymph Daphne, escaping, she turns into a tree. In the background, sailing galleys from the times of Peter the Great are visible. Bas-relief (4h): The goddess Venus, born from the foam of the sea, surrounded by her retinue - tritons and nereids. Bas-relief (5h): The abduction of the princess Europa by the god Jupiter, who took the form of a bull, cupids personify love. Bas-relief (6h): Perseus and Andromeda. On the winged Pegasus, Perseus hurries to save the chained Andromeda from the dragon. Adromeda at the beginning of the 18th century. symbolized the Russian land captured by the Swedes, Perseus - Peter the Liberator.
North facade (facing the Neva)
Bas-relief (1c): Cupid in battle with a sea monster. Bas-relief (2c): Cupid playing with a lion. Bas-relief (3c): Cupid with a sword and a helmet walks along the waves with an elephant seal. Bas-relief (4c): the god of nature Pan by the reed bush, into which the nymph pursued by him has turned, two cupids laugh at Pan. Bas-relief (5c): Jupiter unleashes bolts of lightning at sea monsters. Bas-relief (6c): Latona and the Lycian peasants. The peasants, who did not allow Latone, Apollo and Diana to drink water, were turned into frogs. Bas-relief (7c): Venus, born from the foam of the sea, floats on the sea, accompanied by Cupid. Bas-relief (8c) The goddess Athena descends on a cloud to the sea, where she is met by a siren. Bas-relief (9c): Nereid (sea deity) on a sea horse.
It is difficult to reveal with all certainty the allegorical meaning of each of the bas-reliefs, but to one degree or another all the bas-reliefs symbolize the victory in the Northern War.
On the roof of the Summer Palace in 1714
year was strengthened vane, showing not only the direction of the wind, but also its strength. The weather vane was mechanically connected to a device that showed these parameters on a kind of board inside the building. This device was ordered by Peter I in Dresden from the court mechanic. The weather vane was decorated with a gilded figure George the Victorious.
After the death of Peter I, in the short years of the reign of Catherine I, he often sat in the Summer Palace Supreme Privy Council- in fact, the highest power in the country, since the decree on the establishment of this body read: "No decrees should be issued before they have been discussed in the Privy Council."
Subsequent information about the Summer Palace is scarce. In the summer of 1728, repairs were carried out there (apparently, not only cosmetic, since besides white and ocher, bricks and tiles were delivered to the palace).
V 1740s After the construction of Rastrelli's Third Summer Palace, the Summer Palace of Peter I was abandoned, seamstresses and laundresses who served the royal court lived in the palace.In 1751, an eyewitness wrote, "Over the large chambers, in the upper apartments, where seamstresses still live ... the ceilings have collapsed."
Then the palace began to be adapted for the needs of officials. Corresponding renovations made changes to the appearance of the historic building. V 1753 g. the admiral moved into the chambers of the palace Golitsyn.
V 1815 g Ode lived here the Minister of War Prince Gorchakov, next year - Minister of Justice Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky, v 1822 - military general, governor count Miloradovich followed by the Minister of Finance Kankrin... And much later, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Summer Palace was used as a summer residence for St. Petersburg dignitaries.
The flood of 1824 flooded the Summer Palace up to the middle of the windows on the first floor. This caused significant damage to the building, which, however, was "repaired in accordance with the previous appearance." This event is reminded of an old bronze plaque showing the level of water rise.
TO 1934 g. The Summer Palace was restored, and a museum dedicated to Peter I was opened in it.
During the Great Patriotic War, an air wave from an explosion tore off several window frames. By that time, the museum exhibits had already been taken out, only a large table from the Green Office and a copper tank from Povarnya remained in place.
During repair and restoration work 1961-1964 biennium the bas-reliefs on the facades of the palace were restored, the small glass windows were recreated, the plafonds and other paintings in the rooms of the palace were cleaned and restored.
At the beginning of the XXI century, a new restoration of the Summer Palace in the Summer Garden was carried out.
The Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg was built in 1711–1712. designed by architect Domenico Trezzini. Architects and sculptors from Western Europe were involved in the design of the facades and interiors of the Summer Palace: Andreas Schlüter, Georg-Johann Mattarnovi, Jean-Baptiste-Alexander Leblond.
The Summer Palace of Peter I has a happy destiny: after the death of Peter the Great, the palace never rebuilt, although there were some losses in interior decoration. The layout and external appearance of the building, picturesque allegorical lampshades, pine wardrobes, tiled stoves and wall decoration with painted Dutch tiles, wood paneling of the ground floor rooms, interior decoration of the Lower and Upper Cooks and the Green Cabinet have been preserved unchanged to this day. The unique wind instrument in the Cabinet of Peter the Great still shows the direction and strength of the wind, as well as the time. On the second floor there is a Danzig wardrobe, in which, according to legend, Peter I kept his linen and jackboots.
The Summer Palace is valuable not only as one of the early architectural monuments of St. Petersburg, but also as evidence of the tastes, interests, aspirations of Peter I, which were reflected in the peculiarities of the architecture of the monument.
To arrange his residence, Peter I chose an inhabited and advantageously located manor on a promontory between the Neva and Bezymyanny erik (now the Fontanka River), where the estate of the Swedish major Erich Berndt von Konow (Konau) was located - a small house with a utility yard and a garden. At first, Peter could have used Konau's house for living, but perhaps even then he built his own house for him. Ivan Matveev (Ugryumov), who from 1705 to 1707 supervised all engineering and construction work on the former Swedish manor. It was this building that I saw in 1710-1711. the author of "Descriptions of St. Petersburg and Kronshlot": "Up to the river," he writes, "is the royal residence, that is, a small house in the garden of the Dutch facade, motley painted with gilded window frames and lead ornaments."
By order of Peter, a stone building was erected on the site of his former house, designed by the architect D. Trezzini. On April 17, 1712, Peter had already moved to live in the Summer Palace, and a year later the royal residence was visited by "overseas" guests: c.) they moored to me, that is, to my very chambers .... "
After the death of Peter I, the Summer Palace loses its significance as a royal dwelling. For some time, courtiers lived here. . During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter, who honored the memory of her father, the "dilapidation" was repaired, and the former royal residence in the first half of the 19th century began to be used as a summer residence for prominent dignitaries of that time.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Summer Palace hosted an exhibition of monuments from the Peter the Great's era. From imperial palaces, The Hermitage, the State Archives were delivered portraits and engravings, banners, military instruments, pieces of furniture and applied art, books, drawings. The bed of Peter I from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, presented at the exhibition, is still on display at the palace.
After 1917, the palace was preserved as a historical and architectural monument, but did not yet have the status of a museum. In 1925, the palace was transferred to the jurisdiction of the history and everyday life department of the State Russian Museum, it hosted exhibitions that were not related to the historical past of the palace.
Since 1934, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great has become an independent museum of a memorial, historical and artistic nature. At the exposition of the museum you can see the clothes of Peter I, furniture, paintings and engravings, objects of applied art from the time of Peter the Great.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Summer Palace suffered from a blast wave, but the damage was repaired already in 1946, and the next year the palace-museum was opened to visitors. In the 1960s. the palace underwent a comprehensive restoration under the guidance of the architect A.E. Gessen.
Since 2004, the Summer Palace has become part of the State Russian Museum. In 2015-2017 complex restoration was carried out in the palace, which was preceded by painstaking work of historians and art critics. During the restoration process, the atmosphere of the royal dwelling of the early 18th century was restored in the palace.
Particularly noteworthy is the restoration of picturesque plafonds in seven rooms of the Summer Palace, after which the darkened unique painting was brought closer to its original color. There was a feeling of air and soaring of allegorical figures.
In the Green Office, where Peter's rarities, which marked the beginning of the history of the Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg, were located in special display cabinets, the unique wall paintings on wood of the early 18th century were cleaned and strengthened. Oak doors and shutters have been restored in the palace, as well as parquet floors and fabrics on the walls in accordance with historical materials. Window binders of the 19th century have been replaced.
Particular attention was paid to the famous wind instrument (anemometer), which was ordered by Peter I in Dresden and installed in the Summer Palace in 1714. The device combines three dials: one of them is hour, the other two are indicators of wind direction and speed. The hands of the right and left dials are connected to the weather vane on the roof by a shaft cut through the wall. The device is an integral part of the Summer Palace, its most unique rarity. The wind device has a carved frame, on which mythological characters are represented: the lord of the winds Aeolus, the lord of the seas Neptune and nautical emblems - the rudders of ships, oars, tridents and the crown of rostrum crowning the frame - the noses of the ships.
Experts have carefully approached the restoration of the Lower and Upper Povaren, finished with painted Dutch tiles. In Nizhnaya Povarna, a black marble sink is presented, which is part of the water supply system of Peter the Great's time. A brick vaulted tunnel has been preserved under the building of the palace, which provided the operation of a flow-through and flushing sewage system - the first in St. Petersburg.
An updated gilded weather vane shone on the roof of the palace.
- the oldest building in St. Petersburg. Built in the Baroque style, it was used by the royal family only in the summer. Today the palace is a branch of the State Russian Museum.
History
V, which was a state residence, in 1710 it was time for the birth of the Summer Palace.
The Summer Garden itself appeared a little earlier than St. Petersburg itself. The territory for the arrangement of the residence was determined for a reason. Yet in the second half of the 17th century there was a manor with a garden, the owner was Swede Major Konau. Accordingly, in the midst of trees, swamps and water, this allotment of land was already inhabited. Another reason for choosing was remoteness from construction noise for the construction Peter and Paul Fortress... Peter I, despite his greatness and power, slept poorly, suffering from neuroses and mental disorders, he was disturbed by even the minimum noise.
In 1710 the small wooden house left over from the Konau manor on the site of the Summer Garden was dismantled. And right there started the construction of the Summer Palace.
In 1712, Peter had already moved into the unfinished palace, which he loved very much. Here he spent each subsequent summer until the end of his days.
After the death of Peter, until the 50s of the XIX century the building was a summer house for officials and courtiers. Despite the status of a summer residence, officials lived in it in winter, but only on the 2nd floor.
During the reign of Alexander I in the warm season in the Summer Palace began to let the public in.Since 1934 years in the building a historical household museum was opened. Since 2004 The Summer Palace became a part.
Architecture
Summer Palace - one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg. Building completed in the style of the Petrovsky Baroque. At the palace strict appearance, high roof with four slopes. The proportions are clear, many windows, under the roof - bas-reliefs and stucco frieze- a clear stylistic expression of the baroque. Gutters completed in the form of winged dragons, and to separate the floors, we used 29 bas-reliefs. They represent scenes of ancient mythology. Allegorically, the bas-reliefs tell the story of the Northern War. Decor four the facades are made with a frieze.
entrance to the palace decorates roman goddess of wisdom Minerva surrounded by war trophies and victorious banners. Marine theme traced on the facades. Here you can see newts, nereids, hippocampus sea horses with fish tails in scales. Also, the figures of the most ancient deities and heroes, dolphins - as symbols of sea peace, which guard the palace. And the roof of the summer residence is crowned weather vane in the form of the figure of St. George the Victorious, the defender of the ancient Russian army.
Palace architects and creators
By the author and the designer of the Summer Palace is an . Chief architect and sculptor, distinguished German Andreas Schlüter was responsible for facades and interior decoration palace. Not far from the residence, on the Fontanka embankment he also began to build a grotto. Finished erection of a grotto after the death of Schlüter Mattarnovi and Michetti.
Later, in 1826, the grotto turned into a Coffee House thanks to K.I.Rossi
Reconstruction
Summer palace Peter I suffered during Great patriotic war. Shrapnel of shells severely damaged the roof, plaster fell from the ceilings in the rooms, the frames and facades were damaged. In 1946, almost immediately after the war a quick cosmetic restoration was performed. However, already in 1947 the museum continued its work.
The complete restoration of the palace was carried out in the years 1950-1960. Returned initial appearance residences, replaced the floors and changed the heating system. The walls were again upholstered with fabric, and the ceiling pattern and molding were also restored. In 2015-2017, the palace underwent a comprehensive restoration, which was preceded by painstaking work of historians and art historians. In the process of work in the Summer Palace, the atmosphere of the royal dwelling of the early 18th century was restored.
Interiors
At each of two floors palaces are on 7 living quarters. There are no large rooms. On lived on the first floor myself Peter, on the second - Catherine. Both Peter and Catherine had their own Bedroom, Dressing Room and Chef: on the first floor - the lower one, on the second - the upper one. Catherine was content with one Receptionist, and Peter had two and Secretarial. But on the second floor there were Dance, Children's and the famous Green Room, which still has retained its original appearance and was Peter's home Kunstkamera.
The palace has a marble floor, many mirrors and decorations. The stairs and panels on the walls are wooden, oak. Some rooms had large velvet beds. The walls were decorated with beautiful Chinese upholstery.
Both outside and inside the palace filled with allegorical symbols of victory in the Northern War. On the walls there are many paintings depicting naval ships and battlefields, less often you can see portraits and landscapes.
Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg. Historic building in the style of Peter the Great Baroque, the former imperial residence, designed by D.A. Trezzini in 1710-1714. Currently, the building is part of the Russian Museum.
The Summer Palace of Peter I is one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg, it was built in 1714 and has been preserved in its original form to this day. The two-story palace was intended only for summer residence, therefore it had thin walls and single window frames. The emperor first settled in the unfinished palace already in 1712 and in the summer he lived there for the rest of the years. It was the Summer Palace that gave the name to the Summer Garden.
The facade of the palace is decorated with bas-reliefs from the events of the Northern War by A. Schlüter, where Peter I himself is depicted in the image of Perseus, and the hipped roof is decorated with corner gutters in the form of winged dragons. The roof itself was crowned with a weather vane indicating the direction and strength of the wind. General form the baroque palace is outwardly modest, the building has equal proportions and an abundance of windows on all sides of the building. Interestingly, the building is strictly oriented to the west and east, it was the embodiment of the emperor's idea that Russia is equally focused on both of these sides of the world.
The Summer Palace is quite small - it consists of only 14 rooms (7 per floor). The inconspicuousness of the external forms was compensated by the richness of the interior decoration. The interiors were painted by Russian artists A. Zakharov, I. Zavarzin and F. Matveev. Among the most notable decorations inside the palace are an oak panel in the lower vestibule, unique Dutch tiles, fireplaces with stucco bas-reliefs, and picturesque plafonds. The decoration widely used themes of glorification of Russian military glory; many sculptural and artistic elements of decor are dedicated to this.
The rooms of Peter I were located on the first floor, and the rooms of his wife and children were on the second. The palace also included reception rooms ("assembly rooms"), an office, a throne room, and even the tsar's personal solitary confinement. One of the rooms of the palace was occupied by a mechanical turning workshop, where the emperor loved not only to work personally, but also to receive reports from nobles.
In Peter's time, a small harbor was located near the palace - Gavanets, which was later filled up after the flood. She allowed to swim to the entrance to the palace directly on the boat. Also, the water surrounding the palace was used for the sewerage system.
After the death of Peter I, the palace was used for a long time as a summer residence for dignitaries and courtiers, the Supreme Privy Council sat here, but the reigning persons themselves no longer lived in the palace. It is to this that the palace owes its safety - Elizabeth built a new summer residence for herself, and no one began to rebuild the Peter's palace.
In 1925, the palace was taken over by the Russian Museum, and since 1934 it has become a full-fledged museum exhibition dedicated to Peter I.
The Summer Palace of Peter I is included in the Unified State Register of Objects cultural heritage(monuments of history and culture) of Russia.
Tourist notes:
A visit to the Summer Palace of Peter I will be interesting for tourists interested in the architecture of the early 18th century, for everyone who wants to see the expositions located on the territory, and can also become one of the points excursion program while exploring neighboring sights -
