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The Summer Palace of Peter I is considered one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg. The house is in a very beautiful place called the Summer Garden. This park was laid out at the beginning of the 18th century, when the northern capital was just beginning to be built up. To work on his summer residence, Peter I invited eminent architects and garden masters. The king dreamed of building a Versailles-style garden here. Looking ahead, let's say that he succeeded and until now the Summer Garden remains one of the favorite places for tourists and residents of the city to relax.
The Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg is not splendid. This is a very modest building in the Baroque style, quite unlike the royal mansions.
Peter chose the place for the Summer Palace between the Neva and the Fontanka (in those years - the Nameless Yerik), just where the estate of the Swedish major Erich von Konow was located. It was here that a small two-story stone house was built according to the project of the architect Domenico Trezzini. True, initially Peter made the plan of the house on his own, and Trezzini only corrected it. It should be noted that the Summer Palace of Peter I is not distinguished by pomp. This is a very modest building in the Baroque style, quite unlike the royal mansions. The layout of both floors is exactly the same. There are only 14 rooms, 2 kitchens and 2 internal corridors. On the first floor there were rooms of the king, on the second - his wife Catherine. The owners used this house only in the warm season - from May to October. That is why the Summer Palace of Peter I has thin walls and single frames in the windows. The facade of the palace is decorated with 28 bas-reliefs depicting the events of the Northern War.
On the roof of the Summer Palace of Peter I there is a copper weather vane in the form of St. George the Victorious slaying a snake. The weather vane sets in motion the mechanism of the wind device located inside the house. The wind direction and strength were indicated on a special instrument panel. This device, unusual for that time, Peter I ordered in Dresden from the court mechanic.
Despite the external simplicity, the Summer Palace of Peter I had everything that was required for the needs of the sovereign. In the waiting room, he read letters, dealt with complaints, and occasionally received visitors. In the neighborhood there was a lathe and a machine tool, for which Peter worked, a bedroom, a dressing room, a kitchen, a dining room and a large assembly room. For the guilty, a punishment cell was provided. The interior decoration of the palace in allegorical form glorified the victory of Russia over the Swedes in the Northern War. On the second floor were Catherine's bedroom, a nursery, a room for ladies-in-waiting and a separate room for dancing.
Interestingly, in the Summer Palace of Peter I, a sewage system was equipped - the very first in all of St. Petersburg. The building was washed from three sides with water, which entered the house with the help of pumps. The flow of the Fontanka River served as the driving force behind the sewage system.
Next to the palace is another building - Human chambers. Here was located the famous Amber Room, a huge library and numerous collections of various things that Peter collected. For example, the anatomical collection of the Dutch scientist Ruysch was kept in the Human Chambers. In fact, this house housed a large museum: here the king brought various curiosities, mechanisms, many compasses, astronomical instruments, stones with inscriptions, household items of different peoples and much, much more.
The Summer Palace performed its main function as a country residence of the tsar until the middle of the 18th century. Then officials began to use it. For some time the palace even stood abandoned. This is what saved it from restructuring. In 1934, the historical and art museum was located here. The building was damaged during the Great Patriotic War. But a large-scale reconstruction in the mid-50s of the 20th century helped to completely restore the palace. Today the residence of the tsar is part of the Russian Museum, anyone can go inside and find out how Peter I lived.
Practical Information
Address of the Summer Garden: St. Petersburg, Kutuzova Embankment, 2. The nearest metro station is Gostiny Dvor. Entrance to the garden is free, opening hours - from 10.00 to 20.00. Day off - Tuesday.
The city, which is rightfully considered the cultural capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. Having visited it once, you want to return again and again. Every corner, every centimeter is saturated with the centuries-old history of the Russian Empire. Streets, squares, gardens, parks, bridges, museums and architectural monuments create a unique atmosphere in this city. Anyone who comes to St. Petersburg will be able to feel the unique harmony of the excellent settlement. The sights of St. Petersburg never cease to amaze its guests. Especially popular with tourists is the main pearl of which is the palace of Peter I, on which we will focus our attention.
The history of the appearance of the first Summer Palace
After the construction of the Admiralty began on the left bank of the Neva, residential buildings began to appear house after house. Peter I also chose a site for his residence - the territory on the coast of the Neva between the river Mya (Maika) and the Nameless Yerik (Fontanka). The first Summer Palace was a small wooden building. The plastered and painted building did not stand out among other buildings located in the neighborhood, and did not much resemble a royal residence.
Symbol of Russia's new policy
The victory near Poltava in 1709 meant a turning point in the Northern War in favor of the Russian army. In St. Petersburg, the hasty construction of numerous stone buildings began. During this period, the Lebyazhy Canal was laid, which connected the Moika with the Neva. As a result, a small island formed between the rivers. It was on this piece of land that Peter I decided to build a stone palace. By order of the tsar, a project was created, symbolizing the new political direction of Russia. The architect of the Summer Palace Trezzini proposed to arrange the building of the future royal residence in such a way that the same number of windows faced both west and east. Peter I approved this idea, and on August 18, 1710, the construction of the palace began, which was completed in April 1712.
Summer house
An amazing feature of this structure was that during its construction, the first sewerage system of the city was built. Water was supplied to the house with the help of pumps, and the drain went to the Fontanka. Since the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, the driving force was the flow of the river itself. However, after the flood that occurred in 1777, the small bay of Gavanets, located in front of the house, had to be filled up. This led to the fact that the first sewage system ceased to function.
First floor of the palace
The king moved to the Summer Palace, the photo of which is presented below, with his entire family immediately after the completion of construction and lived in it from spring to late autumn. He occupied six rooms located on the first floor, including a bedroom with a fireplace. Nearby was the reception room, where various meetings were held and important matters were decided. The favorite room of the king was a lathe with a machine tool, where the emperor mastered the craft of a carpenter in his spare time. He did not spare any strength for work and was proud that there were calluses on his hands.
Second floor of the palace
The Summer Palace of Peter the Great also had a second floor, which was reached by a massive oak staircase. There were six rooms in which the queen was accommodated with her ladies-in-waiting and children. The interior of the second floor was significantly different from the first, as there were great amount mirrors and paintings. Next to the bedroom of Catherine I was a beautifully decorated throne room, in which the queen decided her business. The Green Cabinet astonished visitors with its magnificent gilded finishes, numerous ivory and wood figurines, and amazingly beautiful Chinese frescoes. A special room was set aside for parties and dances.
Summer garden
Near the palace, a magnificent garden was laid out in 1720, which resembled a huge park. Beautiful alleys stretch through the entire territory of the garden. They share an array with beautifully trimmed trees and shrubs. Sculptures symbolizing Russia were installed throughout the territory. In addition, there were many marble busts in the garden, which were created by the best Italian masters. Particular attention was paid to the construction of fountains, which served as decoration of the palace territory. Due to the fact that the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, special boats were offered for walks.
historical memo
The king was very fond of the Summer Palace. It was here that he spent the last days of his life. In 1725, in the vestibule of the palace, there was an attack on Peter I, led by one of the schismatics, which ended in death. After the death of the Tsar, Catherine I never lived in the residence. For some time meetings were held here, but in the end the palace became a resting place for the imperial courtiers.
Everything beautiful is forever
After three centuries, the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg has remained virtually unchanged. Time has not made adjustments to the exterior decoration of the palace. To this day, not only the strict appearance of the building, built in the Baroque style, but also the summer frieze under the roof, consisting of twenty-nine bas-reliefs that separate the floors, has been preserved. Under the high hipped roof, drains built in the form of winged dragons have been preserved, and a weather vane in the form of St. George the Victorious has been installed on it, showing In addition to the external appearance, the main part of the interior decoration has been preserved: artistic carvings on the walls, painted ceilings and tiled stoves. The Green Study, the dining room and those rooms in which the royal ladies-in-waiting lived have almost the same look.
Tour of the Summer Palace
Today this palace is rightfully included in the section "The best sights of St. Petersburg". Thousands of tourists aspire to visit it. What can be seen in the palace?
The main decoration of the lobby is a large panel - a bas-relief of Minerva, carved from wood. It is impossible not to pay attention to the door, the platbands on which are made of black marble. It leads to a room that was once the reception room of the king. The next room is intended for batmen, it is not of particular interest. Next is the Assembly (Second reception room), the main decoration of which is the ceiling "Triumph of Russia". And between the windows there is an Admiralty chair, which previously belonged to Peter I. Behind the second reception room is a narrow room that once served as the king's dressing room.
Continuing to inspect the Summer Palace, let's move on to the next room - the emperor's study, where some more personal belongings of the king have been preserved. So, of interest is the gift of the English king George I - ships. In the corner there is an oak cabinet, on which a beautiful carving is applied. In the center is a huge table and an office chair. A door leads from the study to the royal bedroom. Here, the ceiling attracts attention, on which the god of sleep Morpheus is depicted, holding poppy heads in his hands. Looking at it, determining the purpose of the room is not difficult. There is a beautiful fireplace in the bedroom, in which, according to legend, the royal court jester Balakirev hid.
On the second floor, the most interesting will be the Green Cabinet, which has preserved all its decoration in its original form, we have already talked about it. In the corner there is a fireplace, on which sculptures of cupids are installed. After going to the dance room, you will enter the world of mirrors. A large walnut-framed mirror with a unique carving deserves special attention. In the children's room you can see the ceiling, which depicts a stork holding a snake in its beak, which symbolized the glorious reign of the heir and the death of enemies. Finally, you need to go to the throne room of Catherine, where her throne still stands.
The palace still has a cozy homely atmosphere that attracts many tourists. People come here not only to see this landmark of St. Petersburg and get acquainted with history. Many want to understand exactly how the emperor lived and what surrounded him.
Where is the Summer Palace and how to get to it
The palace is located at the address: Summer Garden, Building 3. To get to this place, you need to get to the Gostiny Dvor metro station. After that, go along Sadovaya Street to the Swan Canal embankment. It is necessary to go in the direction of reducing the numbering of houses. Near the embankment and is the entrance to the Summer Garden.
K. P. Beggrov. View of the palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden. Lithograph based on a drawing by V. S. Sadovnikov. 1830
About Peter's residence in the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg.
It seems that a rare researcher involved in the "Summer House" - that was the name of the palace of Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century - did not complain about the lack of sources related to this building by the architect D. Trezzini. “About the construction [of the Summer Palace] no correct information has been preserved,” wrote the writer A. P. Bashutsky in 1839. “The history of the Summer Palace has not yet been clarified,” summed up at the beginning of the 20th century art critic I. E. Grabar. “The early history of the royal summer residence is full of legends,” archaeologist V. A. Korentsvit echoes them. Pushed into the corner of the Summer Garden, the small two-story house of the tsar looked least of all like the residence of an all-powerful monarch. “Peter I laid it down more for his own entertainment than to build an imperial palace,” noted the Swedish scientist K. R. Berk in 1735. The Prussian official J. G. Fokkerodt, who apparently visited the palace during Peter's lifetime, even calls the Trezenian creation "a miserable house, in no way commensurate with everything else." According to him, the Summer Palace was "so cramped that a wealthy nobleman would probably not want to fit in it." Fokkerodt considered the reason for this to be the bad taste of the Russian monarch, who loved small, low chambers. “The drawing presented by one Dutch architect, with cramped rooms and successfully gaining free space,” writes an official about some Peter’s building, “permanently retained Peter’s advantage over the plan that one Italian or French architect drew with great taste.” Sometimes the opinion is expressed that the tsar, who built himself such an outwardly inconspicuous palace, wanted to live in it as a private person, while the palace of Prince A. D. Menshikov had “representative functions”. This is hardly true. Sources report: the summer residence of Peter I was visited by foreign ambassadors, prominent dignitaries, and architects. For example, in October 1722, “in the Summer House of His Imperial Majesty<…>there was a consultation” on stone construction in St. Petersburg, where, in addition to the tsar, the head of the office of city affairs U. A. Sinyavin and architects D. Trezzini and Stefan van Zwieten were present. Amusements also took place here: the Scot P. G.Bruce, who served under Peter I, reports that he often gave balls and arranged receptions in his Summer Palace, “and not at Prince Menshikov’s, as before.” Audiences of ambassadors also took place in the Summer Palace, which is mentioned by one of the participants in the Polish embassy who visited St. Petersburg in 1720. The testimony of an unknown author, who appears in the literature as an “eye-witness Pole,” is extremely valuable, since it is the only description of the inner chambers of the Summer Palace of the era of Peter I. The tsar led the ambassador to the palace, “very beautifully decorated with various Chinese upholstery.” In three rooms, the Pole saw velvet beds with a wide braid, a lot of mirrors and decorations. The floor is marble. The kitchen is “like rooms in other palaces.” In the kitchen there are pumps for water supply, cabinets for silver and pewter utensils. Getting acquainted with the "equipment" of the royal kitchen, you involuntarily come to the conclusion: it was with the construction of the Summer Palace that Peter finally got a well-established life. In any case, now the words of the Danish envoy J. Jul, who wrote in 1709 about the first winter palace the following: “The king ate at his house. It is curious that his cook ran around the city from house to house, borrowing dishes from someone, tablecloths from someone, plates from someone, food supplies from someone, because the king did not bring anything with him. The following fact is also noteworthy: although Peter had already lived in his new residence for several years, it was still not finished - obviously, the constant absence from the capital due to the wars prevented Peter from controlling the process of finishing the palace. At the same time, the monarch could not fail to notice how quickly the palace of A. D. Menshikov was being rebuilt and modified, which caused the highest discontent. The Austrian resident in Russia, O. Pleyer, reports on the scolding that Peter I arranged for the Most Serene Prince on the name day of the latter, November 23, 1714. Having reproached the favorite for numerous wastes, the tsar in anger threw to him: “You, prince, always build well: at the end of summer you ordered half of your house to be demolished, and by winter it has already been rebuilt again, and not like the old one, but better and taller. You also started a guest house at the end of the summer, which is larger than mine, and yours is more than half finished, but mine is not.” Researchers often agree that the palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden is an imitation of country Dutch villas. Indeed, in the explication to the plan of the 1740s from the collection of Trinity College in Dublin (Ireland), this palace is designated as “the Dutch estate in which Tsar Peter I lived with his whole family.” By the way, a statement on this score by the owner of the “Dutch estate”, heard by an eyewitness, has been preserved. Apparently, Peter did not consider the Trezzinian chambers as the final option, but thought in the future - probably after the end of the war with Sweden - to build a residence in the garden more appropriate to his dignity: “Let's live for a while, as good Dutch citizens live,” he said to Catherine, “But as soon as I manage my affairs, I will build you a palace, and then we will live, as it is proper for sovereigns to live.” According to the Travel Journals of Peter I, the royal family moved from the Winter Palace to the Summer Palace in April or May (apparently, depending on the weather). For example, in 1715 the move took place on April 16, and in 1720 on May 21. They returned to the "winter apartments" with the first cold weather, which came in October. Following the family, the “Cabinet-Office” headed by A. V. Makarov moved, apparently occupying the first floor of the People’s Chambers adjacent to the palace (in the inventory of this building on the first floor, under No.
The Summer Palace of Peter I is one of the most interesting sights of Northern Palmyra, which has more than 300 years of history. At the time of the founding of the city, this was the name of a small wooden house in which the emperor lived. In the future, this name also passed to the building located between the Fontanka and Moika rivers on Admiralteysky Island. The Summer Palace is the pioneer of stone buildings in the city. Famous European architects D. Trezzini and German sculptor Andreas Schlüter participated in its creation.
The tsar ordered the building to be built in such a way that it would clearly symbolize Russia's readiness for effective cooperation both with the East and with Western countries. To implement this kind of idea, six windows of the house overlooked the West, and six others - to the East, showing Russia's respect for the interests of countries in both parts of the world.
The building of the Summer Palace is not distinguished by defiant luxury - it is strict, with a hipped roof, built in the exact proportions of the Baroque style. It symbolizes the possibility of rest and work, rather than the setting for luxurious balls and social receptions. By the way, it was in the Summer Palace that the first sewage system in the city was launched, whose driving system was the Fontanka River.
The exterior of the palace
The friezes of the facades that outwardly delimit the floors are beautifully decorated with bas-reliefs telling about Russia's successes in the military field. In the image of the ancient Greek hero Perseus, we can recognize Peter I himself. The bas-relief above the main entrance from the side of the garden depicts the Greek goddess of wisdom, the patroness of sciences and crafts, Athena ( Rome.- Minerva) surrounded by all sorts of banners and trophies.
interior
The interior is such that there are seven rooms on each floor. On the first floor there were the king's chambers, a reception room, his study, a batman's room, an assembly room (a large room, a second reception room), a dressing room, a kitchen and a kitchen. As you know, Peter owned 14 crafts and liked to work in a lathe, which was also equipped in the palace on the ground floor. On the second floor there were chambers for the wife and children of the emperor, a dining room, a dressing room. Of great interest is the Green Room, which has retained its appearance to this day. It is decorated with gilded pilasters, wooden carvings and other unique bas-reliefs and sculptures.
After the death of the emperor, the Supreme Privy Council of Catherine I began to sit in the palace, which discussed all the decrees. After the short years of her reign, the building was abandoned and did not participate in the restructuring of the city. Perhaps that is why we can now admire the true interiors of the 18th century. In 1934, a historical and art museum was opened in the building. After the Great Patriotic War, the building, which had suffered from the bombings, was restored anew. Now the emperor's residence, together with the Summer Garden, is part of the exposition of the Russian Museum.
St. Petersburg is rich in sights. The Summer Palace is located in the heart of the city. Therefore, you can visit the Russian Museum, located nearby, take a walk along the Field of Mars, Mikhailovsky and Summer Gardens, or just stand on Palace embankment. Especially in summer, during the white nights, it is never boring here.
How to get there:
The nearest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor and Chernyshevskaya. The closest ground transportation stop to the sights is the “Summer Garden” on the Swan Kanavka embankment. You can get to it by buses 46 and 49, by tram number 3 and fixed-route taxi number 76.
