Summer Palaces

Today we woke up to rain and cool temperatures (8c) but we knew it was going to be a glorious day as we were heading out of St. Petersburg to see two of the most famous summer palaces, Catherine’s Palace and Peterhof (Peters Court in German).  Unfortunately, we cannot take pictures inside Peterhof.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was added to Peterhof in 1747 by Empress Elizabeth, Peter the Great’s daughter, when she embarked on the reconstruction of her father’s original summer palace.

Peterhof not only has a lavish summer palace but is surrounded by 2,500 acres if sumptuous upper and lower gardens, a grand canal, waterfalls and fountains.  Rita is standing on one of the bridges that crosses the canal that flows into the Gulf of Finland with Peterhof palace behind her.

 

 Peterhof Palace with its terraced waterfalls and gilded fountains. 

 The centerpiece is Sampson’s Fountain erected in honour of Russia’s victory over Sweden in 1709.  The water and pressure to run the fountains comes from a spring located about 20 km above the Palace.  In 1720 a canal was built to bring the water down to Peterhof by gravity, ensuring the future of the estates fountains.

 Inside the courtyard, a corner of Catherine’s Palace

This is the entrance path to Catherine’s Summer Palace. I went to the gates to take this picture and could not get all of the building in the frame.  It is 300 meters in length (1,000 ft) and resembles the Winters Palace in St. Petersburg.  

 The over-the-top Baroque style grand ballroom.

 Informal dining room with its huge ceramic heater in the corner

It’s only May but huge crowds make their way along the hallways between the rooms