"Petergof" a Petrodvorets Travel Page by kris-t

Petergof is located on the southern shore of the Finnish Gulf 29 kilometers away from St.Petersburg. Petergof is an immensely luxurious and beautifully preserved Imperial estate. It combines several ornate palaces, a number of beautifully landscaped parks and a dazzling array of magnificent statues and fountains, lending it the epithet "The Russian Versailles". Petergof is a historical and architectonic monument of the 18th - 19th centuries.

Its construction started in 1714. During ten years the Lower Park with its canals and the Upper Park were laid out. The Upper Garden is a pretty baroque "formal garden". The focal point of both the Lower Park and the Upper Garden is the magnificent Grand Palace ("Bolshoi Dvorets") with the Grand Cascade ("Bolshoi Kaskad") in front of it. The original palace was built for Peter the Great between 1714 and 1725 and was later remodeled by the Baroque architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect of the Winter Palace in the center of St.Petersburg. Despite all the damage done to the Grand Palace during WWII, its interiors were meticulously restored to their former glory and are truly breathtaking.

The palace-ensemble and the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.