Summer Palace of Peter 1 - history of creation. The Palace of Peter I in the Summer Garden opened after restoration
Address: Summer Garden, Lit.A
Opening hours: 12.00, 14.00, 16.00
Cost: 200-400 rub.
Among the palace buildings of St. Petersburg Peter's era The early 18th century Summer Palace of Peter the Great occupies worthy place. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has survived to this day practically in the state of the original source, the same as it was under Peter. And where, if not in this palace, can you touch time? Petra, to his personality, which is expressed in the modesty of the household environment, in household items and in interiors.
The palace has been preserved in an unaltered form due to the fact that no subsequent rulers lived in it after Peter and Catherine the First. Each new empress, and there were several after Peter, built her own individual housing. The premises in the Summer Palace are especially well preserved Green office, dining room and maid of honor's quarters. The main exhibits of the museum were the surviving personal belongings of Peter the Great and his wife.
History of the palace
It must be said that Peter the Great began the development of the island part of the future St. Petersburg on the opposite Peter and Paul Fortress shore from the construction of the Admiralty fortress-shipyard and from the creation of a clearing road to the Novgorod tract (future Nevsky Prospekt). In parallel with these important tasks for the future of the city, Peter is developing the idea of creating a Summer Garden at the junction of the Fontanka and the Neva, envisioning creating a beautiful garden-park like the famous Versailles.
Summer Palace in Summer Garden from the time of Peter the Great (engraving)
The rather modest Summer Palace of the Emperor is also being built here. After all, being close to the park being created, it was easier for Peter to control the gardening work, and living in the gardening area in the summer and at the same time being within the city was quite practical and comfortable.
Built a two-story palace for Peter the Great D. Trezzini in the form Dutch house. Like all existing buildings of that period, the Summer Palace was built in the style Peter's Baroque. Judging by the austere appearance of the building, it is immediately clear that the palace was created not for ceremonial receptions, but for the private residence of the imperial couple. The building has clear proportions, many windows and a hipped roof. The ground floor has sunk into the ground over time, which is why the palace seems low.
The facade of the palace is decorated with allegorical images Northern War scenes, which was still ongoing at that time. On two sides the palace faces the Neva and Fontanka, and on the third it was equipped with an artificial reservoir for small galleys. Thanks to being surrounded by water, the Palace resembled a floating ship.
"Havanese" occupied a small area in front of the Palace
This palace was immediately intended for summer residence emperor, so it was not insulated enough. Peter lived here with his wife Ekaterina since 1712 annually from May to October. The fact that Peter did not build himself a new city summer residence suggests that he was quite comfortable in this small palace.
What to see in the Summer Palace
Due to purely family living, there are no state rooms for balls and receptions in the palace and there are 7 small rooms on each of the two floors. residential premises. Peter himself occupied the first floor, his wife’s chambers were on the second, warmer floor. In total, the palace had 14 rooms and 2 kitchens (cooks).
All rooms of the palace with restored interior design preserve the atmosphere of family comfort that reigned in the Summer Palace. Peter himself, his wife, and their children lived here for a long time. In these small rooms, Peter the Great conducted family conversations, was distracted from imperial affairs and felt like just the father of the family.
The entrance to the Summer Palace is located from the former “Havanese” side, and its inspection begins from the lobby of the first floor.
Ground floor rooms
Lobby The first floor is decorated with carved oak panels, which are divided by pilasters. Here are portraits of Peter's most prominent associates - Menshikov, P. Tolstoy and other figures of Peter's reforms.
A little further you can see Reception Peter, where he received visitors with written and oral complaints. Nearby there was a secretary's room and the duty officer's room. In the Reception Room there is Peter’s desk with writing instruments and pieces of office furniture.
Of greatest interest to all visitors to Peter and today’s tourists is the unique Wind device, showing the time of day, wind strength and direction. It was a very accurate navigational instrument and has a hidden connection to a weather vane mounted on the roof. By the way, this device is still in working order! Its three glass panels are set among a carved wooden figure that closely resembles the stern of a departing ship.
Located on the first floor and Punishment cell for those punished for offenses, in which the emperor himself put them under arrest, and then he himself released them.
Of undoubted interest from the rooms on the first floor are Dining room and Kitchen (cookhouse). They are located next to each other, which is quite unusual for that time. The dining room is a purely family eating area, although Peter usually invited one or two guests to dinner - he loved to chat during the feast. During the tour, visitors will learn that Peter was very fond of porridge (buckwheat and pearl barley) and other simple dishes.
Kitchen The palace is a very advanced food preparation area for that time. Here you can see a huge hood, which did not allow food odors to creep into the personal imperial chambers. The cooking area is decorated with Dutch tiles and looks very presentable.
In the Kitchen today everything is the same as it was under Peter the Great
Interestingly, there was a water supply here, as a large black granite stone tells us. sink in the corner of the Kitchen. There is also a large cutting table. Ready meals were served through a window in the door connecting the Kitchen with the Dining Room.
One of the interesting rooms on the first floor is Bedroom Petra. His bed has been preserved, but this moment it is under restoration, and exhibits are displayed in his bedchamber outerwear Tsar - Ceremonial camisole, Cloak and his favorite uniform of a Dutch sailor (in the center).
In all rooms you can see fabric wallpaper, Dutch-made tiles, and amazing furniture from the early 18th century. Once upon a time here, as in Winter Palace Peter the Great, there was a lathe, which the emperor loved to work on in his free time. Is here and The right office- this is what Peter the Great called the toilet room, which was equipped with a sewer system from the Fontanka channel.
In some palace rooms, interior details from the time of Peter the Great have miraculously survived. These include tiles Dutch tiles that line the walls of the cook's premises, picturesque lampshades artist G. Gzella, carved panel and the Green Study's stucco fireplace.
Second floor rooms
A rather steep staircase leads to the Empress's chambers, located on the second floor, which is a bit like a ship's gangway. After all, Peter wanted to see his palace as some kind of frigate!
The second floor, allocated to Catherine and her children, was divided into a dressing room, a bedroom, a nursery, a room for ladies-in-waiting, a dance hall and a throne room. Of all these small rooms, the one that stands out the most is Green office, decorated with painting inserts and stucco and gilded decorations.
In the numerous cabinets of the Green Cabinet, Peter displayed various foreign curiosities, which he brought from abroad himself, or which came to him in the form of gifts. In a way, the Green Cabinet became the predecessor of the Kunstkamera, created by Peter in the form of the first Russian natural science museum.
You can also see on the second floor Catherine's bedroom The first one, whose bed is currently under restoration. One of the interesting exhibits in the Bedroom is mirror, edged with a wooden carved decorative frame. It is believed that this frame was carved by Peter the Great himself! After all, the reformer king mastered 14 crafts and did not shy away from any kind of work.
Available on the second floor Children's room, in which the son of Peter and Catherine grew up, a very playful and nimble boy, who should eventually become the Russian emperor. Unfortunately, he was destined to live only 4 years. Eat Dance hall, in which Peter’s daughters were taught modern dancing, because Peter, who loved dance evenings, wanted his daughters to be able to dance well. There is also another kitchen room on the second floor.
As already noted, in many palace rooms, interior details from the time of Peter miraculously survived. These include Dutch tiles that line the walls of the cook's premises, picturesque lampshades by the artist G. Gsell, carved panels and a stucco fireplace in the Green Office.
From the windows of the second floor you can admire the alleys of the Summer Garden and imagine that Peter himself once looked out of these windows at the emerging “Russian Versailles”.
What did Peter dream about while looking through these windows? How did you imagine the future of Russia and the city he created?
Summer Palace – branch of the Russian Museum
Peter's Summer Palace is one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg and a unique monument Russian history and culture. It's interesting that already Alexander the First Peter's Palace was opened for public inspection. And in 1840, a partial restoration and systematization of existing historical values was carried out.
During Great Patriotic War The palace building was heavily damaged, especially the roof and window frames. Immediately after the war, repairs to the palace began, which grew into large-scale restoration. A new restoration was carried out in 2014-2018. Today the Summer Palace is a branch of the Russian Museum and is open to numerous tourists of the Northern capital on all days except Tuesday.
The Summer Palace is located in the Summer Garden, but you can visit it only as part of excursion groups that are organized at 12, 14 and 16 hours. Over time, evening excursions will also be planned. The groups are small and tickets run out quickly, so if you want to visit the museum, it is better to first buy a ticket, and then, while waiting for the excursion, take a walk along the amazing alleys of the Summer Garden.
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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 Summer Garden. This park was laid out at the beginning of the 18th century, when Northern capital They were just starting to build. Peter I invited famous architects and gardeners to work on his summer residence. The Tsar dreamed of arranging a garden here in the Versailles style. Looking ahead, let's say that he succeeded and to this day the Summer Garden remains one of the favorite vacation spots for tourists and city residents.
The Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg is not distinguished by its splendor. This is a very modest building in the Baroque style, completely different from the royal mansions.
The place for Summer Palace Peter chose between the Neva and the Fontanka (in those years - the Nameless Erik), exactly where the estate of the Swedish major Erich von Konow was located. It was here that a small two-story stone house designed by the architect Domenico Trezzini. True, Peter initially made the house plan on his own, and Trezzini only corrected it. It is worth noting that the Summer Palace of Peter I is not distinguished by its splendor. This is a very modest building in the Baroque style, completely different from the royal mansions. The layout of both floors is exactly the same. There are only 14 rooms, 2 kitchens and 2 internal corridors. The tsar's rooms were located on the first floor, and his wife Catherine's on the second. The owners used this house only for warm time- from May to October. That is why the Summer Palace of Peter I has thin walls and single frames in the windows. The façade 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 serpent. The weather vane sets in motion the mechanism of the wind device located inside the house. A special display panel indicated the direction and strength of the wind. Peter I ordered this unusual device for that time in Dresden from the court mechanic.
Despite its outward simplicity, the Summer Palace of Peter I had everything that was required for the needs of the sovereign. In the reception room he read letters, dealt with complaints and sometimes received visitors. Next door there was a lathe and a lathe, at which Peter worked, a bedroom, a dressing room, a kitchen, a dining room and a large room - the assembly. A punishment cell was provided for those who were guilty. The interior decoration of the palace glorified Russia's victory over the Swedes in the Northern War in allegorical form. On the second floor there was Catherine's bedroom, a children's room, a room for maids of honor and a separate room for dancing.
It is interesting that the Summer Palace of Peter I was equipped with a sewerage system - the very first in all of St. Petersburg. The building was washed on three sides by water, which entered the house using pumps. The flow of the Fontanka River served as the driving force for the sewerage system.
Next to the palace there is another building - the Human Quarters. Here was 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 nations and much, much more.
The Summer Palace served its main function as the Tsar's country residence until the mid-18th century. Then officials began to use it. For some time the palace even stood abandoned. This is what saved it from perestroika. In 1934, a 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 Tsar's residence is part of the Russian Museum; anyone can go inside and find out how Peter I lived.
Practical information
Summer Garden address: St. Petersburg, Kutuzov embankment, 2. The nearest metro station is Gostiny Dvor. Entrance to the garden is free, opening hours are from 10.00 to 20.00. Day off is Tuesday.
Cultural heritage Russian Federation: imperial palaces. Part 1Summer Palace of Peter I
Until 1703, here, near the Neva and Fontanka, there was the estate of the Swedish officer Konau. After the founding of St. Petersburg, in 1704, the summer residence of Peter I, which became known as the Summer Garden, was located on the site of the estate. At the same time, a wooden house was built here for him. This house was built on the very corner, in the place where the Fontanka flows from the Neva. A small havanese was dug from the Fontanka near the Summer House of Peter I, thus surrounding it with water on three sides. The water approached the very porch of the building. 
Cabinet
The Summer Palace of Peter I is the name of the residence of Peter I that has survived to this day in its original form. It is located in the Summer Garden (St. Petersburg).
On August 18, 1710, the architect Domenico Trezzini began to build a new stone Summer Palace of Peter I on the site of a wooden one. This house was built in the Dutch style, as Peter I loved. It became one of the first stone residential buildings in St. Petersburg, along with the Menshikov Palace and Golovkin's house. Construction of the Summer Palace of Peter I took four years 
Lower kitchen
On the first floor of the Summer Palace there were Peter's chambers, on the second - his wife Catherine and children. On the ground floor there was the king's reception room. Here he accepted written requests and oral complaints. A punishment cell was set up next to the reception area, where Peter personally shoved the guilty and then released them himself. From the reception room one could get into a large “assembly” room. 
Writing instrument of Peter I 
Staircase to the chambers of Empress Catherine I. 
Upper kitchen 
Green office 
Chinese living room 
Children's 
Catherine I's bedroom 
Throne room 
Reception room of Catherine I
Peter I lived in this house only from May to October. That’s why the palace is called the Summer Palace and has fairly thin walls. There are 14 rooms, two kitchens and two corridors. The ceiling height is only 3.3 meters. One of Peter I’s favorite rooms in the Summer Palace was the turning room. Her household was managed by the famous mechanic Andrei Nartov 
Turning 
The first sewerage system in St. Petersburg appeared in the Summer Palace. Water was supplied to the house by pumps and flowed into the Fontanka. The operation of the flowing sewer system was facilitated by the fact that the building was washed on three sides by water, the driving force being the flow of the Fontanka. After the flood of 1777, Havanets was filled up and the sewerage system ceased to function. 
Dining room
In the lobby of the Summer Palace, an attempt was made on Peter I by one of the schismatics. After this, his fellow believers were ordered to wear a piece of red and yellow fabric on their clothes in order to distinguish them from other people. 
Since 1934, a historical and everyday life museum has been operating in the Summer Palace. The decoration of the premises was created by artists A. Zakharov, I. Zavarzin, F. Matveev.
Painting "Summer Palace of Peter I". Series “Views of St. Petersburg”. Paper, watercolor, ink. State Hermitage Museum. Gift of the artist to Emperor Alexander I (1810) Andrey Efimovich Martynov
The Summer Palace was built in the Baroque style. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The two-story palace is quite modest and consists of only fourteen rooms and two kitchens.
The facade of the palace is decorated with 29 bas-reliefs, which depict the events of the Northern War in allegorical form. The bas-reliefs were made by the German architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter.
Peter moved into the partially finished palace in 1712 and lived there in the summer until his death (1725). He occupied the ground floor, and the premises on the second floor were intended for Catherine. After the death of Peter, until the middle of the 19th century, the palace was used as a summer residence for dignitaries and courtiers. 
Navigation devices from the time of Peter I are still in use today
In 1934, a historical and everyday life museum was opened in the palace building. 
During the Great Patriotic War, the building suffered: frames were torn out, plaster on the ceilings of rooms and on the facade fell off, the roof was damaged by shell fragments. Restoration of the palace began in 1946. In 1947, the museum was reopened to the public. In the 1950-1960s, a full-scale restoration was carried out in order to restore the original appearance of the palace, including replacing the floors, changing the heating system, restoring the sculpting, the design of the lampshades, and returning the fabric upholstery to the walls.
Currently the museum is a branch of the Russian Museum.
Address - Summer Garden, 3
Photo - S.N. Kudas
Winter Palace of Peter I
I enter the Palace, where there is silence,
Light candlelight as at that time
And the spirit meets me Peter's era,
And history is a long burden.
Leonid Vstrechny
Unknown Italian (?) artist, based on a drawing by M.I. Makhaeva. View of the Winter Palace. Fragment of the Winter Palace of Peter I - the personal residence of Emperor Peter I, built on the Neva embankment near the Winter Canal, an architectural and memorial architectural monument of the early 18th century, partially preserved and located in the building of the Hermitage Theater, included in the museum complex of the State Hermitage.
Front arcade
On the site of Admiralty Island, adjacent to the courtyard of the shipwright Feodosius Sklyaev, between the present Millionnaya Street and the Neva embankment, the Wedding Chambers of Peter I were built in 1712, located on the Upper Embankment, which then ran approximately in the middle of the block.
However, after 4 years, the Winter Court of Peter I expanded significantly to the north: piles were driven along the shallow waters of the river and a new embankment, which still exists today, was built: “... when the Millionnaya Line embankment began to be built with stone chambers, then this line of the structure moved onto the Neva River for several fathoms, then the aforementioned tents of the previous structure remained in the yard"
G. Mattarnovi. Facade project. 1716
Peter I conceived the new Winter House on the newly organized embankment as a personal residence that fully corresponded to his lifestyle and tastes. In 1716, architect Georg Mattarnovi created a project and began construction. The royal family remains to live in the old palace - the Wedding Chambers.
Location Features
The seemingly random position of the palace among the usual ordinary buildings of philistine houses was in fact surprisingly well chosen by Peter I themselves. It is from here that the most impressive panoramas of the Neva in front of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, the distant banks of the Big Neva and the space of the Little Neva stretching out to the sea are revealed: “. ..the palace is located so that from it one can see most of the city, the fortress, the house of Prince Menshikov, and especially the open sea across the river branch.”
- Description of the capital city of St. Petersburg // White Nights. L., 1975. P. 213. 
The main facade, facing the Neva, was far from the ceremonial representativeness of the palaces of St. Petersburg nobles, reminiscent of a respectable burgher's dwelling. The central risalit with four windows on the first floor is rusticated, and on the second it is decorated with pilasters of the Doric order.
In the triangular pediment, two allegorical figures supported a cartouche for the coat of arms, surmounted by a crown. The side parts of the facade with wide blades between the windows are decorated with panels with garlands. The roof is of the Dutch type (with a fracture), above the risalit is in the form of a tent with a decorative vase. The rooms did not exceed 18 square meters. m, and only in the front building facing the Neva, the Great Hall had an area of 75 square meters. m, and the corner one to the Winter Canal is 41 sq. m. m. Note the L-shaped corridor separating the king’s rooms.
The front yard and sleigh of Peter I
Returning in March 1718 after a trip to Europe, Peter I made adjustments to the design of the new palace, ordering “to make... eight chambers of the upper housing” in “small tents”
According to Mattarnovi's sketches, the palace was magnificently decorated using red marble on the walls of the Great Hall, plaster reliefs, oak doors and window frames. The palace had four oak staircases and floors - "French style with frames." In February 1720, the palace was ready.
Isolated from neighboring buildings (including the Wedding Tents), the palace complex also included a service building with a gallery, a boathouse for storing and repairing the sailing boat of Peter I.
Basement in the central part of the palace
Between the boathouse and the living quarters of the palace there was a Havanese (7.5x16 m) and a tiny (16x19 m) parterre flower garden with a fountain at the intersection of the diagonal paths was built. The patio was lined with Dutch yellow brick.
Small tents of the Winter House of Peter I. Architect G. Mattarnovi, 1716
The architect Georg Johann Mattarnovi died suddenly on November 2, 1719, while the palace was in the midst of construction. Whether N.F. Gerbel or B.F. Rastrelli were among his successors is not documented.
Garden stroller of Peter I
In the period from 1719 to 1722, the central and eastern parts of the front building of the state halls facing the Neva were built. Matarnovi refused any identification of intermediate parts connecting the three risalits, and made them extremely small - only three windows. However, visually they appear larger thanks to two more windows, which are compositionally related to the side projections. The new extended and generally solemn façade organically included West Side palace, built earlier and already representing one whole. To achieve unity, this western “burgher” façade of the Mattarnovi Winter House is repeated as an eastern risalit. 
VIEW OF THE OLD WINTER PALACE IN WHICH PETER I DIED. Engraving by E. Vinogradov from a drawing by M. Makhaev. 1753.
The architect concentrated the entire effect of the royal residence in the center, repeating the well-known effect of the three-span triumphal arch of the Roman Caesars. Powerful columns of the Corinthian order on high pedestals adjoin paired pilasters and form a Baroque, skyward portico of four pillars carrying a strongly loosened entablature.
The main plastic element is the attic with a spectacular finish. Tall, complex with numerous projections and wests, emphasized by panels, it also carries three magnificent Baroque cartouches along the continuation of the window axes. The central cartouche, decorated with figures and a large crown rising on a pedestal, has the complex outlines characteristic of German art. On the axes of the columns and on the attic there are four statues with attributes characteristic of the allegories of Peter the Great’s time.
With the construction of the Winter Palace of Peter I, the time of modest royal dwellings ends - this palace becomes the most solemn in St. Petersburg. At the same time, with all its divisions, scale, window sizes and cornice heights, the palace is organically connected with the surrounding buildings along the Neva embankment, which gives reason to talk about laying the foundations of ensemble architecture, characteristic of the St. Petersburg architecture of the subsequent era.
By the autumn of 1723, the new part of the palace was ready. On November 24, here, in the new Cavalier Hall, a great feast took place, ending with a wonderful fireworks display on the ice of the Neva. And on December 9, in the Great Palace Hall, in the presence of the entire court and many close associates, the betrothal of the Duke of Holstein to the eldest daughter of Peter I, Anna, took place. The Great Hall was very large - 17.95 by 11.56 meters, height - 6.69 meters. The walls were completed with a frieze and cornice, which were crowned with a paduga. Five large chandeliers hung from a rectangular panel on the ceiling. It was this hall that became the “Sad” or “Funeral Salo” of Peter the Great.
In 1725, Peter I died in this palace.
After the death of the Tsar in 1726 - 1727, on the orders of Catherine I, the palace was expanded by Domenico Trezzini towards Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street. A square of service buildings is also being built along the perimeter of the site, and the Havanese is filled in. Instead of numerous, different-time and different-character buildings located on the site, it was necessary to create a two-story building of considerable length with rhythmically articulated modest facades overlooking the canal and Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street, where it was planned to build an arch to enter the large front courtyard. Everything was done with incredible haste.
Some work continued after the death of Catherine I; interiors were created for Peter II. The last changes in appearance date back to 1731 in connection with the return of the court to St. Petersburg from Moscow. However, Anna Ioannovna settled in Apraksin’s house, which stood on the same Upper Embankment, but closer to the Admiralty. Subsequently, the Old Winter Palace was used for various needs of the imperial court, and under Elizabeth Petrovna, a life campaign company was stationed there, with the help of which the daughter of Peter I took the royal throne. At the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage Theater was built on this site.
Small tents of Peter's Winter House
It seemed that Peter's Winter Palace was lost and buried forever under the new theater building of the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The research undertaken by Nicholas I, oddly enough, did not produce results and our ancestors forgot for a long time about the palace that once existed.
The first architectural studies were carried out by the chief architect of the Hermitage V. P. Lukin and a researcher in his department E. M. Bazhenova in 1976, 1979 and 1981. A series of soundings laid across the building of the Hermitage Theater made it possible to identify the boundaries of the old walls of Peter the Great’s palace, the so-called “Small Tents”. Subsequent excavations and field surveys carried out in 1985-1987 made it possible to carry out a graphic reconstruction and, using extensive documentary material, to determine the stages of construction of the Winter House of Peter I. The group of researchers included architects G. V. Mikhailov, V. K. Galochkin, I. V. Burkovskaya, V. V. Efimov.
Painting by Paul Delaroche "Peter the Great"
Research carried out by architects showed that during the construction of the Hermitage Theater (1783-1789), Quarenghi preserved individual walls of the basement and first floors of Peter the Great's palace, as well as entire groups of premises for various purposes. In the space under the theater stage, a part of the front courtyard was discovered, surrounded on both sides by arcades of bypass galleries and enfilades of rooms of the Winter Palace.
The plot of land adjacent to the facade, when recreated, is lined with clinker bricks, as it was under Peter I, and in the higher part of the courtyard - with cobblestones (mid-18th century). On the surface of the walls, which preserved elements of architectural decor - rustication and medallions, under layers of plaster of a later time, particles of paint were discovered, in accordance with the color of which the walls were painted in our time.
Several rooms of the first floor of the “Small Tents” of Peter I have also been preserved. In three of them, historical interiors have been recreated, and the decoration of the rooms has been restored according to documents describing the work carried out in them: wall panels made of Dutch tiles, type-setting parquet floors, oak shutters and window frames. In the office of Peter I, the stove and fireplace were preserved, the tiled decoration of which was also restored “in the Dutch style.” The furnishings are made up of items that belonged to Peter I, which are kept in the Hermitage collection.
In addition, on two floors of the theater along the Winter Canal, twelve residential chambers of the “Newly Built Chambers” of Empress Catherine I, created by Domenico Trezzini in 1726-1727, have been preserved. A permanent exhibition was opened in the restored premises of the palace in 1992. Entrance for visitors from the side Palace Embankment(house no. 32). Opening hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10.30 - 17.00; Sunday 10.30 - 16.00; day off - Monday. Among the uncovered and restored interiors, the following exhibitions should be noted:
Cabinet
Interior decorated with map Baltic Sea and paintings: “View of the New Bridge in Paris” (H. Mommers) and “Portrait of Peter I” (Peter van der Werf). The desk of Peter I was made in England according to the Tsar's drawing. On it you can see a telescope, a sun and mechanical clock, an inkwell, a sandbox, as well as an amber box presented to Peter I by the Prussian king Frederick William I.
Dining room
The interior is decorated with Flemish tapestry and paintings by Dutch artists of the 17th century. On the table there is a Chinese porcelain dish, a Dutch crystal goblet with engraving, a refrigerator bucket from Augsburg with a bottle of wine, found here during excavations of the central part of the palace. Between the windows is an English clock with a miniature portrait.
Turning
The main attraction is the lathe and copying machine.
Front yard
Here you can see the carnival sleigh and garden carriage of Peter I - a rare example of a pleasure carriage from the early 18th century
Wax person of Peter I
Under the once existing “Funeral Salo”, where Peter the Great was buried, the premises of the palace guardhouse (guardhouse) have been preserved, in which it was decided to display the “Wax Person”. Peter I died on January 29, 1725 in the “Kontorka” - a study located in the western part of the palace. Immediately after the death of the emperor, K. B. Rastrelli removed the plaster mask from his face and made casts of his hands and feet. Based on these casts and a mask, in 1725 he created “Persona”
Before the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703, the banks of the Neva were by no means deserted.
Upstream, life was seething in the city of Nyen, and in the place where the Fontanka River branched from the Neva there was a rich estate of a Swedish major who served in the Nyenschanz fortress.
The estate was called Konau Manor, and the Russians called it “Kononova Estate”.
On this site, after the founding of the city, Peter’s summer residence was built.
One should not assume that the banks of the Neva were inhabited by Swedes, who were expelled by Tsar Peter as a result of the war. Almost next to the Kononova estate stood the completely Russian village “Usadishchi”.
In contrast to the surrounding swampy area, the territory of the estate was landscaped not only from the point of view of noble amenities, but also quite utilitarianly: the field was plowed, fertilized and had a good vegetable garden.
On the basis of this vegetable garden (when there was no longer a need for it), in 1706 the Summer Garden, which became famous throughout the country, began to be planted around the palace.
At first, the building of the royal house was wooden; a canal was dug from the Fontanka River to it, thus, for safety, the estate was surrounded on three sides by water.
Since the main events of the beginning of the construction of St. Petersburg unfolded on the other side of the Neva, a small mooring bay was organized in front of the Summer Palace, which was called Gavanets.
In 1710, according to the design of the architect Domenico Trezzini, a stone Summer Palace was built.
Architect Schlüter decorated the façade of the new building with bas-reliefs depicting the events of the Northern War.
Peter commissioned the same architect to furnish the interiors of the palace, but Schlüter died after devoting only a year of his life to the palace.
Peter's wife and children lived on the second floor, and the king's chambers were located on the first. There was also a reception room where he received petitions, and a punishment cell where the tsar personally imprisoned the guilty, and from where he himself released them.
It was in the lobby of the Summer Palace that the first attempt on Peter's life was made by schismatics.
And Peter’s favorite room in the palace was the turning workshop.
The palace was called “Summer” because the royal family moved here in May and lived until October.
The walls were quite thin and there was no heating. But the first sewage system in St. Petersburg was installed in the Summer Palace.
It was flowing, this was facilitated by the strength of the flow of the Fontanka River. And water was supplied to the house by pumps.
In 1777, a flood destroyed the canals around the palace, and the sewerage system ceased to function.
After the death of the king and his wife, no one lived in the palace; it was used for meetings of the Privy Council and for recreation of the court emperors. And after the construction of a new large Summer Palace for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on the banks of the Moika River (where the Mikhailovsky Castle now stands), this one stood completely abandoned.
This saved the house from alterations and rebuilding and has preserved its original appearance to this day.
After the revolution, it was transferred to the Russian Museum, in 1934 it was given the status of an independent Historical and Household Museum, but then returned back.
Today the Summer Palace of Peter the Great is a branch of the Russian Museum.
In the 60s of the 20th century, a complete restoration of the palace was carried out, thanks to which many of the original elements were restored.
Until now, the Summer Palace has retained a cozy homely atmosphere; in the museum’s exhibition you can see the personal belongings of the Tsar, his wife Catherine, their courtiers and the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting.
Opening hours:
- Visit to the exhibition of the Summer Palace of Peter I: 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00, groups of up to 15 people.
- Tickets only at the palace box office
Official site
Address:
- St. Petersburg, Summer Garden, Kutuzov embankment, building 2
How to get there:
The nearest metro station is Gostiny Dvor.
Coming out of the metro through the underground passage we find ourselves on the other side of Nevsky Prospekt. This is the intersection with Sadovaya Street.
You need to walk along Sadovaya without turning anywhere.
We pass the Mikhailovsky Palace, cross the Moika River, and walk along the Swan Canal (on the other side of which is the Summer Garden). The road ends at Dvortsovaya embankment erezhnaya.
Here you need to turn left, cross the Verkhnee-Lebyazhy Bridge and, having reached the middle of the Summer Garden lattice, go inside. At the first alley, turn left.
The alley leads to the Fontanka embankment, where the Palace of Peter 1 is located.
