Behind the Grand Palace are the relatively small Upper Gardens. Upon the face of the bluff below the Palace lies the Grand Cascade. The Grand Palace and the Upper Gardens is the centerpiece of the entire complex. At its foot begins the Sea Channel which bisects the Lower Gardens. It is one of the most extensive waterworks of the Baroque period. You can also see at the center of the cascade an artificial grotto with two stories, faced inside and out with hewn brown stone.
Water Fountains
- Trevi Water Fountain
- The Swann Memorial Fountain
- Buckingham Water Fountain
- Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
- Peterhof Water Gardens
- Villa d'Este Water Fountain
- The German Fountain
- Jet d'Eau Water Fountain
- Trafalgar Square Water Fountain
- Fountain of Wealth
- Tyler Davidson Fountain
- Triton Water Fountain
- Fountain of Nations
- Flora Water Fountain
- Bellagio Water Fountain
Peterhof Water Gardens
A municipal town within Petrodvortsovy District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, Peterhof hosts one of two campuses of Saint Petersburg State University. The Peterhof Palace boasts of its natural feature which is the sixteen-meter-high bluff lying less than a hundred meters from the shore called the Lower Gardens. The Lower Gardens is comprised of the better part of Peterhof's land area. The majority of Peterhof's fountains are contained here as well as several other small palaces and outbuildings.
The water fountains of the Grand Cascade are located below the grotto and on either side of it. The waters of the fountains flow into a semicircular pool, the terminus of the fountain-lined Sea Channel. In the history books, during the 1730s, the large Samson Fountain was placed in this pool. The Samson Fountain depicts the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion representing Russia's victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War. Another symbolism is in the lion. The lion is an element of the Swedish coat of arms, and one of the great victories of the war was won on Saint Samson's Day. From the lion's mouth shoots a 20-metre-high vertical jet of water, the highest in all of Peterhof. This masterpiece by Mikhail Kozlovsky was looted by the invading Germans during the Second World War. Fortunately, a replica of the statue was installed in 1947. The most prominently positioned fountains of Peterhof are 'Adam' and 'Eve'. They occupy symmetric positions on either side of the Sea Channel, each at the conjunction of eight paths.
It is said that the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The pressure that drives most of the water fountains of the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade comes from the elevation difference. The Samson Fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct which is over four km in length. And it draws water and pressure from a high-elevation source.
Although many trees are overgrown, you can still see the expanse of the Lower Gardens designed in a formal (French) fashion. It’s good news that in the recent years the formal clipping along the many allees has resumed in order to restore the original appearance of the garden. In addition, the many fountains located here exhibit which can be seen in one of the most notable designs entitled 'The Sun'. A disk radiating water jets from its edge creates an image of the sun's rays, and the whole structure rotates about a vertical axis so that the direction in which the "sun" faces is constantly changing.
In addition to the unusual creativity depicted in the water fountains, several water fountains are designed with the specific purpose of soaking visitors. Two take the form of gangly trees rigged with jets that activate when someone approaches. Another, disguised as an umbrella with a circular bench set around the stem, drops a curtain of water from its rim when someone enters to take a seat.