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Emperor Peter the Great's private palace was built by between 1710 and 1712 by St. Petersburg's most celebrated architect, Domenico Trezzini. The small palace, built in the delightful Summer Garden, contains just 14 rooms and was the summer residence of Peter the Great and his family from 1712 until the Emperor's death in 1725.
The two-story yellow palace is very modest in appearance for a royal residence. Its facade is simple and features only a few depictions of mythological subjects in relief. Unlike the old palaces of 17th century Muscovy, this palace has a high roof and large windows, which let plenty of natural light into the interior. During its construction, its design was referred to as "Dutch".
Each floor of the palace consists of seven rooms. Peter the Great resided on the lower floor of the palace while his wife preferred the upper floor. The original rooms were decorated with oak panels, paintings, engravings, beautiful painted stoves and period artifacts, many of which belonged to Tsar Peter himself. Although many of the palace's interiors were redesigned in the 18th and the 19th centuries, they were all meticulously restored to their former glory soon after the end of WWII.
The palace stands on the bank of the Fontanka River where it flows into the mighty Neva River. During the time of Peter the Great a small harbor was constructed next to the entrance to the palace, enabling the Tsar to sail right up to the front door of his residence. A rather overgrown park filled with marble statues and park pavilions now surrounds the Summer Palace, but in the early 18th century, the garden was much more formal and was filled with trimmed trees and bushes (collected from all over Europe), fountains and even a grotto. The park was the site of the famous "Assemblies", social gatherings of St. Petersburg's nobility, prominent citizens and guests of the city. These "Assemblies" inevitably included enormous feasts, concerts, fireworks and all manner of entertainments.
Visitors are welcome to tour the rooms once occupied by Peter the Great and his wife Catherine, the future empress Catherine I. If you have not pre-arranged a guided tour, tickets can be purchased in a little green booth opposite the palace.
Where? The Summer Garden
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt
Telephone: +7 (812) 314-0456
Open: 10am to 6pm
Closed: on Tuesdays and the first Monday of each month
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