The Summer Garden

The Summer Garden and the Summer Palace of Peter the Great are magnificent examples of early 18th century Russian architecture and landscape gardening.
The gardens were laid out in 1704 in the formal style by the architects Matveyev,Zemtsov, the gardeners Jan Roosen, Surmin, Lukyanov and others. Many of the elements that go to make a formal garden have not come down to our day, but the geometric lay-out of the garden's avenues and walks and its unique collection of marble statuary by early 18th century Italian masters have been preserved intact.
From the Neva side the Summer Garden are bordered by railings of magnificent ironwork, designed by Yury Valten. The strict forms of the railings and their clear-cut composition put them on a par with the finest works of Russian Classicism.

The pavilions, arbours, fountains and other ornamental structures of the Summer Garden were destroyed by flood in 1777 and were never rebuilt. The existing Coffe- and Tea-houses were constructed by Louis Charlemagne and Carlo Rossi only in the 19th century.
Installed here in 1855 was a monument by Piotr Klodt to Krylov, the eminent Russian fabulist.
The Summer Garden rank among the most popular pleasure grounds of Saint Petersburg.
Peter the Great’s Summer Palace was the monarch’s state residence in St. Petersburg. It was built between 1710 and 1712 to the design of Domenico Trezzini. The two-storey structure with a hipped roof is adorned with a frieze and low-relief compositions glorifying in allegorical form Russia’s victories in the Great Northern War.
Some of the rooms retain elements of their original decoration – tiled walls, carved panels and stucco mouldings. Of particular interest are Peter’s study, the Green Room, the Presence Room and some others. The Summer Palace was transformed into a museum in 1934. On display in its halls are works of fine and applied art, furniture and utility items characteristic of palace interiors in the first quarter of the 18th century.