See Also: Petrodvorets(encyclopedia)

Petrodvorets (sh)




formerly (until 1944) Peterhof

City (pop., 1995 est.: 82,000), northwestern Russia.

Located near St. Petersburg, it was founded by Peter I the Great as a country estate in 1709. After visiting France in 1717, he decided to create a residence that would rival the Palace of Versailles. The Baroque Grand Palace (1714-28) was designed by Domenico Trezzini, and its gardens by Alexandre Le Blond (1679-1719). It became the most lavish and popular of the Russian royal summer residences. Today the Grand Palace (now a museum) and the vast park, with 39 mi (63 km) of canals that connect the intricate system of fountains, are part of the 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) preserved area in the city of Petrodvorets.