September 19, 2006
Peterhof (Peter’s Palace) is by far the most amazing thing I have seen on this trip. It is situated where the Neva River meets that Gulf of Finland. There are over 140 fountains. Peter himself help engineer many of the fountains and seeing the park gave me a real appreciation for Peter the Great. He was truly brilliant and a visionary but he also had a sense of humor as well. Throughout the park there are trick fountains, that are designed to lure and soak unsuspecting guests.
When the Germans invaded during WWII, everything in the palace was removed and the fountains were buried to prevent the Germans from finding or taking them. Although the palace was heavily damaged in the war, the majority of items in the palace are original.
Hitler decided that he would celebrate New Year’s eve at Peterhof when he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to celebrate victory at the Astoria hotel in St. Petersburg. He went so far as to draw up invitations. Stalin responded to this by heavily bombing the area and successfully prevented Hitler from holding his party there.
In addition to the main fountain just outside of the palace, there are other fountains that are of Roman style. There is even a fountain in the shape of a chess board with three dragons at the top. It is said that under the chess board or great treasures but to get to them, you have to play chess with the dragons and if you lose, you pay with your life.
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