Architect Zemcov jointed to the building in the Peterhof. In building of Peterhof took part Растрелли , Н. Пино, Ф. Вассу, К.Остнер. В.Туволков- hydraulician.

The construction activities, also, were made by the hand of serfs, who were sent from each province, by captives Swedish solders and prisoners. They were all working under the control of escort guard.

How the fountains of The Lower Park is feeding with water?

By the 1717“The Water plan”, i.t. the plan of direction of water to fountains had prepared by Le Blond and accepted by Peter. According the Le Blond’s plan the water should came from the close marsh and two rivers. So, the prepare work for the Upper Park were started, there were dag 3 pounds for amassmenting (accumulate, save) water for the fountains of Lower Park.

But, the Le Blond’s plan could admit the fountains work only for few hours in a day, moreover fountains couldn’t work without special waterpumps, however Peter wanted to see them working all the time, because Peterhof is The Sea Residence of Russian Empire and it is reflecting the navy victory of Russian fleet. So, Peter decided to found adding source of water for fountains and in the 1 August of 1720^th he headed to The Ropshinsky’s hills, which were reached with rivers. After several scientific expedition to the rivers, Peter finally abandoned the plan of Le Blond. He made the decision to construct the water pipe from The Ropshinsky’s hills to The Upper Garden, which originally was for 20 kilometers. He saw, at least, two advantages of his new idea over the Le Blond’s plan.

В.Туволков- hydraulician,received an education in France. By the November of 1720^th he offered a new water plan, the work was started in 1721. First of all, the Ropshinsky artificial channel was dag, it’s width is about 6,4 meters and deep is about 2 meters. The channel comes to the hill, where The Palace is located now, the height of it is about 18 meters, from this hill water is flowing into the fountains of The Lower Park. The hard work was made by hands of regiment’s solders, every day at The Ropshinsky hills more than 2000 solders were working. The shores of the channel were strengthened with the wooden piles and later with the trees, which roots effectively kept the channel’s shores.

For few months channel was finished, Peter impassions ordered to dating the inspections of fountains on the 8^th August of 1721, on the occasion of it, he wrote the latter from Oranienbaum to his wife Catherin Alexeyevna (former name is Martha Scavronskaya), where he invited her to see the fountains of The Great Cascade and The Lower Park, he didn’t want to start without her.

In the mid of 1750 the wooden tubes of the channel were changed with the cast- irons. It’s length is about 2 kilometers.

The first restoration works of The Ropshinsky channel was realized only in 1831.

In the mid of 19 century, in the course of creating the new fountains in the parks Alexandriya and Alexandrinsky the channel was reconstructed little bit, but the original idea was saved from the period of reign of Russian Tsar Peter The Great.

The Great Cascade.

We all have met with an international tradition to make the monuments, memorials or another kinds of architectural works, the idea of which is to remind the next generation about some important events, which happened in history. So, The Great Cascade is exactly this kind of monument. This is a kind of triumphal monument of the first quarter of 18 century, which remind us about the events and participants of Northern War, which was ended with the navy victories near the peninsula Gangut and island Grengam, and suburb residence Peterhof is the memorial ensemble to The Norther War.

There are 80 fountains, 250 sculptures, bas-reliefs and other architectural elements. The area of Cascade is 300 square meters. It façade’s length is 42 meters. There are two grottoes, which are flanked with stepped flights of waterfalls, the length each of it is 8 meters, there are 7 steppes decorating with figures of ancient heroes and gods.

The architectural center of The Great Cascade became Upper and Lower Grottos. The original idea of the Great Cascade and grottos belonged to Peter, who wanted to see in the grottos a trick fountains, performed as a tables and pipe organs. The grottos faced with stone- tuff inside and decorated with the bronze sculptures. But the main utilitarian purpose of the grottos is concluded in the holding of the upper balcony in front of the palace. The authorship of the grottos is belonged to architect Le Blond, later, after his death, the work of grottos were performed by Braunshtein and Miketti. The building was started in 1715^th.

By the 20s years of 18^th century The Grate Cascade was decorated with sculptures of antique myth’s heroes and characters of the “Metamorphoses” of Roman author Ovid.

At the top of Cascade on the right side, the bronze gilded figure of Perseus with the head of Gargon is lifted. According the myth, Perseus fought the sea monster and saved the life of beautiful Andromeda. This allegorical subject shows us the naval victories of Russian fleet under strength Swedish sea fleet and saving of native Ingrian lands. The head of Gargon was made after the death mask of Carl the Twelfth.

At the cascade we can see the figures of Apollo- the patron of Art and the sculpture of Satyr Marsiya,who dared to compete with Apollo in fluting, then he was punished with the grazing the skin.

Also, we can see the Goodness Diana – the patron of hunting, who turned Actaeon into a deer and hunting for him. There are 2 allegorical subjects of god’s punishment, which represented us, how Russia had to fight with her enemies.

“Samson tearing apart the jaw of Lion”

The idea of Russians triumph in the war was complied in 1735 by installing the sculptural composition “Samson tearing apart the jaw of Lion”. From the jaw of defeated predator, the 20 meters high post of water is wallowing. From the beginning of war the character of antique hero Samson repeated from time to time in different sketches, letters of Peter and his speeches. Little by little Samson became a symbol of Russian state, fighting with the threatful Lion, which was represented on the Swedish standards.

After the battle of Poltava, this allegory was became generally accepted. The case is that one of the most significant battle, which happened in the place near the small Poltava village was in 27 June of 1709 in a feast day of St. Sampson. In 1734 architect Carl Rastrelly created the leaden gilded sculpture of “Russian Samson”, using the print of Russian’s masters Зубов и Карновский, who made the print after the victory. The Rastrelly’s Samson was dressed in a cloak and it had a long hear, according the legend, the power of Samson was concluded in his hear.

But, in the end of 18 century leaded sculptural group felt into disrepair and it was changed with another one, made of bronze by Russian master Козловский. It was finished in 1802. He made it without the coat, because he tried to show us the plastic of human body, in the moment of great pressure.

During The Second World War this sculpture was stolen by Nazi. Nobody knew, where it could be, that why Mr. Stalin ordered to made the new one to the 1947 by the Victory Day. The sculpture was made of bronze by Симонов. It looks more like Soviet sculpture, an artist showed not mythological power of antique hero, but the inhuman efforts of people in the fighting with Nazi. So, that way it will be correct if we say that nowadays Samson is not only the symbol of the victory in The Northern War, but it is the symbol of victory under Nazi.

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 995