The famous Samson Fountain by sculptor Vadimir Simonov
Photo: Alexander Blelenky. (Large jpg - 66K)
The uncontested centerpiece of Peter the Great's palace at Peterhof -- the Grand Cascade and Water Avenue -- are to be switched on for the summer.
Many of the fountains were switched on at the end of May but the Grand Cascade has been out of order for six years.
The world-famous cascade and fountains had been under repair since 1989, but on June 20 the public can see the splendor of all the fountains and the Grand Cascade working together.
The waterworks for this intricate system of fountains were built between 1721-2 under the direction of Vasily Tuvolkov, Russia's first hydraulics engineer.
The elaborate system of pipes and ducts, the finest outside France in the world, stretches for nearly 22 kilometers. There are no pumping stations at all; the water flows downhill by the force of gravity.
Construction and improvement to the fountains and waterworks system continued into the mid-19th century. Today there are a total of 144 fountains and four cascades.
During the war, Nazi forces occupied Peterhof and wrecked both the palace and its beautiful fountains. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, shortage of transportation and lack of manpower, some of the imposing bronze statues from the Grand Cascade, such as Samson, the Neva, the Volkhov and the Tritons were destroyed or damaged.
On their retreat from Peterhof, the Nazis carted away the Samson -- the most interesting of all the statues embellishing the Grand Cascade -- and a new one had to be made. This was no easy feat. Although Samson had been photographed hundreds of times from every angle, no exact measurements had ever been taken and it turned out to be a herculean task for sculptor Vladimir Simonov, who finally completed it in 1947.
The best view of the Cascade is from the Marble Terrace which looks out onto the sea. From here you get a magnificent view of its 17 statues, 29 bas reliefs, 142 jets and 64 fountains.
