Sights of Peterhof

Around Dvortsovaya Ploschad

Aleksandria Park

  • Ulitsa Zverinskaya
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru/

To the west of the Lower Park is the Aleksandria Park which is named in honour of Empress Aleksandra Fyodorovna (born Princess Charlotte of Prussia), the wife of Emperor Nicholas I. Originally the area was developed as an estate of Peter the Great's right-hand man Aleksandr Menshikov but this work was brought to a halt in 1727 upon Menshikov's downfall. Work on creating a park began again only a century later in 1825 when Emperor Alexander I gave the land to his brother Nikolai who… Read more »

Benois Family Museum

  • 8 Dvortsovaya Ploschad
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru/
  • 12:30 – 17:00. Closed on Mondays.

The Benois Family is located in a building which was originally used by ladies-in-waiting of the Peterhof estate. It is dedicated to the Benois family and especially Nikolai Benois a famous Russian architect whose work can be seen in Peterhof (the Novy Petergof Railway Station being the masterpiece) and St Petersburg. Later generations of the Benois family became stage designers, painters, sculptors and architects. In addition the museum details the period in which Nikolai Benois… Read more »

Collections Museum

  • 11 Ulitsa Pravlenskaya
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru/
  • 10:30 – 17:00. Closed on Mondays.

The Collections Museum was opened in 2003 in the Upper Gardens House of the Peterhof Estate to house various art collections which were collected by local collectors. The museum's eight halls now display many works of art by western European and Russian painters and various pieces of porcelain, including a collection of Soviet agitprop porcelain. Read more »

Monarch’s Amusements Historical and Cultural Centre

  • 1 Ulitsa Pravlenskaya
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru
  • 10:30 – 18:00. Closed on Mondays.

The Monarch’s Amusements Historical and Cultural Centre was created by the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve to show its visitors about the ways the Russian tsars and emperors used to spend their free time. The interactive museum has nine halls each dedicated to a different leisure activity, including cycling, hunting, sailing, walking, the theatre, holding celebrations and building follies. Unlike many places in Russia this museum is fully equipped for disabled visitors. Read more »

Peterhof Estate

  • 2 Ulitsa Razvodnaya
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru/

The main sight in Peterhof is of course the Peterhof Estate which was founded by Peter the Great as a summer residence on the coast of the Bay of Finland. The first palace was built here during the reign of Peter but this was considerably redeveloped during the reign of Peter’s daughter Empress Elizabeth. The resulting grand place is now often referred to as the Russian Versaille. The estate remained an imperial residence up until 1918 when it was turned into a museum.  The… Read more »

Playing Card Museum

  • 4 Ulitsa Pravlenskaya
  • http://www.peterhofmuseum.ru/
  • 10:30 – 17:00. Closed on Mondays.

Along with is magnificent palace estate, Peterhof can also boast Russia's only museum dedicated to playing cards. It is housed in a former administrative building of the estate and it brings together thousands of sets of playing cards of various ages and from various countries. In additional to beautifully decorated sets the museum also has examples of cards made in prison using newspaper. Read more »

St Peter and Paul's Cathedral

  • 31 Peterburgsky Prospekt

The second most popular sight in Peterhof after the estate is the magnificent St Peter and Paul's Cathedral which is reminiscent of St Petersburg's Cathedral on the Spilled Blood due to is bright and elaborate Russian Revival style. A petition to build a cathedral in the city was first made in 1892 and personally approved by Emperor Alexander III who selected the location near the Olgin Pond. Construction work began in 1894 and was completed in 1904. The cathedral was closed… Read more »

Tsaritsyn and Olgin Pavillions

  • Kolonistsky Park
  • 10:30 - 18:00. Closed on rainy days.

Peterhof's Kolonistsky Park is home to the Olgin Pond which was also known as the Tsaritsyn Pond. It was created between 1837 and 1838 and renamed named in honour of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (the daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, who became queen of Wurttemberg). The excavated earth was then used to create three islands: Olgin Island, Tsaritsyn Island and the tiny Krolichy Island. On the two larger islands architect Andrey Stakenschneider built two pavilions - the Tsaritsyn… Read more »