We continue our further acquaintance with Peterhof. And, as promised, we introduce you to the "Grotto of the Grand Cascade" tour. The tour begins in the middle of the right staircase leading down to "Samson" (if you are facing the Gulf of Finland).
First, we reached the upper platform, right above the grand cascade. Outside of the tour, access to it is not allowed. While the guide tells you various historical facts, you will have the opportunity to take wonderful pictures of "Samson" (though from behind), but without the crowd of tourists. A rainbow is clearly visible in our photos. A small warning: it is quite cool in the grottoes, so bring a light jacket or windbreaker.
Then the tour continues in the upper grotto. It is dim here, with a vaulted ceiling of tuff looming above you, and a small fountain trickles. We were there on a bright sunny day, and the contrast of the sunlight outside and the twilight inside was mesmerizing. Then we went down further by a narrow small staircase. At the very end, the brickwork from Peter's time has been preserved, so here you can literally touch history.
Admission Fees and Operating Hours (May 2018)
- Grotto Museum of the Grand Cascade
- Operating hours: Mon-Fri: 11:00 - 18:00, Sat-Sun: 11:00 - 19:00
- Full ticket: 500 rubles.
You can check the operating hours and admission fees on the official website of the complex..
Next comes the most interesting part — the "heart" of the fountain. Pipes run along the ground, directly supplying water to the "Samson Tearing the Lion's Mouth" fountain. The main pipe is red. Interestingly, the entire fountain complex, like all other fountains, is supplied with water by gravity, with no pumping mechanisms. The water does not return to the fountain — it flows into the Gulf of Finland. This is why all the fountains in Peterhof are clean, with no algae or unpleasant odor. The other three pipes supply various decorative figures, which are part of the grand fountain.
Then we entered a small museum of fountain engineering, where we looked at the costumes of the fountain team of those times, elements of old pipes, and preserved decorative ornaments. One creature of an unknown breed caused great amazement among the whole tour. The guesses about what it was varied — from a frog to a crocodile. But it turned out to be a dolphin. The local craftsmen had never seen a real dolphin and let their creativity run wild. Regarding the fountain team, we learned an interesting fact that in Peter's time, small, thin boys were used to clean clogged pipes, and they crawled inside the pipes if necessary. Honestly, we were glad that those times are over because one of us would have been perfect for this role. By the way, the fountain team still exists, but they now clean the pipes using different methods.
The next part of the tour led to the lower grotto. Here it is warm and spacious. Various statues of ancient gods and other statues are placed here. The grotto is quite large; we learned that Peter even held balls there. Through the lattice, there is a beautiful view of "Samson". We have already mentioned that the Tsar had a certain sense of humor and apparently had a special love for water procedures. He decided that dousing was especially beneficial for his guests. Why is that? Here’s why. In the middle of the grotto stands a table with a vase of fruit on it (now they are artificial, but there used to be real ones, and glasses of wine were set for gentlemen). When someone tried to take a fruit, a small fountain in the middle of the table would start to spray, delighting the audience. But in a moment, jets of water from the sides of the table would drench all the guests from head to toe. You need not fear getting wet because the water is now directed at the table and you won't get an unwanted shower.
It gets even more interesting. We do not recommend leaving the tour and running to the sunshine quickly. At the exit, there is another surprise waiting for you. And here, the possibility of getting soaked in the waters of the grand cascade is real. At the very exit, a "water curtain" awaits you: a wall of water suddenly cascades down, blocking the terrace of the grand cascade. After waiting for this unexpected downpour to end and laughing to our heart’s content, we stepped out onto the platform above "Samson". The view is unique: you can see the grand cascade from below and the main fountain from above. We will say that there are many opportunities to take beautiful photographs, and the guides give time throughout the tour. But the most beautiful photos are taken right at the end point. We discovered that the grand cascade and "Samson" are two independent fountains. Previously, we thought the cascade flowed smoothly into the main fountain. But this is not the case: at the foot of the cascade, there is a small basin where water flows into a large funnel. After taking the last photos of all this beauty, we went on to explore the park.
We would like to wish you to visit this tour, where you will not only experience the era of Peter the Great but also proudly say: "I was in the heart of the fountain."
