Fountains are one of the most memorable sights of St. Petersburg. They are almost everywhere in significant and crowded places: Finland Station, Moskovskaya Square, Aleksandrovsky Garden, 7th Line of Vasilyevsky Island, and, of course, fountains in Peterhof. There is a whole ensemble of fountains in Petrodvorets, which attracts tourists from all over the world. But in order for it to function normally and work without interruption, a rational water supply system is needed. Over 150 fountain structures are located on the territory of the Upper Park and Lower Garden of the Great Peterhof Palace with a total area of 117 hectares.
The history of the creation of water supply for fountains in Peterhof
The construction of the water conduit began together with the beginning of the construction of Peterhof itself, which presumably started in 1709. The impetus for the organization of a fountain ensemble in this place was the fact that not far, 20 km from the site of the future development, there were two villages, from which it was possible to establish a water supply. And since the liquid was flowing by gravity, it turned out to be more profitable than all other methods. A little later, in order to efficiently use water and ensure its constant circulation, a storage pond was created. However, the two rivers flowing into it could not provide the necessary amount of liquid. And then a place was discovered, located at a distance of just over two tens of kilometers, which, due to its inclination, ensured the gravity of water. The result of these investigations was the construction of the Ropsha (now Star-Peterhof) canal, laid at a depth of 2 m. The English pond, used as a reservoir, became the power source for the fountains. From it the Verkhnesadsky Canal was laid into Kvadratnye Ponds. After the completion of construction, the system was first tested in 1721, but it only became fully functional two years later.
Scheme of the Peterhof water pipeline.
Modern Peterhof water pipeline
The beginning of the modern Peterhof water conduit is located on the Izhora Upland.
Promotional video:
Power to the fountains follows from the Fabrichnaya River through the Staro-Peterhof Canal flowing out of it, into which the Novo-Peterhof Canal flows. From the Shinkan sluice, the water goes to the Samsonov basin, from which the flow branches into several directions: through the Olgin water conduit, the liquid flows to the fountains of the Upper Garden and the Lower Park. The Peterhof Canal, located between the Shinkan sluice and the Samsonov basin, supplies power to the Verkhny Sad Canal through the English Pond. The water collected in the upper reservoirs is sent to the Lower Park to the 4 groups of the ensemble of fountains.
The modern water distribution system for Peterhof fountains has one significant drawback: the area of the water conduit is located simultaneously on the territory of two administrative-territorial units - St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. This state of affairs, of course, negatively affects the coherence of work in the direction of organizing water supply. The solution to the problem may be to expand the boundaries of the city's ownership, thereby resolving many disputes about who should provide funding for the object.
Scheme of the Lower Park of Peterhof.