Peterhof Palace
Peterhof Palace in Petergof
History
One of St. Petersburg's most famous and popular visitor attractions,
the palace and park at Peterhof (also known as Petrodvorets) are often
referred to as "the Russian Versaille", although many visitors conclude
that the comparison does a disservice to the grandeur and scope of this majestic estate.
Versailles was, however, the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof - which means "Peter's Court" in German - became the site for the Tsar's Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter's granddaughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the Grand Palace and greatly extended the park and the famous system of fountains, including the truly spectacular Grand Cascade.
Improvements to the park continued throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Catherine the Great, after leaving her own mark on the park, moved the court to Pushkin, but Peterhof once again became the official Imperial Residence in the reign of Nicholas I, who ordered the building of the modest Cottage Palace in 1826.
Like almost all St. Petersburg's suburban estates, Peterhof was ravaged by German troops during the Second World War. It was, however, one of the first to be resurrected and, thanks to the work of military engineers and over 1,000 volunteers, most of the estate's major structures had been fully restored by 1947. The name was also de-Germanicized after the war, becoming Petrodvorets, the name under which the surrounding town is still known. The palace and park are once again known as Peterhof.
Versailles was, however, the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof - which means "Peter's Court" in German - became the site for the Tsar's Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter's granddaughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the Grand Palace and greatly extended the park and the famous system of fountains, including the truly spectacular Grand Cascade.
Improvements to the park continued throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Catherine the Great, after leaving her own mark on the park, moved the court to Pushkin, but Peterhof once again became the official Imperial Residence in the reign of Nicholas I, who ordered the building of the modest Cottage Palace in 1826.
Like almost all St. Petersburg's suburban estates, Peterhof was ravaged by German troops during the Second World War. It was, however, one of the first to be resurrected and, thanks to the work of military engineers and over 1,000 volunteers, most of the estate's major structures had been fully restored by 1947. The name was also de-Germanicized after the war, becoming Petrodvorets, the name under which the surrounding town is still known. The palace and park are once again known as Peterhof.
Pena Palace
Pena Palace in Sintra
History
The
palace’s history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to
Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra.
According to tradition, the construction occurred after an apparition of
the Virgin Mary. In 1493, King João II, accompanied by his wife Queen
Leonor, made a pilgrimage to the site to fulfill a vow. His successor,
King Manuel I, was also very fond of this sanctuary, and ordered the
construction there of a monastery which was donated to the Order of
Saint Jerome. For centuries Pena was a small, quiet place for
meditation, housing a maximum of eighteen monks.
When
the earthquake of 1755 devastated Lisbon and the surrounding region,
the convent of the Pena fell in ruins. These ruins, on top of the steep
mountains of Sintra, had astonished the young prince D. Fernando. In
1838, he decided to acquire the old convent and all of the surrounding
fences. King Fernando then set out to transform the remains of the
monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the
Portuguese royal family.
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