Address: Peterhof, Upper Park
Build date: 1734 year
Coordinates: 59 ° 53'01.1 "N 29 ° 54'29.9" E
Content:
In the round pool, which is located in the center of the Upper Garden, you can see a picturesque fountain called "Oak". Visitors who come here are surprised, because there is nothing in the design of the fountain to explain such a name. However, the modern design of the round pool appeared only in the 20th century, and initially there was a beautiful gilded tree in the center of the reservoir.
General view of the fountain "Oak"
The history of the fountain
The Oak Fountain appeared in the Upper Garden earlier than others. It was built in the parterre in front of the facade of the Grand Palace in 1734 according to the project of the French architect and experienced master-hydraulic engineer P.-J. Sualem. The famous sculptor and caster Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli made a lead oak for the fountain. As a prototype, he used a metal tree-fountain, which was built in Versailles for the French king Louis XIV.
The new fountain became one of the decorations of Peterhof and amazed all the guests who came to the imperial residence from St. Petersburg. Water jets were suddenly thrown out of the gilded oak leaves, trunk and branches, and statues of three newts and six dolphins flaunted around the tree.
View of the Oak fountain from the Neptune fountain
In 1746, the lead oak was dismantled. This was done by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, under whom various magnificent events began to be held in the Upper Garden. Every year on August 1 (August 14 in a new style), the "Jordan" was staged in a round pool in front of the Grand Palace. A large platform was laid in the pool, and a church ceremony was held in the presence of the Empress, during which the banners of all Peterhof regiments were sprinkled with holy water. It is curious that the ancient ceremony of consecration of water has been revived today.
In 1768, the center of the pool was redesigned. The fountain began to be decorated with a wooden cornucopia, and powerful jets of water gushed from it. Of course, the wood sculpture was rapidly deteriorating and needed to be replaced. How big was the cornucopia? An old document has survived. In it, the patrikeev master, who was instructed to carve a new horn for the fountain, asked for a lime ridge with a length of 3 arshins for work.
View of the fountain against the background of the Grand Palace
In 1802, the lead tree made by Rastrelli Sr. was transferred to the territory of the Lower Park, and there they made the popular "Dubok" fountain-cracker. The fountain in the round pool was rebuilt several times. It is known that by the middle of the 19th century, dolphin figures remained its only adornments.
What a fountain looks like today
A beautiful fountain is located in the center of a circular pool, the bottom of which is lined with granite slabs. In the center of the reservoir there is a small tuff island shaped like a six-pointed starfish. The white marble figure of the ancient Roman god of love - Cupid, made in 1809 by the sculptor D. Rossi, looks very harmonious on the stones. A playful young creature sits on a pedestal and tries on a gilded mask with both hands. In 1929, the sculpture was brought to the Upper Garden from the summer imperial palace located on Elagin Island in St. Petersburg.
View of the fountain from the Grand Palace
At the six ends of the stone island, there are bronze figures of dolphins, from whose mouths thin streams of water beat. After the destruction of the Great Patriotic War, the fountains of Peterhof could not be restored immediately. The Oak Fountain was restored and launched only in 1970.
It is worth paying attention to the graceful park sculptures standing next to the circular pool and perfectly complementing the composition of the fountain. These are statues of the goddess of flowers Flora, the guardian of the west wind Zephyr, the ruler of the seasons Vertumnus and his wife, the goddess of tree fruits and abundance of Pomona. The graceful sculptures were made in 1757 by the Italian master Antonio Bonazza.
Ancient Roman god of love - Cupid
To see the Oak fountain, you need to get to the territory of the Upper Garden. It is open to guests from 9.00 am to 9.30 pm and is admitted free of charge. The water in the fountain is turned on from 11.00 to 18.00.
