The capital of fountains

Peterhof is located 30km west of St.Petersburg on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. It was the summer residence of Peter the Great, built to commemorate the victory over the Swedes in 1709 and to show the strength of the Russian Empire.

Peterhof was designed to resemble Versailles in France and architects from all over the world were involved in its design. Peter the Great himself helped to plan the layout of the gardens and fountains. Vasily Tuvolkov, Russia’s first hydraulics engineer, built the fountains in 1721-1722.

The Great Cascade fountain in the gardens has 17 waterfalls, 142 water jets, 66 fountains, 29 bas-reliefs and 39 gilded statues, including the famous five-ton Sampson Fountain. Another fountain, the Chess Hill, contains some of the best waterfalls cascading over bronze dragons. The Pyramid fountain was designed by Peter the Great and is made up of seven tiers and 505 jets.

Some of the fountains are there to surprise and amuse visitors. The Little Umbrella fountain sprays out water from 164 jets as soon as anyone sits on a bench underneath it. The Little Oak fountain sprays out water if it senses any weight approaching it and the Pebbles fountain also drenches visitors who sit on a nearby bench.

To feel happy and make their spirits high, Russians and foreign visitors come to Peterhof to enjoy its magic charms.

Notes: commemorate victory – праздновать годовщину победы

resemble – походить

bas-relief – барельеф

layout – расположение

tier – ряд, ярус

3.15. Discuss these questions with a partner.

1.Do you ever go to exhibitions? 2.When did you go last to a museum in your home town? 3.Do you like modern art? 4.What do you think art is for?

3.16 Read the text and do the tasks after it.