The Summer Garden is a park ensemble, a monument of landscape art of the first third of the XVIII century, located in the center of St. Petersburg. The park was founded under the decree of Peter I in 1704. The Summer Garden is the oldest in St. Petersburg. Master Ivan Ugryumov started the construction of the garden under the direction of Peter I. The Tsar dreamed of his own Versailles and himself drew its original plan. He planned to create a regular, architectural park with an accurate layout and straight paths, neatly trimmed trees and bushes. Prominent architects and master gardeners took part in the creation of the park. The park must have become a place of relaxation, combining the features of urban and suburban estates.
The Summer Garden is surrounded by water. The natural boundary of the park from the north and east is the Neva and Fontanka Rivers, from south and west — the Moika River and the Swan Canal. The three parallel-arranged direct avenues crossed by the perpendicular paths lead from the Neva River into the territory. August 18, 1710, architect Domenico Trezzini began constructing the stone Summer Palace of Peter I, preserved to this day. They were built fountains, distinguished for their beauty, in the garden. Those were the first fountains in Russia. The severe flooding of 1777 destroyed the fountains. During the reconstruction of the park, the fountains and water supply were restored. Peter, I brought from Italy sculptures for the Summer Garden and was very proud of them. In the XVIII century, there were more than two hundred sculptures. Still, later many of them were either destroyed in flood or moved to suburban royal summer residences, the Hermitage and the St. Michael’s Castle.
Now the Summer Garden is adorned by 90 sculptures — copies made of artificial marble. The famous lattice in the Summer Garden was made by Y. Felten and P. Egorov between 1771 and 1884. 36 granite columns with vases and urns are connected with openwork metal grating adorned with gilded details. In the 50-s of the 19th century, there was set a monument to a famous Russian fabulist Ivan Krylov. The Sculpture, made by sculptor P. Klodt depicts Ivan Krylov sitting on a rock with an open book in his hands. The pedestal is made of the stone of Serdobol and decorated with high relief compositions on subjects of the most famous fables of Krylov. May 27, 2012, the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg was opened after the reconstruction.
The reconstruction work lasted for about three years, and restorers have done everything possible to keep the Summer Garden as it was in the 18th century. Among the new items in the Summer Garden, there is the Archaeological Museum, which contains interesting objects found by archaeologists during the park's restoration. The pond was renovated. There are a summerhouse, a small greenhouse with the Pharmaceutical Garden, and a Poultry Yard. Visitors can take a tour of the park and enjoy the exhibitions and performances on Sundays.
