What would happen if I went for a walk every day to one of the parks along Peterhof Road, but none of the parks I would visit twice? How many days will it take me to complete this project? Would one summer be enough?
These were the kinds of thoughts that occupied me at the beginning of this walk. The English Park is located between Peterhof (where the Imperial palaces and fountains are) and Oranienbaum (where the palaces and the large park are). There are several parks between Peterhof and Oranienbaum, and several more between Peterhof and Strelna, as well as between St. Petersburg and Strelna.
I entered this park from the side of Peterhof. The least picturesque part of the park is turned toward Peterhof, looking like a large field. On the edge of the field you can see the town houses, especially the clock factory building with its spire stands out. I wrote down a reminder to myself to go closer to this building one day, to take some pictures of the building, and, if I could, to visit the clock museum. But this time I didn't turn off the route - I followed a country road through a field and ended up on the shore of a pond.
It's in the English garden, one of the oldest landscape parks in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. The picturesque English Pond appeared in 1720, after the construction of a dam on the brook. Later, the water of one of the canals that flows from the elevated plateau, rich with springs, was also diverted into the side of this pond. Deep ravines turned into a system of ponds.
The English horticulturist James Meders ennobled the area around these ponds. The result of his work is a stunningly beautiful landscape park. At the end of the 18th century the architect Giacomo Quarenghi built a palace in the classical style in this park. This palace was designed as a recreation place for Empress Catherine II. During the Second World War the palace was completely destroyed, on the territory of the park was a line of defense. Now you can see only a low pile of stones at the place of the palace, and a memorial tablet is attached to one of them.
The main avenue runs through the entire park, and it is from this avenue the most gorgeous, the most stunning views open. But you can make the walk more varied and turn off onto one of the side paths that take you deep into the park's wooded area.
At the end of the walk I crossed a bridge - and found myself on the shore of another pond, surrounded by white birch trees. This part of the space is a separate part of the park - or a separate park, depending on the rigor of our approach to geographic classification. This park is called "Hare Remiz" - a phrase not quite clear to the modern city dweller. The word "remiz" which means "bush where game hides," is no longer in common use.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |