Peterhof is an outstanding monument of Russian art and culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. The palace and park complex occupies an area of about 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres). It includes seven parks and more than twenty palaces and pavilions. Peter the Great conceived the idea of this majestic complex under the impression of Versailles.

The focal point of the ensemble is the Great Peterhof Palace extending for 250 meters from the east to the west. It is situated on the high hill and unites the Upper and Lower Parks. It was built in 1714-25 and redesigned by Rastrelli in the middle of the 18th century.

In front of the palace, on the abrupt slope, is the Great Cascade. It consists of 64 fountains, which simultaneously spurt jets of water creating a sense of fairy-tale irreality and lightness of the Grand Palace seen through the splashes of water.

Peterhof owes much of its inimitable atmosphere to the fountains. The original system of water supply feeding the fountains and cascades was designed and built by the Russian hydraulic engineer Vasily Tuvolkov. Every year Peterhof becomes the site of a magnificent festival of fountains. Its majestic atmosphere attracts many visitors worldwide.