On February 17, all parks of the Peterhof Museum-Reserve are closed to the public due to bad weather conditions. Some museums are open

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1722-1724, architect N. Michetti

1724-1732, architect M.G. Zemtsov

The Golden Hill cascade is located on a natural slope, in the western part of the Lower Park. One of the cascades of the French royal residence "Marly-le-Roi", visited by Peter I in 1717, served as its prototypem, that's why the cascade's second name is the Marly Cascade. The architect N. Michetti developed the design of the cascade, in accordance with the detailed instructions of the tsar and considering the relief of the area. However, due to the death of Peter the Great, the project was not fully implemented.

Further works were carried out under the supervision of the architect M. Zemtsov. The cascade was complemented by the marble and lead gilded statues of antique gods and heroes, the steps were faced with white marble. The vertical sides of the steps were covered with gilded copper sheets, that created an interesting game of light through the mirror of falling water, and gave the Marly cascade its contemporary name - the "Golden Hill". The appearance of the cascade was finalized by 1732, further changes concerned only the sculptural decoration.

In the XIX century, the lead statues, that lost their former splendor, were replaced by the copies of the antique originals imported from Italy, carved from Carrara marble. The theme of the sea dominion of Russia, is traceable in the sculptural decoration of the "Golden Hill", as well as in the design of the Grand Cascade. In the center of the attic, crowning the staircase, there is a statue of the lord of the seas Neptune, with a trident in his hand. On either side of him - Triton blowing in a conch shell and Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry. The facade of the attic is decorated with three gilded mascarons of sea monsters, the water spurts from their jaws and starts flowing down the stairs. The combination of gold, white marble and the dark green of the fir trees, growing on the slope, impart extraordinary splendor to the Golden Hill Cascade.

One of the best statues of the sculptural decoration of the cascade, is considered to be the gushing marble "Andromeda", work of P. Baratta, Italian master of the XVIII century. Down from the steps of the cascade, the water falls in a marble pool, with the towering up statue of Flora - the goddess of spring and ever renewing nature. During the years of the war, a large part of the sculptural decoration was saved, the cascade itself was severely damaged, but the post-war restoration returned its historically formed appearance.