Description of the attraction
In the western side of the Lower Park, opposite the pond, near which the Marlinskaya Alley ends, there is the Golden Mountain cascade. Twenty-two wide steps, faced with marble, enclose white walls on three sides, and the sheer walls of the steps are trimmed with gilded copper sheets. Diverging in a semicircle, the lowest step encircles a figured pool on both sides.
The upper wall of the Golden Mountain cascade is decorated with three statues: in the center there is a statue of the god of the seas - Neptune, in his hands is a trident; on the right side of Neptune - Triton, he blows a sea shell; on the left side - Bacchus, the god of wine and fun. Under the pedestals of the statues, you can see three gilded bas-reliefs in the form of fantastic monsters - Medusa. From their open mouths, powerful jets of water gush down the white and gold steps.
The side walls of the cascade are decorated with marble statues - six figures on each side. Above all on the western side is the warlike Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. An anvil is located at the feet of the statue, which is a sign that the goddess is subject to all the secrets of sciences and crafts. Sequentially below Minerva are statues of the fire god Vulcan, Venus, Faun, Flora and a dolphin, Neptune.
At the very top of the eastern wall of the cascade is a statue of Flora with a basket of flowers. Also here you can see the statues of Mercury, Venus, Apollo, Andromeda, Nymph.
Another statue of Flora can be seen in the center of the pool in front of the steps of the cascade. The repetition of this image is not accidental: Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers, characterizes by her appearance the grandeur and beauty of the renewed Russia.
The solemn and festive appearance of the "Golden Mountain" is created by the whiteness of marble, the glitter of gilded steps and a transparent curtain of whimsical pouring water.
The construction of the cascade was started in 1721 by the Italian architect Niccolo Michetti, based on the thoughts and instructions of Peter the Great. Peter wanted the new decoration of the Lower Park to be similar to the cascade in the residence of the French king Marly, so the cascade had another name - "Marlinsky".
Since 1724, the final stage of work was directed by the architect Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov. He proposed a project to decorate the cascade, as a result of which only the name "Marlinsky" remained from the initial resemblance to the Marlin fountain structure. It was Zemtsov who decorated the steps of the cascade with stripes of gilded copper. Therefore, the name "Golden Mountain" appeared. The Medusa bas-reliefs designed by Michetti have been preserved. To the decor of the cascade, Zemtsov added statues of gilded lead and marble, and at the foot he built a figured pool with the figure of Flora. The construction of the cascade was completed in the summer of 1732.
In 1870, the architect N. L. Benois carried out a major restoration of the "Golden Mountain". The entire surface of the steps was faced with marble, and marble - copies from the works of Italian and antique sculptors - were placed in place of the swollen lead statues.
At the beginning of World War II, the marble sculptures of the cascade were removed and hidden in the ground, and decorative bas-reliefs were taken to the east, inland. The Nazis destroyed the cascade, damaged the marble cladding and destroyed wooden staircases with balustrades that stretched along the side walls of the cascade.
In 1945-1949, restoration work was carried out, as a result of which the Golden Mountain cascade started working again in September 1949.
In 1978, the third major restoration in the history of the cascade was carried out. The wooden side stairs were replaced with granite ones, and the original parapet cladding was cleaned and replenished.
