Description of the attraction
The Lion Cascade is one of several cascades of the Peterhof palace and park ensemble. The idea of arranging the Lower Park was based on the principle: each palace had to correspond to a cascade. In 1721, the construction of the Hermitage pavilion began, and the alley leading to it was developed. The original plan assumed that the Hermitage Cascade was to complete the perspective of the Hermitage Alley on the south side.
The plan of the cascade, which in Peter's sketches was referred to as the "Moses Cascade", was developed by the architect Niccolo Michetti, however, the original idea did not come true. They returned to the embodiment of the "palace - cascade" principle at the end of the 18th century, when, according to the project of A. N. Voronikhin, the construction of the Hermitage cascade began. The cascade, built in 1799-1801, was a rectangular pool with waterfall ledges and 8 flat fountain bowls made of marble. At first, the statues of Flora and Hercules were used as sculptural decorations, but a year later they were replaced by bronze figures of lions, made according to the models of I. P. Prokofiev. The cascade, named after its location as the Hermitage, acquired its second, more famous name.
In 1854-1857, according to the plan of A. I. The Stackenschneider cascade was completely rebuilt. The pool area has been increased (at present, its dimensions are 30x18.5 meters); on a plinth made of granite and repeating the old contour, a three-sided monumental colonnade was installed of 14 8-meter columns made of dark gray Serdobol granite, with capitals, architrave and bases made of snow-white Carrara marble. In the intervals between the columns, 12 bowls were placed, made of the same marble, with single-jet fountains. The bottom of the cascade was decorated with mascarons, which were located under each bowl. In the center of the colonnade, on a dais of granite boulders, there was a statue of "Nymph Aganipa" made by the sculptor F. P. Tolstoy. From the old decor, only lions were left, from whose mouths jets of water poured out..
The Lion Cascade is designed in the style of late classicism, and therefore is a somewhat unusual structure for the Peterhof ensemble. It is characterized by the austerity of antique forms, the parsimony of water decoration, the emphasized restrained tones of the stone, and the lack of gilded details.
During the Great Patriotic War, the cascade was badly damaged; only part of the colonnade, the plinth and damaged marble bowls survived. The restoration work took quite a long time - only in August 2000 the Lion cascade started working again.
