Sergievka Park in Peterhof. Park "Sergievka" in Peterhof: description, how to get there, reviews

A head carved (1799-1800, design by F. Brouwer) from stone, near which a spring flows. The head is called “Rusich”, “Old Man”.

There is a legend that it was under the impression of this particular monument that A.S. Pushkin wrote the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

Nothing is really known about the origin of the head, so all sorts of legends circulate. There are two most popular ones. According to the first, this is the head of Peter I, carved by a master from the Peterhof Cutting Factory due to the fact that Peter allegedly baptized the daughter of this master. According to the second, this is just an illustration for Pushkin’s “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. Once upon a time, a metal helmet was attached to the head; there was a small hole left in the bridge of the nose.

Sergievka Park (also Sergievskaya Dacha, Leuchtenbergsky Estate) is a palace and park ensemble located in Peterhof on the site of the former Leuchtenbergsky estate.

On the south side, the park begins at the University railway platform and extends further north to the shore Gulf of Finland, in the north-east it borders on the Own Dacha park. On the territory there is a chain of ponds with bridges and two dozen bridge-dams, from which the Kristatelka River flows towards the Gulf of Finland in deep ravines, where several dams have been built. Before flowing into the bay north of the Oranienbaum Highway crossing the park, the streams merge into one stream.

The park was formed on the site of a natural forest. According to scientists from the Biological Institute of St. Petersburg State University, more than 250 species of vascular plants, 185 species of birds and 35 mammals have been recorded in the park. Area 120 hectares.

The drainage system of the paths in the park is designed so that even in the heaviest rainfall they always remain dry.

If they don’t dig up this head and try not to shine a light on it, then they know what it is. Same thing with

Original taken from sibved to Peterhof. Sergievsky Park. Stone head

In Sergievsky Park - a palace and park ensemble located in Peterhof, west of the Leuchtenberg Palace, in a ravine, near the Kristelka River, there is a miracle head, carved into the ground, carved from a huge boulder, called “The Old Man” or “Adam’s Head”.

Official version. The head appeared, according to historical records, in 1800, under the then owner - Sergei Rumyantsev (a descendant of Peter I's associate - Alexander Rumyantsev). The monument was designed by the architect F. Brower, who worked at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries in St. Petersburg.

It feels like the body of this head (sculpture) is hidden somewhere underground. It is possible that it is already in a damaged, broken state, but it is still there.
It is difficult to explain the juxtaposition of traces of stone erosion and the simultaneous clear lines of the master's stone work. Or there was something else on the head (a knight’s helmet, for example). The hole in the nasal septum indicates this option. Or maybe someone checked to see if it was hollow?

Amateurs are not allowed to dig. This can only be done by “accredited” institutions, archaeologists. But as you can see, they are in no hurry to get here.

Sergievka also has a second unofficial name - the estate of the Duke of Leuchtenberg

Close-up photo. Traces of stone erosion are visible.

The hole is shallow. Tourists leave coins as usual.

In addition to the palace itself and the “stone head”, there are also other stone objects in the park

Boulders, including some with flat edges. Destroyed ancient masonry?

The place is very interesting. It’s a pity that it’s not as widely visited as the sights of St. Petersburg itself, and the cultural monuments themselves (the estate) are not in the best condition.
Moreover, not all residents of Russia, but also St. Petersburg, know about this place. I previously posted similar information on the forum.

Tripura Unakoti is an archaeological site of India.

Doesn't remind you of anything? Here it is - the stone head of the Slavic-Aryan Thinker and Warrior in Peterhof.

Let's look at the Indian version first.

The same straight nose, graceful cutout of the nostrils, mustache!
Holds a vajra.

But this face is on the barrel of a cannon in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps - the military museum of Russia.
These faces are cast on the barrels of the Revel Lion and Little Cat cannons.
The “Revel Lion” was cast in 1559 in Revel.

The same face, proportions, even the mark on the forehead.

Vajra - one of the main symbols, means the spiritual power of buddhized (indestructible) inspiration, which illuminates the illusions existing in the world. She is a symbol of order, masculinity and eternity. In conjunction with the bell, it is the illumined mind, whose note is the sound of eternity, perceived by the pure spirit within the entire universe.
She is also a diamond, an instrument of knowledge, an instrument of the Word, of intellect. Vajra, the Tibetan symbol of “lightning and at the same time diamond,” is also associated with the axis of the world; but if the cross and crucifix, steps and sacrificial pillar serve as symbols of man’s desire for the heavenly world, then lightning expresses the opposite: the action of the upper on the lower. It also correlates with the gaze of the “third eye” of Shiva, the destroyer of all material forms.
Front view

Ours has a lot of things knocked off, first of all, the mark on his forehead, the crown on his head.

Thinker's Double

Unakoti is a sculpture-carved archaeological site located in Tripura, the north-eastern part of the state in India.
The place is attributed to ancient Shaivism, a place of worship of images of Lord Shiva or Mahadeo.
Unakoti is located about 178 km from Agartala (Agartha???), the capital city of Tripura. The images found on Unakoti are of two types: carvings and stone images.
The head of Shiva is about 30 feet tall, including the embroidered headdress, which itself is 10 feet tall.
On each side of Shiva's headdress there are images of goddesses - on the right is Durga standing on a lion, on the left is Ganga riding Capricorn.

Goddess Durga standing on a lion

A lion is not a lion, but looks like a boar.

Two goddesses from above

Vedic patterns are clearly visible.

A little history

Initially, there was no park as such. There was an ordinary forest in which A. I. Rumyantsev, a politician and figure from the times of the Great, bought the land. If he built some kind of estate for himself here (and, most likely, he did), then now there is no trace of it left. The park was named “Sergievka” after the grandson of the first owner of this land, Sergei Rumyantsev. Later, the estate was sold to Kirill Naryshkin, a figure at the emperor’s court, but shortly after his death the territory was bought by Tsar Nicholas I for his daughter and her husband, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. By order of this married couple, architect Andrei Stackenschneider designed and built a country palace, buildings for servants, a church and gardens on the territory of “Sergievka”.

After the revolution, in the 20s of the last century, “Sergievka” was given the status of a natural monument, and the estate with all the adjacent buildings was transferred to the disposal of Leningrad University. The park is still their property, as evidenced by the sign at the turn to the palace.

“Sergievka” was very badly damaged during the war, and almost all the buildings on the territory have not been fully restored. You will notice this instantly as soon as you enter the park.

How to get there from St. Petersburg

You can get to this wonderful place by train or bus from the southwest of St. Petersburg or by your own car.

By bus

The most affordable and comfortable trip is offered by bus No. 200. For 60 rubles, it will take you from the Avtovo metro station directly to Sergievka in 60–80 minutes, depending on the presence of traffic jams when leaving the city.

There are also other buses that travel from the city towards Sergievka, but none of them stop near metro stations, and in some cases you will also have to change trains. At Avtovo you will find buses and minibuses on the opposite side from the station exit, where you can reach via a pedestrian underground passage.

By minibus

In addition to public ones, there are also commercial buses - minibuses. You can also get from Avtovo by minibuses with the following numbers: 401, 401A, K300. You will have to pay about 80–85 rubles. From the Prospekt Veteranov metro station, minibus No. K343 runs in less time to Sergievka. You will pay 70 rubles for the journey.

In any case, your final point will be the Biological Institute stop, which is located right next to Sergievka. All of these buses and minibuses go through Strelna, Petrodvorets and Old Peterhof, so if any of these places are your starting point, you can hop on a transport from any stop on the Peterhof Highway.

By train

My favorite thing to do is travel to Peterhof by train: there is always somewhere to sit, there are train stations near almost every attraction, it is relatively inexpensive and does not require transfers. “Sergievka” is located next to the University station (in the same place where some faculties of St. Petersburg State University and its dormitory are located) 50 minutes by train from the city.

To get on this train, you will need to arrive at the Baltiysky station (Baltiyskaya metro station), or you can take the train at the Leninsky Prospekt metro station, but there you will have to walk a little longer to railway station. Travel by train will cost you 72 rubles, and you can see the actual schedule at the link. Train tickets can only be purchased at the station ticket office.

The park is located almost immediately behind the station, but it will take you about 30 minutes if you walk leisurely to reach the main attractions. You can enter the park from the station, despite the fact that the entrance to the park is not indicated on the map.

By car

When planning a trip to Sergievka, so as not to spend too much time on the road, you should remember some nuances. Closer to 16 o'clock, a lot of cars rush out of the city towards Oranienbaum and, accordingly, our park: people are driving home from work from the city. From about 4 pm to 7 pm on weekdays, some of the main southwestern avenues of St. Petersburg (Stachek and Peterhofsky) simply stand still. Namely, you will have to travel along them for a certain part of the way. If suddenly (!) you stay in Peterhof for the night, then remember that on weekday mornings (and on Sunday evenings in the summer) these same sections of the road are busy in the direction of St. Petersburg.

Getting out of the city center, you will spend no more than an hour on the road, of course, if you do not forget about the advice that I gave you above. An alternative option is to drive about a quarter of the way along the WHSD (Western Expressway Diameter), that is, on a toll road. It will cost you about 200 rubles. But this way you won’t be able to see from the window Petrodvorets, nor the Cathedral and St. Paul, nor the charming Peterhof houses... In general, you be the judge, but if something happens, you can always leave the WHSD in Strelna and thus capture all the beauties of the region.

Parking

You won’t have any problems with this point even on weekends: there’s plenty of space nearby to leave your car, and you won’t have to pay anything. Firstly, right across the road from the turn to Sergievka there is a small field where you can park. Secondly, there is an option to stop right on the path that turns into the park (the road stretches for about 150 meters right up to the barrier).

Main attractions of the park

Despite the fact that the park is very small (especially when compared with the most famous one), there is something to see in it, even if almost all the buildings are in rather poor condition.

Do not forget that the main asset of the park is nature, and while walking here, you can spend several hours enjoying the surrounding beauty.

Leuchtenberg Manor

This is the first building that greets you when entering the park. It is clearly visible from the bus stop, which overlooks the main façade of the palace. Thus, we can imagine that from its windows the noble people had a magnificent view of the Gulf of Finland.

The estate has different buildings, also inaccessible for inspection from the inside: a kitchen, a bedroom (for servants) and others, scattered here and there throughout the park. But, of course, they don’t look nearly as interesting and attractive as the palace. Unfortunately, only two facades have been restored: the main one and the one visible at the entrance to the park. But, as I already said, this condition of the walls, peeling paint and dilapidated columns give the whole ensemble a unique charm.

Head

Even though this park was originally built around the estate and was named after it for a long time, the main attraction is not the estate and not the walks along the narrow forest paths. The calling card of “Sergievka” is a huge stone head that looks out from under the ground at visitors passing by. There are many legends around it, but no one knows for sure how and why it was carved here.

According to the main version, it was built in the image of the Great One in gratitude for the blessing of the sculptor’s family. I prefer the story that was told to me in childhood: they say, it was about this head that he wrote in “Ruslan and Lyudmila.”

Now most of the head is buried underground, but some historians and researchers believe that the sculpture was not completed because the face was not completed. Be that as it may, this head is one of the main mysteries of Peterhof. In order to find this Adam's Head (you can also call it the Elder or Rusich), you need to go around the palace, go down the stairs behind it and cross the stream. There you will see her.

Beach on Lake Zelenka

I can only guess why this lake is named that way. However, the guesses are quite obvious - they will immediately come to your mind as soon as you see this place in person. Firstly, the water here is green due to the shallow depth and the plants that can be seen at the bottom. Secondly, the lake is surrounded by trees, the branches of which in the summer are strewn with emerald foliage, reflected on the surface of the water.

Swimming here is a dubious pleasure, especially for squeamish girls, but in the summer, some especially desperate tourists can enjoy splashing in this pond. Honestly, I can say from my own experience: you can definitely swim here, which cannot be said about the Gulf of Finland, a 7-minute walk from the park. Unfortunately, in this area it looks more like a huge puddle than part of the sea.

Ruins of a church

If, after entering the park, you go straight for about 250 meters past the service buildings, you will come across the ruins of the four walls of an ancient church, which was simply left in such a pitiful state after the war. At first, historians assumed that it was a Catholic church, but since the region was still far from Western Christianity, this version was shallow. Soon they found confirmation that the church was Orthodox: on one of the slabs, which I, to be honest, could not find myself (maybe it had been removed a long time ago), words were written in Church Slavonic.

What makes these ruins special is that you can climb into them and take photos in the doorway, the carvings along the edges of which remain intact.

Own dacha

Formally, the palace and the surrounding area are not part of Sergievka, but due to their close location, visits to the two ensembles are usually combined. The main attraction of the Own Dacha is the palace, the construction of which was completed by the beginning of the reign of Princess Elizabeth Petrovna. Later, after a hundred years of neglect, it was presented to Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich by his father. During the Soviet era there was a museum here. Now, unfortunately, you can’t get close to the estate due to recently started restoration work (which the building has been in need of for several decades), but even from behind the fence it is clear that this place is one of the architectural masterpieces of St. Petersburg and its environs. Mighty Atlanteans support the carved façade, and the attic on the third floor rests on tall columns.

Behind the rapid decline of the park is also sad story- this area was subject to severe shelling during the Great Patriotic War. And if the Lower Park of Peterhof was soon rebuilt, then, as you can see, restorers approached the cultural heritage of Old Peterhof quite recently.

In addition to the palace, in the park of the Tsarevich's dacha, exquisite gardens were planted, beautiful winding paths were laid out and surrounded by boulders, there was also a small Church of the Holy Trinity especially for the Tsar's son, which was also in a pitiful state for a long time. Now the restoration of the church is almost complete, services are held there and holidays are held.

Near “Sergievka” there are many interesting places that the average tourist does not know about and where excursion buses will not take him. Also in the surrounding area there are no less attractions, about which everyone is writing. I want to tell you about two locations: one, almost unknown in the world of travelers, and the second, a very popular palace ensemble.

Dacha Benois (1.5 kilometers from Sergievka)

This is a whole complex of buildings made in the style of Russian architecture with elements of northern Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau). And, sadly, it is now in disrepair (worse than in Sergievka). From the papers and signs near the houses one can understand that they belong to the ensemble of the Own Dacha, but are located at a great distance from it. The remains of the village of Bobylskaya, declared a cultural heritage of Peterhof, are now just standing and being destroyed before our eyes. There were many more houses in this area, but some of them collapsed due to fires, and some were destroyed during the war. These estates were named so because they were designed by the architect Leonty Benois for various influential families of his century.

The dachas are located right on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, the easiest way to find them is at the address: Primorskaya street, building 8, building 2. If you get to Sergievka, you won’t have any trouble walking here: believe me, these buildings only complement the sad and mystical atmosphere Old Peterhof.

If you wander around, you can find the ruins of some other buildings. You can climb into one of the buildings through a broken doorway, but be very careful: half of the house has already collapsed, so everything is at your own risk. Of course, there are many similar places all over Russia, but who knows how long these particular houses will remain standing? Currently, active work is underway to plan the reconstruction of the dachas and the gardens surrounding them...

Oranienbaum (7 kilometers from Sergievka)

Oranienbaum is a real royal residence on the territory of the Lomonosov village, and the scale here is visible in everything. Peter III once lived here, even before he became ruler Russian Empire. After Catherine II ascended the throne, Oranienbaum was declared a district estate royal family.

I call this place an “estate” with difficulty, since it is a real ensemble of parks (Upper and Lower, as it was customary to divide them in those days) with many sculptures, palaces, and buildings in the Rococo style. This is the Great Menshikov Palace, the Chinese Palace (the most interesting place throughout the park, in my opinion), there are many pavilions, buildings for servants, cavalrymen and many, many different other buildings, which either the guides or nearby signs with a detailed description will be able to tell you about. Oranienbaum, in its amazing luxury, somehow reminds me of the palaces of Vienna, and it just makes my head spin when I see these incredible estates, neatly trimmed and perfectly designed gardens.

Surprisingly, the palace complex practically did not need restoration after the war, since a special line of defense of Leningrad was located on its territory.

Finally

"Sergievka", like all places in Old Peterhof, will not impress you with maddening beauty, like Petrodvorets, often compared to Versailles. The main attraction here, in my opinion, is, first of all, nature. On the one hand, unremarkable birch and oak groves, hills, barely noticeable streams. On the other hand, this is what is so lacking in the Northern Capital, when you spend hours studying stone sculptures in the center or live in a Khrushchev-era building on the outskirts. Come here to escape from routine, think about the eternal and fleeting, or just to take a walk, breathing fresh air.

This park surprises with how harmoniously it combines the creations of nature with the works of human hands, which are slowly but surely absorbed by time. Old Peterhof is an unjustifiably forgotten place, but perhaps it is precisely this lostness between the present and the past that makes it so special.

Welcome to Sergievka Park, which is located in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, on the border between the village of Martyshkino and Old Peterhof. The park is known (but not to many) as the former estate of the Leuchtenberg family and is considered a unique monument of culture and history of the 19th (I write in words: “nineteenth”; I’ll explain why later) century.

Initially there were several “seaside places” of Peter the Great. Their owners: Tsarevich Alexei, Peter the Second (before coronation), Counts A.I. Rumyantsev, P.A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, V.L. Dolgorukov.

In 1820, all these small estates were collected into one estate by Kirill Naryshkin, who created a park with many buildings here.

In 1839, the estate was purchased from Naryshkin as a wedding gift for the daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, Maria, who was marrying Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg. After which considerable funds were invested here in order to create a paradise for the royal daughter. P. Erler, who created Peterhof, took part in the planning of the park.

That's the story in a nutshell.

And now what I want to tell you about: if we go down one of the park paths along the stream flowing into the ravine, an incredible sight will open before us - a huge, stone, half-grown into the ground... HEAD!

Where did it come from, who brought it there, and when - great secret, covered in darkness. She is called “Old Man”, “Adam’s Head”, “Samson’s Head”, “Rusich”. There are hypotheses:

That it was created in 1800 at the behest of Paul the First by the architect Brower.

That she once had a helmet, as evidenced by the hole on the bridge of her nose made for attaching a protective plate and a certain “unfinished state” of the skull.

That this is the head of Peter the Great, carved by the master of the Peterhof Cutting Factory in gratitude for the fact that the Tsar-Emperor himself baptized the daughter of this master (What, however, exaggerated gratitude! And why only the head?).

Pushkin saw this work of art when he was very young, in 1818, which is why he was later inspired to describe the image of the talking head of the hero from “Ruslan and Lyudmila.”

Photo to visually determine the size of the artifact

Let's summarize:

The park was planned and developed after 1839.

The head clearly existed before this moment, it is located so much below the level of the passing path that the age of its appearance here is obvious.

It DOES NOT match the style of any of the sculptures there.

And, in general, where does this pagan gigantism a la Olmec-from-South-America in Russia come from, next to the Orthodox “home” church?

The estate is in a deplorable state, there are no excursions there - is there nothing to tell?

The Duke, the husband of Maria Nikolaevna, was an intelligent man and in love with different types art. He also wrote several works on electroplating, and in 1854 he opened his own “St. Petersburg Electroplating and Artistic Bronze Institution,” where he successfully produced statues and bas-reliefs, and even made some of the decoration of St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

He could tinker with his electroplating to create such an absolutely stunning head. But the problem is that this thing was growing peacefully into the ground BEFORE the appearance of the glorious Duke Maximilian.

The question is - WHO CREATED IT? No answer….

Finally, a few photos from the “Antediluvian St. Petersburg” series. Magnificent bridges and mansions in the so-called “antique” style, ideal masonry from stone (granite) blocks (smooth or with chamfered edges), columns, statues, porticos...