Summer Garden

About museum

The Summer Garden was an astonishing project conceived by Peter I in 1704. It was built following the Western European parks of that time, and Peter I himself laid out the initial plan. Numerous Russian and foreign architects and gardeners worked on the project. After several years the garden became the center of political and official life, court ceremonies and festivities. Marble statues and busts by Italian masters were commissioned to adorn the garden. In 1784, based on a design by the architect Y. Felten, the Neva fence of the Summer Garden was constructed. It is one of the finest works of Classicism and an architectural masterpiece of world renown. In 2004 the Summer Garden became part of the Russian Museum. It still attracts many tourists and visitors.