Petrodvorets

Petrodvorets (pyĕ'trədvəryĕts`), formerly Peterhof (pĕtyĭrgôf`), city, NW European Russia, on Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Administratively part of St. Petersburg, Petrodvorets is a port, a rail terminus, and a resort center. The city grew up around the palaces and gardens built for Peter I, who founded it in 1711. Peterhof, which became the most lavish of the czar's summer residences, contained several palaces surrounded by vast parks that rivaled Versailles and were famous for their fountains and cascades. Under the Soviet government, the palaces were converted to museums. Largely destroyed during World War II, Peterhof has since been restored.

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Petrodvorets

 formerly (until 1944) Peterhof

City (pop., 1995 est.: 82,000), northwestern Russia. Located near St. Petersburg, it was founded by Peter I the Great as a country estate in 1709. After visiting France in 1717, he decided to create a residence that would rival the Palace of Versailles. The Baroque Grand Palace (1714–28) was designed by Domenico Trezzini, and its gardens by Alexandre Le Blond (1679–1719). It became the most lavish and popular of the Russian royal summer residences. Today the Grand Palace (now a museum) and the vast park, with 39 mi (63 km) of canals that connect the intricate system of fountains, are part of the 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) preserved area in the city of Petrodvorets.