The Konstantinovsky Park in Strelna is called "Russian Versailles". This is the largest and most famous regular park in Russia. Its territory is 140 hectares. Near the St. Petersburg Road is the Upper Landscape Park and the Konstantinovsky Palace. A huge territory of the Lower Regular Park stretches from the palace to the Gulf of Finland.
The Konstantinovsky Park was founded in 1720 at the same time as the construction of the Konstantinovsky Palace began. Peter the Great planned to build a grand palace here and lay out a huge park similar to the Paris Versailles. The “Russian Versailles” Park is permeated by a network of channels that form the Kikenka and Strelka rivers.
In the upper part of the park, two lakes have been created by dams on rivers: the Orlovsky Pond on the Strelka River and the Palace Pond on the Kikenka River. There is a slight height difference in Strelna. It was not enough for the construction of fountains, but enough to create full-flowing channels in the park. The largest canal is laid from the northern facade of the palace to the Gulf of Finland. In the 19th century, light ships sailed through the canals. Bridges in Konstantinovsky Park are movable, as in St. Petersburg.
The upper landscape park and the area in front of the Konstantinovsky Palace are usually visited during an excursion to the palace. Here you can see small ponds and a pine grove. There is a monument to Peter I in front of the Konstantinovsky Palace.
Decorative flowerbeds of the regular park are located at the foot of the palace on both sides of the grand Canal. There are many flowers growing here. A special pride of the park is dozens of varieties of beautiful roses. There are lime alleys closer to the seashore. Several hundred lime trees have been planted in Konstantinovsky Park. They grow in even rows. Gardeners prune their foliage to give the tree crowns different shapes.
A fountain complex has been created in Konstantinovsky Park. They are not as magnificent as in the Lower Park of Peterhof, but still impressive. All fountains of the Konstantinovsky Park are called "Floral". Cast-iron fountain designs are made in the form of various flowers: Roses, Tulips, Gladioli, Lilies and others: there are about 10 fountains in total.
If you are planning a visit to Konstantinovsky Park, you definitely need to find out the schedule of excursions. It is advisable to buy tickets online in advance, as the number of excursions and the composition of groups are limited. During state meetings, excursions to the palace and the park are canceled.
