This park is not included in popular hiking trails. Tourists from all over the world are not brought here to admire the fountains and palaces. The park is located further than the famous palace and park ensemble in Peterhof. This is Old Peterhof in the Petrodvortsovy district, where native Petersburgers most often come to wander along the shady alleys of the park, to enjoy its marvelous beauty.

A feature of this place is the many gardens, which seem to have been forgotten by everyone, leaving the beautiful nature and unique buildings at the mercy of the merciless time. Probably, it was this authenticity that turned Sergievka into a special space.

A bit of history

In the distant past, a dense forest rustled on this place. After A.I. Rumyantsev, a public figure, a politician of the times of Peter I, bought the land in it, he built an estate here, but now there is no trace of it.

In honor of Sergei Rumyantsev, the grandson of the first owner of these lands, the park got its current name. Then the estate was acquired by Kirill Naryshkin, a prominent figure at the court of the emperor, but almost immediately after his death, the territory was bought by Nicholas I for his daughter and her husband, the Duke of Leuchtenberg.

The new owners ordered the architect Andrey Stakenschneider to design and build a country palace, buildings for servants, a church and gardens on the territory of the Sergievka park in Peterhof.

In the twenties of the last century, the park received the status of a natural monument. The estate with all the buildings and territories adjacent to it was transferred to the Leningrad University, in whose jurisdiction it remains today. This fact is confirmed by a sign at the turn to the palace.

During the Great Patriotic War, it suffered a lot: almost all buildings were partially or completely destroyed. To our great regret, they have not been restored or restored completely until now, although the restorers have already begun work in Old Peterhof.

Park "Sergievka": description

The landscape park, which was created in the first half of the 19th century, covers an area of ​​one hundred and twenty hectares. It was laid out on the site of a natural forest and today partially retains its original layout. This natural monument is represented by nemoral and southern taiga forest communities, meadows, low-lying bogs and coastal reed thickets.

In the northern part (from the Gulf of Finland to Oranienbaum highway), birch trees prevail, and in the middle part - oaks and lindens. In other places, birches and spruces are found. Largest areas in the park are occupied by birch and spruce forests.

This park is endowed with a special beauty, thanks to several artificial ponds with dams and two ravines. On their bottom, streams flow to the Gulf of Finland, through which numerous bridges are thrown. Since 1920, the scientific laboratories of the St. Petersburg State University have been located here.

The park is considered to be relatively small. Especially if we compare it with the palace and park ensemble of Peterhof, the Lower Park. Despite this, there is a lot to see here.

Leuchtenberg manor

This is the first building that you will see when you enter the park. It is perfectly visible from the bus stop, towards which the facade of the palace is directed. From this we can conclude that the noble inhabitants of the estate had a stunning view of the Gulf of Finland.

The project of the palace was developed by the architect Andrei Shtakenshneider, who masterfully mastered many styles and combined them very successfully in his works. For example, he managed to weave elements of the neo-Greek style into the architectural appearance of this palace.

The architecture of the palace is somewhat reminiscent of the style of an antique villa with a rather complex structure thanks to the facades, which are complemented by galleries, terraces, adjoining pavilions. The two-storey building of the palace was built in 1842 in the late classicism style. The seeming complexity of his plan is deceiving: it is carefully thought out to the smallest detail and rationally organized.

By the end of construction (1842), the Kitchen and Hoffmeister buildings were built next to the palace. Today, unfortunately, they do not look brilliant. The decoration of the building is stylized as Pompeian art. Several masters worked on the picturesque modeling of the palace and its decoration: M. Andreev, I. Tabarin, I. Drolinger, S. Davydov. Unfortunately, the furnishings from the Hambs brothers are irretrievably lost.

There are other buildings on the territory of the estate, but they, like the palace, today can only be viewed from the outside. This is a building for servants, a kitchen and others, scattered almost throughout the park. They do not look as attractive as the palace, which also has only two facades - the northern and eastern ones - have been restored so far, but restoration work continues, and I really want to believe that the palace will soon regain its former splendor.

Now in the building of the palace and some park buildings there is

Stone head

Despite the fact that the Sergievka park in St. Petersburg was created around the estate and for a long time was named in her honor, the main attraction is not the estate. The hallmark of the park is a huge stone head that looks at all the guests of the estate from the ground.

This sculpture is covered with numerous legends, and perhaps no one can say who and why carved it in the park. This is the work of an unknown master, carved into a huge granite stone. The monument is located on the slope of a ravine, next to the manor house. A path from the master's house to the farm passes by him.

The dimensions of the statue are 2x2.2x1.8 meters. The sculpture represents the face of a man, possibly a warrior. Only the upper part is visible above the ground. A person's eyes are wide open. The left side of the face is only roughly outlined by the master. The occipital part of the boulder was not processed at all.

Most researchers are unanimous in the opinion that this sculpture was made in late XVIII — early XIX century. There is a version that it was created in the image of Peter I, who helped the family of an unknown sculptor. And some kind of external resemblance to the king can be seen.

According to another version, this is the head that AS Pushkin wrote about in Ruslan and Lyudmila. I must admit that most tourists latest version seems more attractive. Today, part of the sculpture is buried underground and is one of the main mysteries of Peterhof. In order to see it, you should go around the palace, go down the stairs and cross the stream. There you will find this mysterious creation.

Other stone objects

Several more large boulders are located in the Sergievka park. The stone head is the most famous of these. There are three benches in the park, carved out of boulders. On the shore of the Gulf of Finland, not far from the former building of the water-lifting machine, the author of which is believed to be Andrei Stakenschneider, there is a large stone with carved steps and four holes, which were intended for fastening the structure.

Versions about its purpose vary - from the stage or tribune of the summer theater to the pier for boats, or maybe the stone was a kind of observation platform.

Beach on Lake Zelenka

You don't have to be a big expert in the field to understand why the lake located in the Sergievka park has such a name. It is enough just to look at it: the water is bright green due to the shallow depth and the many plants that are visible at the bottom. In addition, it is surrounded by trees, whose branches are covered with emerald foliage in spring and summer, which is reflected in the water and further enhances this effect.

Swimming here is a dubious pleasure, although in the summer heat some desperate tourists try to cool off in Zelenka.

Church ruins

If, entering the park, walk about two hundred and fifty meters along the service buildings, you can find the remains of the four walls of the ancient church, which was left in such a deplorable state after the end of the war. Historians assumed that it was a Catholic church, but since the area of ​​construction was too far from Western Christianity, this version was quickly abandoned.

Later, evidence was found that the church was an Orthodox church: words in Church Slavonic were carved on one slab. These ruins are also considered special because here you can take wonderful photographs in the doorway: the magnificent carvings along its edges have remained intact.

"Own dacha"

Park "Sergievka" with its eastern outskirts borders on the territory of the estate "Own dacha". Often these territories are spoken of as a complex, but in fact they are two different estates. The main attraction of this place is the palace, which was built by the beginning of the reign of Princess Elizabeth Petrovna.

After a century of desolation, it was presented to Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich. V Soviet times a museum was located here. And today, full-scale restoration work has begun in it, which the building has been in need of for a very long time. But even in this state, it is clear that this is one of the architectural masterpieces of St. Petersburg.

Atlanteans hold a carved facade on their mighty shoulders, and the attic on the third floor rests on high columns. In addition to the palace, exquisite gardens were planted on the territory of the Tsarevich's dacha, winding paths surrounded by boulders were laid. There was also a small home church of the Holy Trinity, which for a long time was in a miserable state.

Now its restoration is almost complete, services are already being held in it and church holidays are being held.

If you visit the Sergievka park, do not be too lazy to walk a little in its immediate vicinity. There are many interesting places that are unknown to ordinary tourists.

Benois cottages

This is a complex of buildings located one and a half kilometers from the park. All of them are made in the style of Russian architecture, supplemented with elements. The remains of the Bobylskaya village, which was declared a cultural heritage of Peterhof, are being destroyed before our eyes.

There were many more houses in this area, but many of them died in fires, and some were destroyed during the war. These estates got this name because they were designed by the architect Leonty Benois for the wealthy and influential families of his time. These buildings complement the mystical and sad atmosphere of Old Peterhof.

Oranienbaum

This is a truly royal residence located in the village of Lomonosovo. The scope here is felt in everything. Once lived here Peter III, even before he took the Russian throne. Catherine II declared Oranienbaum an estate royal family... Although it is difficult to call this territory an estate, since it is a real ensemble of parks (Lower and Upper) with numerous palaces, sculptures, and buildings in the Rococo style.

Here you can see the Chinese and Menshikov palaces, many buildings for servants, pavilions and other buildings, about which the guides tell many interesting stories.

How to get from St. Petersburg to the park?

If you decide to visit the Sergievka park, we will tell you how to get there. It is located in the Petrodvortsovy District of the Northern Capital, and you can get here by bus, minibus or your own car.

By bus

You need to get from the Avtovo metro station by bus No. 200 to Sergievka. The road will take about an hour and a half, depending on the length of traffic jams at the exit from the city.

By minibus

From the metro station "Avtovo" you can get to Sergievka by minibuses No. 401, K300. From the metro station "Prospect Veterans" to the monument you will be taken by minibus No. K343.

If this head is not dug up, and they try not to shine, then they know what it is. The same with

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

In the Sergievsky Park, a palace and park ensemble located in Peterhof, to the west of the Leuchtenberg Palace, in a ravine near the Christatelka River, there is a miracle head carved into the ground, carved out of a huge boulder, called "The Old Man" or "Adam's Head".

Official version. A head appeared, according to historical records, in 1800, under the then owner - Sergei Rumyantsev (a descendant of an associate of Peter I - 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 seems that the body of this head (sculpture) is hidden somewhere underground. It is possible that it is already in a damaged, broken state, but still there.
It is difficult to explain the proximity of traces of erosion of the stone and the simultaneous clear lines of the stone craftsman. Or there was something else on the head (a knight's helmet, for example). A hole in the nasal septum suggests this option. Or maybe someone checked - is it hollow?

Digging is prohibited for amateurs. This can only be done by "accredited" institutions, archaeologists. But apparently they are in no hurry 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.

On the territory of the park, besides the palace itself and the "stone head", there are also other objects made of stone

Boulders, including specimens with flat faces. Ruined ancient masonry?

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

The park of the Sergievka estate has the status of a State Natural Monument, but it is famous not only for its beautiful oak forests and picturesque ponds.

At the end of the eighteenth century, the estate became the property of the imperial family. In 1839, Nicholas I presented it to his daughter Maria Nikolaevna on the occasion of her marriage to Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg. To give the estate a look worthy of the new owners, the architect A.I. As a result, a palace and park ensemble appeared in Sergievka, pleasing to the eye to this day, although not to the extent that it was during the life of Maria Nikolaevna.

However, back to the stone. Where he came from in the ravine, no one knows. But about how it turned into a head, something is known. The sculpture was made by an unknown master according to the design of the architect Franz Brouwer in 1799 or 1800. The same Franz Brouwer, who participated in the creation of the Roman fountains in Petrodvorets. According to various sources, the stone was supposed to represent the head of a sleeping warrior and be called "Rusich".

It is believed that he once had a helmet like that of a Russian hero, most likely a metal one. This is confirmed by the hole on the nose - supposedly it remained from the fastening of the vertical protective plate, typical for the helmets of Russian warriors. Subsequently, when the helmet disappeared, the original name of the sculpture was also forgotten.

Now the stone head has several names. Various authors they call the stone "Warrior", "Old Man", "Samson's Head", "Man's Head". BiNII employees and students usually refer to the stone as Adam.

The stone head is a unique sculpture carved from a single large granite boulder on the territory of the Sergievka park in Peterhof.

On the territory of the park there are other, not so large, processed boulders. These are preserved from the middle of the 19th century. elements of the landscaping of the park, which was carried out by the famous garden master Pyotr Ivanovich Erler.

The exact date of the creation of the stone head and its author is not known. Until now, its origin causes a lot of controversy among historians. Interestingly, this monument is not mentioned in any of the historical documents... Probably, the sculpture is the decoration of a water source that flows into a stream here.

The very first mention of the head is found in the notes of the outstanding English writer Lewis Carroll traveling in Russia. He mentions a huge head, like a titan buried in the ground, wanting to get to the surface. There are even opinions that this sculpture influenced some episodes of his immortal work "Alice in Wonderland".

Versions of the appearance of the stone head

• The most common version says that the head is a sculpture based on the famous poem by Alexander Pushkin "Ruslan and Lyudmila". Confirmation is the hole through which, according to the researchers' assumptions, a metal helmet was attached to the head, which has not survived to our times.
• Another version suggests that this is an incomplete monument to Emperor Peter I. Allegedly, the owner of the Sergievka estate, Sergei Petrovich Rumyantsev, decided in this way to perpetuate the memory of his father, Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev, an associate of Emperor Peter I. But in the end he was not satisfied with the quality of the completed monument, and he ordered to bury it in the ground.
• There is also a version that this is a monument to the times of the rule of the Swedes in these lands. He supposedly portrays an unknown Swedish ruler. And after Northern War when the territory passed to Russia, the Swedes did not find vehicles to ferry the monument.

However, all these versions have no documentary confirmation, and are rather of folk origin.

Landscape Park Sergievka in Peterhof is a natural monument of regional significance. Together with the Leuchtenberg estate, the park forms a palace and park ensemble, which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites "Historical Center of St. Petersburg and Associated Complexes of Monuments".

The area of ​​the Sergievka Park is 120 hectares. More than 200 plant species grow on its territory. The forests are home to 185 species of birds and 35 species of mammals, among which there are very rare specimens - the Green Woodpecker and the Sparrow Owl.

The drainage system of the park's paths, created in the 19th century, still works perfectly. Even in heavy rain, the paths remain dry. Sergievka is ideal for family holidays and outdoor walks. In addition to the forest, the park has several ponds with bridges and dams.

Natural monument "Park" Sergievka ": google-panorama

History of the park

The land on which the Sergievka Park is located became part of Russian Empire after the Northern War and the annexation of Ingermanland. At the beginning of the 18th century, Peter I transferred this territory into the possession of his associate, Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev. Subsequently, the estate was inherited by his grandson, Sergei Petrovich, in whose honor the park was named Sergievka.

After 1822, the estate was owned by Kirill Naryshkin, and after his death, the land with the landlord's house was acquired by Nicholas I and turned Sergievka into a country estate for his daughter and her husband, the Duke of Leuchtenberg.

In 1839-1842, the architect Stackenschneider built a country palace for the Leuchtenberg family. In the 19th century, there were active work on the design of the park - benches and sculptures from stone blocks were cut down and other landscape work was carried out. At the same time, according to experts, a giant stone head appeared - a unique monument that is a symbol of Sergievka.

After October revolution the park was transferred to the state, Sergievka was given the status of a natural monument. The Leuchtenberg Palace was placed at the disposal of the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science of Leningrad University. During the Great Patriotic War the estate was badly damaged, restoration work continued for many years, but some buildings were lost forever. Among them: the church of St. Catherine, the Chinese house, a water-lifting machine and a Catholic chapel.

Stone head in Sergievka park

Head or Sculpture at the Source Is a monument carved out of a granite block by an unknown master. Its height reaches 2 meters. The sculpture represents the head, presumably of a male warrior, which is only half visible from the ground. The master worked only part of the face, the occipital part remained intact.

The monument is located on the territory of the former Leuchtenberg manor and has not only the status of an object cultural heritage federal significance, but also is the hallmark of Sergievka. There are several versions of the creation of the Head: the main one says that this is a monument to an ancient Russian warrior and a metal helmet was previously on the head. The poet A. Pushkin allegedly wrote the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" under the impression of this monument. According to another version, the sculpture at the source depicts an unknown Swedish king and was created during the reign of the Swedes in this area.

Leuchtenberg Palace in Peterhof

Leuchtenberg manor refers to the style of late classicism. It was built in 1839 in the northeastern part of Sergievka Park ( Western part Peterhof). The construction of the building took only 2.5 months, but the finishing of the premises took almost three years.

The palace has two floors, its architecture is carefully thought out. The furnishings of the rooms have not survived to this day. The elements of the sculpture and stucco were restored during a lengthy reconstruction. The Leuchtenberg manor had four facades, each of them was unique. In general, the palace resembled a Roman building; on the facades there were many ledges, open terraces and galleries. In the post-war years, the palace in Sergievka Park was restored, and today you can see it during walks.

Visiting rules

The park is free to enter, but visitors are asked to follow some rules of conduct.

On the territory of the park strictly prohibited:

• construction, restoration and repair work without approval;
• passage of motor vehicles, except for the Oranienbaum highway;
• collection and damage of rare plant species;
• parking for tourists;
• littering of the territory;
• making fires.

During the nesting period of birds (from April 15 to June 15), the park administration asks not to disturb the birds, not to come close to trees, not to make noise, to move exclusively along footpaths, to walk pets on a leash ..

Taxi and transfer

You can call a taxi through the mobile applications Yandex.Taxi, Gett, Uber and Maxim. With their help, you can quickly select a car of the desired class, as well as calculate the cost of the trip and track the route.

For comfortable movement outside the city, we recommend ordering a transfer from the KiwiTaxi company.

Monument of nature "Park" Sergievka ": in Peterhof: video