Marly Palace
Peter's modest 'little cube' between the ponds, where fish were called to feed by a bell.
The westernmost palace of the Lower Park and the closest to the house. It got its name in memory of Peter's visit in 1717 to the residence of the French kings at Marly near Paris. The Peterhof Marly did not become a copy of the French palace — only the idea was borrowed: a park that is both beautiful and practical. The palace was planned as a single-storey building, but Peter ordered a second floor to be added during construction, and the result was an almost perfect cube. Around it are the Marly Ponds, where fish were bred for the tsar's table. Guides like to tell how the fish were trained to swim to the sound of a bell at feeding time. The French prototype was dismantled in 1806 — so the Peterhof Marly outlived its model.
Walks in Peterhof / Day trips
⛲ Lower Park from the "back entrance": Marly, the Hermitage Pavilion, Monplaisir
We enter the Lower Park from the quiet western side and walk against the tourist flow: Marly's fish ponds, the dining room with a rising table, Peter's little house and the Samson Fountain.
🥾 All of Peterhof in a day: from west to east
A big hike for those who love walking: from Sobstvennaya Dacha through the entire Lower Park, the Colonist Islands and the cathedral — to the Cottage Palace in Alexandria. Return by bus or taxi.