Monplaisir Palace

Stand on the terrace and face the water. The Gulf of Finland spreads out before you, flat and grey-blue to the edge of the sky. Waves touch the stone just below your feet. Behind you is a low brick house with a red roof and white trim. This is Monplaisir. The name means "my pleasure" in French. It was the favorite home of Peter the Great, and it is easy to see why he loved it.

Peter chose this exact spot himself. He wanted to live close to the sea, not high above it in a grand palace. So he built something small and plain right on the shore. The house is long and low. Its walls are dark red brick. Large windows face the water on one side and the garden on the other. From here, Peter could watch his ships come and go on the gulf.

Builders raised Monplaisir between 1714 and 1723. The design follows a Dutch style. Peter had traveled to the Netherlands as a young man, working and learning there. He admired the neat brick houses and the people who built ships. He brought those ideas home with him. Monplaisir is the result, a calm Dutch house set on a Russian shore.

Step inside the central hall. The ceiling is painted with light, airy scenes. The floor is laid in a careful pattern of dark and pale wood. Light comes in from both sides, from the sea and from the garden, so the room is never dim. This space was used for meetings and for meals. Peter received his guests here. The room is not huge, yet it feels open and bright.

Look at the walls. Monplaisir holds a collection of paintings. Many came from the Netherlands and Flanders. Peter bought sea scenes, calm landscapes, and portraits of ordinary people. He was one of the first Russian rulers to gather European art in this way. The pictures hang close together, filling the walls from low down to high above your head.

Find the small study that faces the sea. This was a private room for Peter. From its windows he could look out toward the water and the island fort of Kronstadt, which he had built to guard the new capital. He could see St. Petersburg in the far distance. For a ruler who loved the navy above all, this single view was the heart of the whole house.

Visit the kitchen. The walls are covered, floor to ceiling, in blue and white tiles. Each tile carries a small painted scene. Together they form a quiet, repeating pattern across the whole room. The kitchen was modern for its time, clean and well planned. Food was prepared here and carried straight to the table in the hall close by.

One room shines with black and gold. This is the lacquered study. Its panels copy a style from China and the Far East, which was very popular in Europe then. Small painted figures, birds, and scenes cover the dark, glossy surface. The work is fine and patient, done slowly by hand. It shows how far Peter looked, across the whole world, for new ideas and beauty.

Go back outside into the garden. Neat paths cross between low, trimmed hedges. Small fountains play among the flower beds. The garden is compact and ordered, in the Dutch manner, with everything in balance. It sits between the house and the rest of the park. Peter could step from his rooms straight out into this green and quiet space whenever he wished.

Everything here speaks of the man. Peter the Great was tall and restless, happiest when he was busy. He liked work, ships, and simple comfort more than grand show. Monplaisir gave him exactly that. While the great palace rose on the hill behind, he kept this small house for himself, right at the edge of the sea.

Like the rest of Peterhof, Monplaisir suffered in the Second World War. Many objects were saved by being packed and moved away in time. Others were lost forever. After the war, the house was repaired with great care, room by room. Today its rooms are kept close to how Peter knew them, so that visitors can almost feel his presence.

Before you leave, return to the terrace. Feel the wind off the gulf on your face. Listen to the water moving against the stone below. This is what Peter wanted: not gold and great height, but the open sea at his very door. He called the house his pleasure. Standing here, with the waves at your feet, it is easy to understand why.