PETERHOF, Minor Buildings

In the Peterhof palace complex, a walk of about three kilometers takes you from Marly Palace to the Cottage, where you can visit numerous historic buildings, most of them now museums.

I suggest you set out from Marly Palace, built around 1720 on the orders of Peter I to host important guests. This delightful baroque residence is inspired by the hunting lodge of King Louis XIV in Marly Le Roi, just outside Paris, which Peter saw during his visit to France in 1717.

Nearby is the Hermitage Pavilion, a small construction with two floors, built around 1725. What is unusual about the building is that the dining room on the upper floor and the kitchen on the lower floor were connected by a system of lifts, used to transport the fully laid tables directly up to guests, thus avoiding the servants having contact with them....