On the night of September 21 (September 10, old style), 1777, a strong wind rose, and in St. Petersburg there was another 71 floods since the beginning of observations. In the morning, the water rose 321 cm above the ordinary. The flood of 1777 ranks third in terms of water level rise.

The flooding led to significant destruction both in St. Petersburg itself and in the suburbs.

The imperial gardens also suffered greatly from high water: the First, Second and Third Summer Gardens, as well as the Maze Garden. In the First Summer Garden at that time, work was being done on the construction of the Nevsky Fence. The northern part of the garden was filled with wooden sheds, scaffolding and materials. During the disaster, all this was destroyed, and the waves carried the debris into the garden. Many trees suffered from them, and the already dilapidated structures of arbors and bersos were broken. When the water returned to the bed of the Neva, some of the debris settled in the bowls of the fountains. After the disaster, the Summer Garden was a deplorable sight.

There was not enough money in the treasury for the simultaneous restoration of the garden and the construction of the fence. Therefore, it is believed that it was from 1777 that the systematic dismantling of Peter’s undertakings of the Summer Garden began, which was completed only in the 20s of the 19th century. But that’s a completely different story.

Today, in memory of the floods that plagued St. Petersburg, we are posting photographs of the recreated fountains of the Summer Garden.