The Grand Palace stands atop the bluff near the middle of the Lower Gardens at Peterhof, with the Upper Gardens behind it. It began as a modest structure, originally called the Upper, hardly larger than the others in the complex, and Peter the Great's design raised it to central status. Elizabeth of Russia commissioned the wings that Bartolomeo Rastrelli added, and the article gives dates of 1745 to 1755 in one section and 1747 to 1756 in another.
The Chesma Hall holds twelve paintings of the Battle of Chesma by Jacob Philipp Hackert, painted from 1771 to 1773. The East and West Chinese Cabinets were decorated from 1766 to 1769. The Picture Hall is at the center.
German troops captured Peterhof in 1941 and held it until 1944. The palace was partially exploded and left to burn, and restoration continues. UNESCO inscribed the ensemble in 1990.
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