In front of the southern facade of the Grand Palace lies the Upper Garden . In plan it takes the form of large stretched rectangle, covering an area of 15 hectares. The territory of the Upper Garden was first designated in early sketches executed by Peter I in 1714. In 1716 the Upper Garden planning project was developed with the participation of Johann-Fredrich Braunstein, and was carried out under the leadership of gardening expert L. Van Garnichfeldt. The Garden's composition has remained unaltered to the present day. The layout of the Upper Garden and of its reservoirs was completed in 1724.

The Garden is adorned by five fountains with monumental group sculptures created by Rastrelli and Italian marble sculptors of the 18 th century, among them statues created by Bonazza.

The Upper Garden has the appearence of the style of regular gardens typical for Russian architecture of the first half of the 18 th century.