Not far from Petergof on the twenty-meter high Babigonsky hill stays the majestic building Belvedere (ital. Belvedere – beautiful view). It is said that Tsar Nicolas I himself had chosen the location for the palace.

Belveder was built to the design of Stuckenschneider in 1852-56. It is a two-storeyed building in austere classical style. The first storey lies on a large terrace, enclosed with a balustrade. The main entrance is decorated with a porch that reminds of a famous oriental portico of Athenian Erechtheion. Its architrave is supported by beautiful caryatids made of gray granite by Terebenev. The upper storey, which is smaller than the lower, is surrounded by a majestic colonnade with twenty eight Ionic columns. From there unfolds a magnificent view to the surrounding grounds: meadow park with numerous lakes, Petergof, the Gulf of Finland at the horizon, and in clear weather one can also see St. Petersburg, which lies in 20 km form the palace.

Before the revolution Belvedere belonged to the royal family, at present the restoration works are carried out there, and soon the palace will be open to visitors.