The Hanging Garden

The Hanging Garden is an architectural construction characteristic of 18th-century palace ensembles. It is located at the level of the second storey of the building of the Small Hermitage. In the middle of the 19th century the Orangery adjoining the Northern Pavilion was enclosed by a glazed roof with a metal frame. The architect Andrei Stakenschneider, who created the Pavilion Hall in 1850–58, increased the size of the Orangery, turning part of the Hanging Garden into a winter garden. Among the tropical and evergreen plants, a Carrara marble fountain created by the Italian sculptor Felice de Fovo, marble statues and garden furniture were installed. In the second half of the 19th century, during balls held in the Pavilion Hall, which was decorated with flowers and greenery, the winter garden was also used for dancing.