In Peterhof, his favorite country residence, Emperor Peter I ordered the construction of a small two-story pavilion he called ‘Hermitage’ (meaning ‘solitude’ in French). Such pavilions were popular in Europe, where the tsar first saw the idea: on the ground floor, in the pantry, servants served and heated pre-cooked food, which was then lifted to the second floor, into the Hall, using a hand-pulled ‘elevator’ (on ropes). The central part of the table could be lowered into the pantry for a change of dishes and then lifted back up.
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
But why was such a complex mechanism needed? So that the tsar and his guests could talk without the servants listening in on them.
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
Peter was not the only one who loved the pavilion – other Russian tsars and their families often dined and entertained themselves there.
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
By the way, there was also a passenger "elevator" in the Hermitage pavilion – it was an armchair that went up to the second floor also by way of a hand rope pull. But, in 1797, under Paul I, one of the cables of the chair broke, after which an ordinary ladder was installed instead of this device.
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
The original lifting mechanism burned down during the Great Patriotic War – the Germans then equipped a firing point on the second floor of the pavilion, where the tsars once feasted.
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
In 2023, the lifting mechanism was restored according to the original drawings and, today, it is fully operational again, albeit for exhibition purposes only.