Interesting facts about the Bronze Horseman. The most interesting facts about the Bronze Horseman, who is not made of copper at all Monument in honor of Peter 1 interesting facts

P The monument to Peter I ("The Bronze Horseman") is located in the heart of St. Petersburg - on Senate Square.
The location of the monument to Peter I was not chosen by chance. Nearby are the Admiralty founded by the Emperor and the building of the main legislative body of Tsarist Russia - the Senate. Peter I points towards Sweden, and in the center stands (the main opponent of Peter I in the Northern War), whose index finger points in the direction of Russia...

In 1710, on the site of the current Bronze Horseman, in the premises of the “drafting shed,” the very first wooden St. Isaac’s Church was located.

Catherine II insisted on placing the monument in the center of Senate Square. The author of the sculpture, Etienne-Maurice Falconet, did his own thing by installing the “Bronze Horseman” closer to the Neva.

Falcone was invited to St. Petersburg by Prince Golitsyn. Professors of the Paris Academy of Painting Diderot and Voltaire, whose taste Catherine II trusted, advised to turn to this master.
Falcone was already fifty years old. He worked at a porcelain factory, but dreamed of great and monumental art. When an invitation was received to erect a monument in Russia, Falcone, without hesitation, signed the contract on September 6, 1766. Its conditions determined: the monument to Peter should consist of “mainly an equestrian statue of colossal size.” The sculptor was offered a rather modest fee (200 thousand livres), other masters asked twice as much.

Falconet arrived in St. Petersburg with his seventeen-year-old assistant Marie-Anne Collot. Most likely, she also helped him in bed, but history is silent about this...
The vision of the monument to Peter I by the author of the sculpture was strikingly different from the desire of the empress and the majority of the Russian nobility. Catherine II expected to see Peter I with a rod or scepter in his hand, sitting on a horse like a Roman emperor. State Councilor Shtelin saw the figure of Peter surrounded by allegories of Prudence, Diligence, Justice and Victory. I. I. Betskoy, who supervised the construction of the monument, imagined it as a full-length figure, holding a commander’s staff in his hand.

Falconet was advised to direct the emperor's right eye to the Admiralty, and his left to the building of the Twelve Colleges. Diderot, who visited St. Petersburg in 1773, conceived a monument in the form of a fountain decorated with allegorical figures.

Falcone had something completely different in mind. He turned out to be stubborn and persistent. The sculptor wrote:
“I will limit myself only to the statue of this hero, whom I do not interpret either as a great commander or as a winner, although he, of course, was both. The personality of the creator, legislator, benefactor of his country is much higher, and this is what needs to be shown people. My king does not hold any rod, he extends his beneficent right hand over the country he travels around. He rises to the top of the rock that serves as his pedestal - this is the emblem of the difficulties he has conquered."

Defending the right to his opinion regarding the appearance of the monument, Falcone wrote to I. I. Betsky:

“Could you imagine that the sculptor chosen to create such a significant monument would be deprived of the ability to think and that the movements of his hands would be controlled by someone else’s head, and not his own?”

Disputes also arose around the clothes of Peter I. The sculptor wrote to Diderot:

“You know that I will not dress him in Roman style, just as I would not dress Julius Caesar or Scipio in Russian.”

Falcone worked on a life-size model of the monument for three years. Work on “The Bronze Horseman” was carried out on the site of the former temporary Winter Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna.
In 1769, passersby could watch here as a guards officer took off on a horse onto a wooden platform and reared it. This went on for several hours a day. Falcone sat at the window in front of the platform and carefully sketched what he saw. The horses for work on the monument were taken from the imperial stables: the horses Brilliant and Caprice. The sculptor chose the Russian “Oryol” breed for the monument.

Falconet's student Marie-Anne Collot sculpted the head of the Bronze Horseman. The sculptor himself took on this work three times, but each time Catherine II advised to remake the model. Marie herself proposed her sketch, which was accepted by the empress. For her work, the girl was accepted as a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Catherine II assigned her a lifelong pension of 10,000 livres.

The snake under the horse’s foot was sculpted by the Russian sculptor F. G. Gordeev.

Preparing the life-size plaster model of the monument took twelve years; it was ready by 1778. The model was open for public viewing in the workshop on the corner of Brick Lane and Bolshaya Morskaya Street. Various opinions were expressed. The Chief Prosecutor of the Synod resolutely did not accept the project. Diderot was pleased with what he saw. Catherine II turned out to be indifferent to the model of the monument - she did not like Falcone’s arbitrariness in choosing the appearance of the monument.

On the left in the photo is a bust of Falconet Marie-Anne Collot 1773.

For a long time, no one wanted to take on the task of casting the statue. Foreign craftsmen demanded too much money, and local craftsmen were frightened by its size and complexity of work. According to the sculptor's calculations, in order to maintain the balance of the monument, the front walls of the monument had to be made very thin - no more than a centimeter. Even a specially invited foundry worker from France refused such work. He called Falcone crazy and said that there was no such example of casting in the world, that it would not succeed.

Finally, a foundry worker was found - cannon master Emelyan Khailov. Together with him, Falcone selected the alloy and made samples. In three years, the sculptor mastered casting to perfection. They began casting the Bronze Horseman in 1774.

The technology was very complex. The thickness of the front walls had to be less than the thickness of the rear ones. At the same time, the back part became heavier, which gave stability to the statue, which rested on only two fulcrum points (the snake is not a fulcrum, more on that below).

Filling alone, which began on August 25, 1775, did not solve the problem. Khailov was entrusted with her supervision. 1,350 pounds of bronze were prepared, and when all of it, molten, flowed into the mold, the mold cracked and the metal poured onto the floor. A fire started. Falcone ran out of the workshop in horror, the workers ran after him, and only Khailov remained in place. Risking his life, he wrapped the mold in his homespun and coated it with clay, picked up the spilled bronze and poured it back into the mold. The monument was saved, and the errors that arose due to the accident were later corrected when polishing the statue.

The St. Petersburg Gazette wrote about these events:

“The casting was successful except in places about two feet by two at the top. This regrettable failure occurred through an incident that was not at all foreseeable, and therefore impossible to prevent. The above-mentioned incident seemed so terrible that they were afraid that the entire building would go up in flames, but, Therefore, the whole business would not have failed. Khailov remained motionless and carried the molten metal into the mold, without losing his courage in the least in the face of the danger to his life. Touched by such courage, Falconet, at the end of the matter, rushed to him and kissed him with all his heart and gave him a gift from himself money."

However, as a result of the accident, numerous large defects (underfilling, adhesions) were formed in the horse’s head and the figure of the rider above the waist.

A bold plan was developed to save the statue. It was decided to cut off the defective part of the statue and refill it, building a new form directly onto the surviving parts of the monument. Using pieces of plaster mold, a wax model of the top of the casting was obtained, which was a continuation of the wall of the previously cast part of the statue.

The second filling was carried out in November 1777, and it was a complete success. In memory of this unique operation, on one of the folds of Peter I’s cloak, the sculptor left the inscription “Modeled and cast by Etienne Falconet, Parisian 1778.” Not a word about Khailov.

According to the sculptor’s plan, the base of the monument is a natural rock in the shape of a wave. The shape of the wave serves as a reminder that it was Peter I who led Russia to the sea. The Academy of Arts began searching for the monolith stone when the model of the monument was not yet ready. A stone was needed whose height would be 11.2 meters.

The granite monolith was found in the Lakhta region, twelve miles from St. Petersburg.

Once upon a time, according to local legends, lightning struck the rock, forming a crack in it. Among the locals, the rock was called "Thunder Stone".

That’s what they later began to call the piece of rock when they installed it on the banks of the Neva for the famous monument. There were rumors that in the old days there was a temple on it. And sacrifices were made.

The initial weight of the monolith is about 2000 tons. Catherine II announced a reward of 7,000 rubles to the one who comes up with the most effective way to deliver the rock to Senate Square. From many projects, the method proposed by a certain Carbury was chosen. There were rumors that he had bought this project from some Russian merchant.

A clearing was cut from the location of the stone to the shore of the bay and the soil was strengthened. The rock was freed from excess layers, and it immediately became lighter by 600 tons. The thunder-stone was hoisted with levers onto a wooden platform resting on copper balls. These balls moved on grooved wooden rails lined with copper. The clearing was winding. Work on transporting the rock continued in both cold and hot weather. Hundreds of people worked. Many St. Petersburg residents came to watch this action. Some of the observers collected fragments of stone and used them to make cane knobs or cufflinks. In honor of the extraordinary transport operation, Catherine II ordered the minting of a medal with the inscription “Like daring. January 20, 1770.”

The poet Vasily Rubin wrote in the same year:
The Russian Mountain, not made by hands here, Hearing the voice of God from the lips of Catherine, Came to the city of Petrov through the Neva abyss. And she fell under the feet of the Great Peter.

By the time the monument to Peter I was erected, the relationship between the sculptor and the imperial court had completely deteriorated. It got to the point that Falcone was credited with only a technical attitude towards the monument.

Portrait of Marie-Anne Collot

The offended master did not wait for the opening of the monument; in September 1778, together with Marie-Anne Collot, he left for Paris.

And the monument, weighing about 10 tons, still had to be erected...

The installation of the Bronze Horseman on the pedestal was supervised by the architect F. G. Gordeev.

The grand opening of the monument to Peter I took place on August 7, 1782 (old style). The sculpture was hidden from the eyes of observers by a canvas fence depicting mountain landscapes.

It had been raining since the morning, but it did not stop a significant number of people from gathering on Senate Square. By noon the clouds had cleared. The guards entered the square. The military parade was led by Prince A. M. Golitsyn. At four o'clock, Empress Catherine II herself arrived on the boat. She climbed onto the balcony of the Senate building in a crown and purple and gave a sign for the opening of the monument. The fence fell, and to the beat of drums the regiments moved along the Neva embankment.

By order of Catherine II, the following is inscribed on the pedestal: “Catherine II to Peter I.” Thus, the Empress emphasized her commitment to Peter's reforms. Immediately after the appearance of the Bronze Horseman on Senate Square, the square was named Petrovskaya.

A. S. Pushkin called the sculpture “The Bronze Horseman” in his poem of the same name. This expression has become so popular that it has become almost official. And the monument to Peter I itself became one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
The weight of the "Bronze Horseman" is 8 tons, the height is more than 5 meters.

Neither the wind nor the terrible floods could defeat the monument.

Legends

One evening, Pavel, accompanied by his friend Prince Kurakin, walked through the streets of St. Petersburg. Suddenly a man appeared ahead, wrapped in a wide cloak. It seemed that he was waiting for the travelers and, when they approached, he walked next to them. Pavel shuddered and turned to Kurakin: “Someone is walking next to us.” However, he did not see anyone and tried to convince the Grand Duke of this. Suddenly the ghost spoke: “Paul! Poor Pavel! I am the one who takes part in you.” Then the ghost walked ahead of the travelers, as if leading them along. Approaching the middle of the square, he indicated the place for the future monument. “Goodbye, Pavel,” said the ghost, “you will see me here again.” And when, leaving, he raised his hat, Pavel saw Peter’s face with horror.

The legend is believed to date back to the memoirs of Baroness von Oberkirch, who details the circumstances under which Paul himself publicly told the story. Bearing in mind the high reliability of the memoirs, based on many years of diary entries, and the friendship between the Baroness and Maria Feodorovna, Paul’s wife, most likely the source of the legend is indeed the future sovereign himself...

There is another legend. During the War of 1812, when the threat of Napoleonic invasion was real, Alexander I decided to transport the monument to Peter to Vologda. A certain captain Baturin had a strange dream: as if the Bronze Horseman was moving off the pedestal and galloping towards Kamenny Island, where Emperor Alexander I was at that time. “Young man, what have you brought my Russia to?” Peter tells him. “But until then, as long as I stand in my place, my city has nothing to fear." Then the horseman, announcing the city with a “heavy ringing gallop,” returned to Senate Square. According to legend, the dream of the unknown captain was brought to the attention of the emperor, as a result of which the statue of Peter the Great remained in St. Petersburg.
As you know, the boot of a Napoleonic soldier, like a fascist one, did not touch the St. Petersburg pavements.

The famous mystic and spirit seer of the 20th century, Daniil Andreev, in “The Rose of the World,” described one of the hellish worlds. There he reports that in infernal Petersburg, the torch in the hand of the Bronze Horseman is the only source of light, while Peter is sitting not on a horse, but on a terrible dragon...

During the siege of Leningrad, the Bronze Horseman was covered with bags of earth and sand, lined with logs and boards.

When after the war the monument was freed from boards and bags, the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union appeared on Peter’s chest. Someone drew it with chalk...

Restorations of the monument took place in 1909 and 1976. During the last of them, the sculpture was studied using gamma rays. To do this, the space around the monument was fenced off with sandbags and concrete blocks. The cobalt gun was controlled from a nearby bus. Thanks to this research, it turned out that the frame of the monument can serve for many years to come. Inside the figure was a capsule with a note about the restoration and its participants, a newspaper dated September 3, 1976.

Etienne-Maurice Falconet conceived The Bronze Horseman without a fence. But it was still created and has not survived to this day. “Thanks to” the vandals who left their autographs on the thunder stone and the sculpture itself, the idea of ​​restoring the fence was realized.

The snake that the horse tramples and the tail serve only to separate the air currents and reduce the windage of the monument.

2. Peter’s pupils are made in the shape of hearts. Peter looks at the city with loving eyes. So Falcone conveyed to his descendants the news of Peter’s love for his brainchild - St. Petersburg.

3. Thanks to Pushkin and his poem, the monument is called “Copper”, but it is not made of copper, but of bronze (even though bronze consists mostly of copper).

4. The monument was depicted on the money of Yudenich, who went to Petrograd, but did not reach it.

The monument is covered in myths and legends. It is also in foreign collections. This is how the Japanese imagined it.

Illustration from the 11th scroll "Kankai Ibun". The monument was drawn by a Japanese artist from the words of sailors)))

Previously, submariner graduates of VVMIOLU named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (located in the Admiralty building) there was a tradition, on the night before release, to rub the eggs of Peter’s horse. After that they sparkled brightly, for almost half a year))) now the school has been moved and the tradition has died...

They wash it periodically... with soap)))

Late in the evening the monument is no less mysterious and beautiful...

Info and part of the photo (C) Internet. Basis: site "Legends of St. Petersburg", Wikipedia,

"The Bronze Horseman" - a monument to the first Russian Emperor Peter I, has become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. Its grand opening, timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the reign of Empress Catherine II, took place on August 18 (August 7, old style) 1782 on Senate Square.

The initiative to create a monument to Peter I belongs to Catherine II. It was on her orders that Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn turned to the professors of the Paris Academy of Painting and Sculpture Diderot and Voltaire, whose opinion Catherine II completely trusted.

Famous masters recommended Etienne-Maurice Falconet for this work, who had long dreamed of creating a monumental work. The wax sketch was made by the master in Paris, and after his arrival in Russia in 1766, work began on a plaster model the size of the statue.

Refusing the allegorical solution proposed to him by those around Catherine II, Falcone decided to present the king as “the creator, legislator and benefactor of his country,” who “extends his right hand over the country he travels around.” He instructed his student Marie Anne Collot to model the head of the statue, but subsequently made changes to the image, trying to express in the face of Peter a combination of thought and strength.

The casting of the monument took place at the end of August 1774. But it was not possible to complete it in one go, as Falcone had hoped. During casting, cracks formed in the mold, through which liquid metal began to flow. A fire started in the workshop.

The dedication and resourcefulness of the foundry master Emelyan Khailov allowed the flames to be extinguished, but the entire upper part of the casting from the rider's knees and the horse's chest to their heads was irreparably damaged and had to be cut down. During the time between the first and second casting, the craftsmen sealed and caulked the holes left in the cast part of the monument from the pipes (sprues) through which liquid metal was fed into the mold, and polished the bronze. The upper part of the statue was cast in the summer of 1777.

Then the joining of the two parts of the sculpture and the sealing of the seam between them, chasing, polishing and patina of the bronze began. In the summer of 1778, the decoration of the monument was largely completed. In memory of this, Falconet engraved on one of the folds of Peter I’s cloak an inscription in Latin: “Sculpted and cast by Etienne Falconet, Parisian 1778.” In August of the same year, the sculptor left Russia without waiting for the opening of the monument.

Architect Yuri Felten monitored the progress of work on the construction of the monument after the French sculptor left Russia.

The support for the monument is a snake trampled by a horse by the sculptor Fyodor Gordeev, symbolizing envy, inertia and malice.

The base of the sculpture - a giant granite block, the so-called thunder stone, was found in 1768 on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, near the village of Konnaya Lakhta. The delivery of the colossal monolith weighing about 1.6 thousand tons to the site of the monument was completed in 1770. First it was transported overland on a platform with grooved runners, which, through 32 bronze balls, rested on portable rails laid on a prepared surface, and then on a specially built barge. According to a drawing by architect Yuri Felten, the stone was given the shape of a rock; as a result of processing, its size was significantly reduced. On the pedestal there is an inscription in Russian and Latin: “Catherine the Second to Peter the Great.” The installation of the monument was supervised by the sculptor Gordeev.

The height of the sculpture of Peter I is 5.35 meters, the height of the pedestal is 5.1 meters, the length of the pedestal is 8.5 meters.

In the statue of Peter pacifying his horse on a steep cliff top, the unity of movement and rest is superbly conveyed; The monument is given special grandeur by the royally proud seat of the king, the commanding gesture of his hand, the turn of his raised head in a laurel wreath, personifying resistance to the elements and the affirmation of the sovereign will.

The monumental statue of a horseman, with an imperious hand squeezing the reins of a horse rearing in a swift rush, symbolizes the growth of the power of Russia.

The location of the monument to Peter I on Senate Square was not chosen by chance. Nearby are the Admiralty, founded by the emperor, and the building of the main legislative body of tsarist Russia - the Senate. Catherine II insisted on placing the monument in the center of Senate Square. The author of the sculpture, Etienne Falconet, did things his own way by erecting the monument closer to the Neva.

After the opening of the monument, Senate Square received the name Petrovskaya; in 1925-2008 it was called Decembrists Square. In 2008, it was returned to its previous name - Senate.

Thanks to Alexander Pushkin, who used a fantastic story about a monument coming to life during a flood that shook the city in his poem, the bronze monument of Peter.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), the monument was covered with sandbags, on top of which a wooden case was built.

The Bronze Horseman has been restored several times. In particular, in 1909, the water that had accumulated inside the monument was drained and the cracks were sealed; in 1912, holes were drilled in the sculpture for water drainage; in 1935, all newly formed defects were eliminated. A complex of restoration work was carried out in 1976.

The monument to Peter I is an integral part of the city center ensemble.

On City Day in St. Petersburg, official festive events are traditionally held on Senate Square.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

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Elena Rybakova

The organizers of the international dance show “Star Duet - Legends of Dance” in the Kremlin express their gratitude

On behalf of the organizers of the “Star Duet” 2017 show in the Kremlin, we would like to say thanks to Personaltours for the excellent cooperation in conducting a cultural program in St. Petersburg for foreign participants in the dance show. An excellent English-speaking guide Larisa, a highly professional driver Vladimir - masters of their craft, sensitive to the mood and desires of their clients! In just a few days, we were shown all the historical beauties of the cultural

We express on behalf of all our

On behalf of all our tourists, we express our gratitude to the manager Karina and the company for organizing all excursions, bus support, catering in St. Petersburg, special thanks to the guide Olga for an interesting story about the sights visited.

Polishchuk Valentina

I liked everything very much

Special thanks to Karina for organizing an individual tour for guests from Germany. Despite the fact that 3 cruise ships with Germans arrived on the same day, a tour was organized with an excellent guide. The guests really enjoyed it and plan to come to our wonderful city again.

Professionalism

Many thanks to Elena and her team for the precise organization of the event - a boat trip for VIP guests. Elena paid attention to important details, without which the event would not have been at such a high level. You can immediately see the work of a professional in his field! We hope for fruitful cooperation!

Ekaterina Safonova

From grateful clients

We have been using the services for several years, and no matter what we are working on - on a program for receiving a delegation or vacationing foreign guests (among whom were representatives of Japan, China, Italy, Germany, Norway, South Korea and other countries), Personnel Tours employees always respond quickly, They work efficiently and meet the wishes of both guests and customers. Please accept my deep gratitude for each

Everything is clearly organized by agreement. Good service

Everything was clearly organized by agreement. A good guide, a good car - everything was adjusted to our wishes. Good service for a reasonable price.

Thank you very much for organizing and conducting the excursion

In November of this year, we turned to Personaltours LLC for services in planning, organizing and conducting excursions for our foreign partners. The excursion was wonderful at the highest level! We thank manager Elena Karpova for her efficiency and flexibility in her work! Many thanks to Natalya Bazhenova for a wonderful excursion! Natalia is a knowledgeable and experienced guide with a sense of humor.

Margarita

Thank you for the amazing emotions

In fact, there are a lot of emotions and they are amazing!!! I want to thank you so much for an unforgettable excursion for the Czech professor to the magnificent Peterhof. The entire organization of the excursion from start to finish was excellent. Special thanks to the excellent guide Natalya (the professor is looking forward to her visiting Prague :-)). Good luck and prosperity to you! We will definitely recommend you to all our acquaintances and friends! Thank you

Catherine

Unforgettable three days!

Many thanks from our entire noisy company for these three amazing days in St. Petersburg! The entire program was compiled specifically for us, with great love for our city and our work! Thanks to Polina and Karina for their professionalism and sensitivity to each client. We had an amazing guide - Olga Fedorovna, thank you very much, we will

Bibigul

Thank you very much for a wonderful excursion

Thank you very much for the wonderful excursion program! We received a lot of pleasant impressions during our mini-trip, and most importantly, useful and interesting information about the northern capital, St. Petersburg.
P.S. Please say thank you again to Alena!

Many thanks to the entire team of Persornalturs LLC

Many thanks to the entire team of Persornalturs LLC. Thanks to Polina for the excellent program. It was compiled with great love for my work and the city. Everything was organized clearly, systematically, competently.

Tatyana Viktorovna

Wir bedanken uns ganz herzlich

Wir bedanken uns ganz herzlich für die Organization unseres Programms bei der Reise nach Sankt Petersburg! Alles war auf dem hohen Niveau und hat bestens funktioniert. Alle von Ihnen empfohlene Restaurants waren TOP.

Sehr zuverlässig!

Wir waren mit einer Reisegruppe in St. Petersburg im Mai 2016 und haben viel Spaß gehabt. Kollegen aus Personal Tours haben für uns 3 hervorragende Führungen, etc. Organisiert. Alles war auf TOP Niveau und wir sind sehr sehr zufrieden! Die Agentur Personal Tours kann ich allen nur empfehlen!

Monument to Peter I, called Bronze Horseman with the light hand of Alexander Pushkin, is one of the symbols of the Northern capital. Erected by the will of Catherine II, it has been decorating Senate Square for more than 200 years. Today we will tell you about the most interesting facts and the most mysterious legends associated with the Bronze Horseman.

The creation of the monument turned out to be very troublesome: the plan of the famous Parisian sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet, specially invited to Russia by Catherine to work on the monument to Peter the Great, was grandiose. To perpetuate the figure of the Russian reformer, it was decided to create a sculpture of him on a horse. According to the plan, the rider climbed a high cliff, leaving behind all enemies and thereby overcoming all life's difficulties.

The first test was to find a stone that would serve as a pedestal. At first it was supposed to be assembled from individual stones, but attempts were still made to find a block of appropriate size. For this purpose, they even placed an advertisement in the newspaper: and, lo and behold, an ordinary peasant agreed to deliver a boulder to St. Petersburg. It is believed that a holy fool helped him find the right rock; the stone itself was called the Thunder Stone because it had long ago suffered from a lightning strike. Delivery of the pedestal lasted 11 months; the block weighing 2,400 tons had to be moved in the winter, as it pushed through literally everything in its path. According to another legend, the stone was named Horse because it was found on the island of the same name and in ancient times lay at the entrance to the gates of another world. According to legends, local residents sacrificed horses to the gods at this stone.

When the Thunder Stone was delivered to St. Petersburg, Falcone began working on the sculpture of the horseman. To achieve maximum realism, he built a pedestal with the same angle of inclination, and over and over again asked the rider to ride on it. Observing the movements of the horse and rider, the sculptor gradually created a sketch. Over the next eight years, the statue was cast in bronze. The name “Bronze Horseman” is an artistic device of Pushkin; in fact, the figure is bronze.

Despite the fact that Catherine was delighted with Falcone’s project, the protracted work on casting the statue put her at odds with the sculptor. The Frenchman left for Paris without waiting for the grand opening. In fairness, we note that when the monument was presented to the public, at the behest of Catherine II, the coins minted on the occasion of the celebration were gratefully delivered to Falcone.


The Bronze Horseman is the visiting card of St. Petersburg. During the War of 1812 there was an idea to evacuate it, but this was prevented by chance. According to legend, a major in the Russian army, who was ordered to work on the monument, asked Alexander I for permission to leave the monument in place: supposedly he had a dream in which Peter I himself assured the Russians that while he was in place, nothing threatened his creation. During the Great Patriotic War, they also worried about the monument, but they did not dare to remove it from the pedestal: they covered it with sandbags and boards. This is how the Bronze Horseman survived the blockade.

There is, perhaps, no ruler who would be more deserving of the centuries-old memory of his compatriots than in Moscow, designed by the famous sculptor Z. Tsereteli and considered one of the author’s most controversial creations.

There have been ongoing discussions around this monument for a decade and a half; it evokes many different opinions. From the point of view of artistic value, it is treated differently. Despite this, as an example of engineering art it is unique.

Description of the monument

The monument to Peter the Great in Moscow is located on a reinforced concrete island created specifically for its installation. The supporting base of the structure is mounted from stainless steel in the form of a frame on which a bronze cladding is installed. The figure of Peter, the ship and the lower segment of the monument were assembled separately and only after that were lined up on a common pedestal prepared in advance.

The ship's shrouds are uniquely designed. They are made of metal cables connected to each other and swaying when the wind blows. In other words, the shrouds are made like real ones.

The monument is lined with high-quality bronze, protecting it from the destructive influences of the external environment. For additional protection, the figure of the emperor is coated with a special varnish that helps preserve the color.

The sails of the ship are made hollow to lighten the upper part of the monument. Their basis is lightweight. All fastenings of the monument are made of stainless steel to avoid corrosion. Inside the monument there is a staircase intended for restorers, installed to assess the internal condition of the structure.

As already mentioned, the bronze king stands on an artificial island. To simulate the movement of a ship on the waves, fountains are installed at the base of the island. When looking at the composition, it seems that the ship is cutting through the waves.

History of creation

There are many cases in world culture when unusual or strange sculptural compositions glorified their heroes and authors. For example, the monument to Wenceslas on a dead horse, located in the center of Prague, the Haddington pedestal depicting a shark crashing into the roof of a house, or the well-known Brussels Manneken Pis. The Monument to Peter I in Moscow can boast of its own attraction of the same kind; it entered the world’s top ten most “unattractive” buildings.

Monuments in other cities

Tsar Peter left the greatest mark on the history of our Fatherland as an extraordinary reformer, ruler, military leader and, undoubtedly, a great despot. Not only Moscow and St. Petersburg are famous for Peter’s monuments.

There are monuments to Peter in Kaliningrad, Voronezh, Vyborg, Makhachkala, Samara, Sochi, Taganrog, Lipetsk and even in European cities - Riga, Antwerp, Rotterdam, London.

Several volumes are not enough to tell about how much Peter 1 did for Russia. The monument in Moscow and other cities will preserve the appearance of the greatest of Russian monarchs for many decades.

A few words about the author

And the artist Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli was born in the city of Tbilisi, in 1934, three days before Christmas. He received his higher education at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts. Then he studied in France, where he met outstanding painters - Chagall and Picasso.

The 60s in the life of the sculptor were marked by the beginning of active work in the monumental genre. One of Tsereteli’s famous brainchildren is considered to be “Peter 1” - a monument in Moscow. His works are known not only in Russia and the CIS countries.

Tsereteli’s sculptures are available in America (“Tear of Sorrow”, “Good Defeats Evil”), Great Britain (“Break the Wall of Mistrust”), and Spain (“Victory”).