"The Bronze Horseman"

The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Falconet. The statue came to be known as the Bronze Horseman because of the great influence of the poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg, in much the same way that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of New York City. Both of them were designed and built by French artists.

The statue's pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone, claimed to be the largest stone ever moved by man (1,250 t).[1] The initial stone was about 2000 tonnes and was carved during its transit to the current site.

According to a 19th century legend, enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the "Bronze Horseman" stands in the middle of the city. During the Second World War the statue was not taken down, but was protected with sand bags and a wooden shelter. In that way, the monument survived the 900-day Siege of Leningrad virtually untouched.

Location: Ploschad Dekabristov.