Russia Saint Petersburg The Bronze Horseman monument

The Bronze Horseman is a monument, which was established in honor of the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great, who founded the city. That’s why this monument became the main symbol of St. Petersburg.

History of the monument

Empress Catherine II, who ruled the country from 1762 to 1796, was a supporter of Peter the Great, and as a sign of honor and respect, she decided to install a monument in the city, which was founded by the ruler. The Empress was advised to use the services of the French sculptor Etienne Falcone In 1765.

Falcone worked personally on the sketch of the sculpture. An officer of the guard posed for several hours on a rearing horse, so that the master could catch and sketch the movement of the horse, the position of its graceful, rapid rise. The Oryol steed from the Imperial stables was chosen as a model.

Then work began on a life-size plaster sample, which lasted three years and was completed in 1769.After production of plaster model the stage of casting from metal began.

The granite pedestal, on which the sculptural composition is installed, was located at a distance of approximately 9 km from the installation site and its initial weight was 1600 tons. It took nearly 5 months in order for the future pedestal to arrive to the Bank of the Neva River near the Senate square. On the stone on both sides carved phrase: on the one side in Russian, on the other in Latin: “Petro Primo Catharina Secunda MDCCLXXXII”.

The opening of the monument was timed to the 100th anniversary of Peter the Great’s reign and took place in the summer of 1782.

Interesting facts

The statue attracts attention and fascinates, because it’s an unusual monument, and keeps a lot of secrets.

Here you can see a few facts about the monument “Bronze Horseman”:

1. material of manufacture is bronze;
2. the weight of the monument is about 9 tons;
3. the height of the monument is more than 5 meters, not counting the granite stone at the base;
4. it took 12 years to create the Bronze Horseman statue, including pedestal, horse and rider;
5. behind the monument you can see a snake, its bent and crushed by hooves body, as if accidentally touches the tail of the horse. Connected to it, it gives stability and balance to the whole monument;
6. another secret of the balance of the sculpture is that its back is much heavier than the front. This was achieved in the process of casting the monument: the front walls of the sculpture were made very thin, not more than one centimeter in thickness;
7. other interesting element of Peter’s appearance is his pupils that were made in the shape of hearts.

The Bronze Horseman statueis an integral part of the architectural ensemble of St. Petersburg. Its majestic appearance inspired many artists to create literary and other works.

How to get there

You can get to the Bronze Horseman by metro. Go to the station “Admiralteyskaya”, turn left on Malaya Morskaya street and walk past St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Then turn right and go to the Alexander Garden. The Senate square with the installed monument is located behind the garden.