St Petersburg Sights

Bronze Horseman

#4 of 498 things to do in St Petersburg

#15 of 2693 things to do in Russia

1 reviews | Write a review

Good for: history, literature

  • Address
    • pl Dekabristov
  • Transport
    • Sadovaya

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Lonely Planet review for Bronze Horseman

The most famous statue of Peter the Great was immortalised as the Bronze Horseman in the poem by Pushkin. With his mount rearing above the snake of treason, Peter’s enormous statue stands at the river end of pl Dekabristov. The statue was sculpted over 12 years for Catherine the Great by Frenchman Etienne Falconet. Its inscription reads ‘To Peter I from Catherine II – 1782’. Many have read significance into Catherine’s linking of her own name with that of the city’s founder: she had no legitimate claim to the throne and this statue is sometimes seen as her attempt to formalise the link (philosophical, if not hereditary) between the two monarchs. The significance of the inscription in both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets would not have been lost on the city’s population, which was still in the process of Westernisation during Catherine’s reign. Falconet’s original study for the magnificent sculpture can be seen in the Russian Museum. Despite completing his lifework here, Falconet departed Russia a bitter, angry man. Years of arguing with the head of the Academy of Fine Arts over the finer details of the sculpture had taken its toll, and he didn’t even bother staying for the unveiling. The statue has become a much-debated philosophical symbol of the city and the main trademark of the new spirit of St Petersburg.

 

Traveller reviews for Bronze Horseman (1)

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    An impressive piece of Russian history

    irene_adler recommends this,

    This statue is definitely worth a look when in St Petersburg. Not only does it have historical and symbolic significance for the city (see the LP review or any other online source), but it's a truly impressive monument.

    Peter sits atop a rearing mount, pointing west towards the River Neva. The giant pedestal (the boulder known as the Thunder Stone) creates a dramatic cliff beneath the horse and rider.

    Russians protected the statue during the siege of Leningrad, believing that the city could never be taken whilst the Bronze Horseman stood. Over a million Soviet soldiers and civilians died in the siege but Germany never took the city, a feat which saw the statue take on even greater symbolic importance.

    Have a look, take a photo, then read Pushkin's Bronze Horseman for a taste of Russian literature. It's well worth the effort.

    Good for: history, literature

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