Statue of Catherine the Great

©Kira Tverskaya/Lonely Planet

The Statue of Catherine the Great on Ostrovsky Square in St Petersburg.

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This enormous statue of Catherine the Great (1873) stands amid the chess, backgammon and mah-jong players who crowd the benches in Ostrovsky Sq. At the empress’ heels are renowned statesmen of the 19th century, including her lovers Orlov, Potemkin and Suvorov.

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