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Bronze Horseman
Attraction
4.9 (21992 reviews)
City landmark commissioned by Catherine the Great, named for a Pushkin poem & completed in 1782.
Senatskaya ploshchad', Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 190000
Did You Know?
Years to Complete
The construction of the Bronze Horseman monument took over 10 years, from 1769 to 1782, due to various challenges and delays.
Monument Saved the City?
Legend has it that a Major Baturin had a dream where Peter the Great appeared on horseback and said, "As long as I am in my place, my city has nothing to fear!" This dream convinced Tsar Alexander to keep the monument in St. Petersburg during the Napoleonic Wars, and the city was never captured.
Not Actually Bronze
Despite its name, the monument is actually made of copper, not bronze. Russians often refer to it as the "Copper Horseman".
Tribute to Peter the Great
The Bronze Horseman was commissioned by Empress Catherine the Great as a tribute to her predecessor, Peter the Great, who founded St. Petersburg. The inscription on the monument reads "Petro Primo Catharina Secunda" - "To Peter the First from Catherine the Second".
