The Bronze Horseman depicting Peter the Great – A tribute from Catherine the Great.

In a strategic move to endear herself to the Russian public, Catherine the Great, being of German descent, commissioned this bronze monument to her predecessor, Peter the Great.  In a move of strategic humility, the inscription on the monument reads in Latin and Cyrillic: Petro Primo Catharina Secunda – To Peter the First from Catherine the Second.

This Bronze Horseman, created by famous French sculptor, Etienne Maurice Falconet, sits atop a piece of red granite formed to look like a cliff and depicts Peter the Great, founder of St Petersburg, as the hero who trounced his enemies (both international and domestic). That victory is symbolised by the snake which is trampled by the horse.

A 19th century legend suggests that enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the “Bronze Horseman” stands in the middle of the city. In actual fact, during the Second World War, the statue was protected with sand bags and a wooden shelter, and that helped it  survive — practically unscathed —the 900-day Siege of Leningrad.