The Bronze Horseman It is an impressive monument to the founder of Saint Petersburg, Peter the Great, is located in Senatskaia Ploschad '(Square), facing the Neva River and surrounded by the Admiralty, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the buildings of the former Senate and the Synod - the civil and religious governing bodies of pre-revolutionary Russia .
The monument was built by order of the Empress Catherine the Great as a tribute to his famous predecessor to the Russian throne, Peter the Great. Being a German-born princess, she was eager to establish a line of continuity with previous Russian monarchs. For this reason, an inscription on the monument reads in Latin and Russian: Petro Primo Catharina Secunda - For Pedro I of Catherine II.
This equestrian statue of Peter the Great, created by the famous French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet, represents the most important reformer of the state to Russia as a Roman hero. The pedestal is made from a single piece of red granite, molded in the shape of a cliff. From the top of this "rock" Peter bravely leads Russia forward, while his horse treads on a serpent, representing Peter's enemies and his reforms.
According to a 19th century legend, the enemy forces did not enter St. Petersburg, while the "Bronze Horseman" was in the center of the city. During World War II, the statue was not removed, but was protected with sandbags and a wooden shelter. In this way, the monument survived the 900-day siege of Leningrad, thus remaining practically intact.