A bronze statue of Peter I was installed in Arkhangelsk in 1914. The emperor is represented at the time of the Battle of Poltava in the uniform of the officer of the Preobrazhensky regiment. In his left hand, Peter holds a telescope, and with his right hand, he leans on a cane.
The sculpture was cast according to the model of M. M. Antokolsky in the workshop of the sculptor in Paris. Pedestal was manufactured of the stone by the Solovetsky monks quarried in Onega Bay of the White Sea. The date on the front side ( 1911 ) is the year of the competition for the project of the pedestal of the monument. On the remaining faces the years of Peter I visits to Arkhangelsk are enscripted.
The first time Peter visited Arkhangelsk in the summer of 1693. On that visit, he founded a state-owned shipyard on the island of Solombala and laid down the merchant ship Saint Paul. Then he saw the sea for the first time in his life, and the sea waves captivated his heart forever.
In the summer of 1694, Peter came on the White Sea where he launched a ship laid down a year earlier. Loaded with goods, it was immediately sent to Holland. Eight years later, in 1702, Peter personally supervised the construction of the Novodvinsk fortress in Arkhangelsk.
The monument to Peter I on the embankment of the Northern Dvina in Arkhangelsk is the most famous copy of the sculpture by Mark Antokolsky, presented on a banknote of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
photo: N. Gernet
Как добраться
You can get this monument on foot from the centre of the town. Arkhangelsk Drama Theatre named after M.V.Lomonosov can be a landmark.
Advice
The monument is situated in the street, that’s why you should wear some warm clothes when its cold.