Contents Introduction ………………………………………… The Bronze Horseman ……………………………… An Equestrian Statue of Peter the Great…………….. A Monument to Nicholas I ………………………….. Horse Tamers ………………………………………... The Narva Gate ……………………………………… Horses on the General Staff Building ………………… Glossary……………………………………………….. Bibliography …………………………………………... Introduction St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and now, again, St. Petersburg – the city’s succession of names mirrors Russia’s turbulent history. Founded in 1703 as a ‘window on the West’ by Peter the Great, St. Petersburg was for two centuries the capital of the Tsarist Empire, synonymous with excess and magnificence. This is the city that stands out for its architectural complexes. People who created them were not only architects but poets as well; they managed to combine columns and portals, arches and domes, Baroque lavishness and Classical austerity, monuments and equestrian statues to produce the impression of perfect harmony. The names of Carlo Rossi, Bartolomeo Rastrelli are the first to be mentioned among them. Others, Andrian Zakharov, Giacomo Quarenghi, Thomas-de-Thomon, Vallin de la Moth, Peter Klodt possessed no less individuality and exhibited great tact towards their predecessors. The topic of our tour is Horse Sculptures. Today you will see three horse statues, a four horse sculptural group and two horse chariots. They are: the Bronze Horseman on Decembrists’ Square, a monument to Peter the Great in front of the Engineer’s Castle, an equestrian Statue of Nicholas I on St. Isaac’s Square, the Horse Tamers on the Anichkov Bridge, the Narva Gate, and the horses on the Building of the General Staff. The famous Russian poet Alexandre Puskin composed a poem the ‘Bronze Horseman’ in 1833, which he dedicated to St. Petersburg and its Founder. He wrote: I love thee, Peter’s proud creation, Thy princely stateliness of line, The regal Neva coursing patient ‘Twixt sober walls of massive stone; The iron lacework of thy fences, Thy wistful, moonless, lustrous nights, Dusk-clothed but limpid… …………………………………………… Stand though, O Peter’s citadel, Like Russia steadfast and enduring…
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