What if I told you that this colossal statue has a past shrouded in rumors? It may not have been intended for whom it depicts today. We are standing before the Peter the Great Statue. It is a towering monument in Moscow. The statue commemorates 300 years of the Russian Navy. Peter the Great established this navy.
Designed by Zurab Tsereteli, the statue was erected in 1997. It soars to a height of 98 meters. That is about 322 feet. The Peter the Great Statue weighs approximately 1,000 tons. It incorporates 600 tons of stainless steel, bronze, and copper.
Since its construction, the Peter the Great Statue has faced controversy. In 2008, Virtual Tourist voted it the tenth ugliest building in the world. Foreign Policy magazine included it in a list of the world’s ugliest statues in 2010.
Lonely Planet noted that Muscovites questioned the tribute to Peter the Great. He loathed Moscow. He moved the capital to St. Petersburg.
Zurab Tsereteli, the designer, was a friend of Moscow’s former Mayor Yury Luzhkov. He received many municipal art commissions under Luzhkov’s patronage. These included the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. They also included the Manege Square ensemble. Another was the War Memorial Complex on Poklonnaya Gora.
In 2010, after Luzhkov’s departure, Moscow authorities wanted to get rid of the Peter the Great Statue. They offered to relocate it to Saint Petersburg. But the city refused the offer. Authorities in Arkhangelsk and Petrozavodsk also offered to accept the monument.
A rumor suggests the Peter the Great Statue was originally designed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage in 1992. Allegedly, when an American buyer couldn’t be found, it was repurposed with a Russian theme. Tsereteli denies this story.
Interestingly, Tsereteli designed another colossal statue of Columbus. It is known as Birth of the New World. It was constructed in Puerto Rico in 2016. This occurred after various US cities rejected it. A smaller, similar sculpture by Tsereteli titled Birth of a New Man was placed in Seville.
Standing here, one can’t help but ponder the statue’s complex history. It is a story of artistic ambition, political connections, and public opinion. The Peter the Great Statue remains a striking landmark. It provokes conversation and reflection on Russia’s past and present. Take a good look. What do you make of it?