Peter the Great - The Bronze Horseman

Any discussion of the people of Saint Petersburg has to begin with Tsar Peter I (1672-1725). More commonly known as Peter the Great, he founded the city of Saint Petersburg in 1703.

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Peter the Great by Shemyakin
Another shot of Peter the Great, this time in a controversial 1991 statue by Mikhail Shemyakin. The proportions of this statue are based on Peter's clothing, and the face is cast from his death mask. By all accounts, this is actually a more accurate image of what Peter really looked like than the heroic image of paintings and statues.
A. S. Pushkin
Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837). His impact on Russian literature cannot be overstated. Author of such works as Evgeny Onegin, The Queen of Spades and The Bronze Horseman.
N. V. Gogol
Nikolay Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852). Great Russian novelist, dramatist, satirist, founder of the so-called critical realism in Russian literature, best-known for his novel Dead Souls. Also author of the short story "Nevsky Prospekt."
N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908). Celebrated Russian composer and music teacher. His symphonic suite Scheherazade (1888) ranks as one of the most popular orchestral works ever written. This monument stands outside the conservatory named after him.
Ostap and Mike Bender (no relation)

Ostap Bender, hero of the novels The Twelve Chairs (1928) and The Golden Calf (1931) by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov. Ostap Bender was the first great comic anti-hero of Soviet literature.

Seated next to Ostap is Mike Bender (a long-lost relative, perhaps).
Historical figures
Saint Petersburg abounds with historical figures roaming the streets, offering tourists unique photo opportunities. I think the girl is supposed to be Catherine the Great, but I have no idea who the guy in the long coat is supposed to be.
Historical figures
On the balcony overlooking the lower fountains at Peterhof, another pair of historical figures make themselves available for picture-taking.
Peter the Great, me, Catherine the Great
I finally succumb to the temptation of having my picture taken with Peter the Great and his grand-daughter Catherine the Great. This guy in the Peter costume was really good. Cool costume, too.
Photo with Catherine the Great

"Catherine the Great" suckers me in for another 30 rubles.

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