Why has Antwerp a Peter the Great statue?

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The people from Antwerp (Belgium) haven't forgotten a visit from the Russian Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725). He visited the city near the Scheldt for three days in 1717!

According to some  sources the Tsar and his court could drink a lot and he wanted to know the length of the cathedral by measuring it with a rope.  

Antwerp and its people never saw such a special person before and of course they wanted to honour him or his visit by a statue. 

The statue of Peter De Grote was created in 1998 on the initiative of Art Group International who wanted - after the fall of the communism - to strengthen the cultural ties between Antwerp and Russia. The creator of the statue was Georgy Frangulyan.   




Who was Peter the Great?

Peter I Aleksejevitsj Romanov, nicknamed Peter the Great was Tsar from Russia from 9 June 1672 till his death on 8 February 1725. 



He was the first Russian Tsar who travelled outside his country. He modernised  the vast empire and he especially promoted the science.  Tsar Peter reformed the army, the church, the commerce, the industry, the education and the public health. He transformed Russia into a real power. 

He didn't like music or theatre but he loved sailing and ships. He went every day to a ship yard. 




Source pictures: 
own pictures taken in 2021 , only the last painting is from Wikipedia

Location: Antwerpen, België

Comments

Vallypee said…
How very interesting, Kathleen. I didn't know he'd been to Antwerp. I love the story about measuring the cathedral with a rope! :)
July 27, 2021 at 10:40 PM
Kathleen Van Lierop said…
thank you very much for commenting, Val!!Yes he was in Antwerp :-) This was one of the stories I must need to post on my blog :-)
July 27, 2021 at 10:44 PM
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