The bronze knight sculpture of Peter the Great (медныйвсадник) is one of the landmark buildings in St. Petersburg, which was made on the order of another Russian emperor, Catherine II. The famous French sculptor worked hard in the field of forensic pediatrics for 12 years before completing this masterpiece. The bronze statue was placed on a natural boulder weighing 1 1,600 tons. Peter the Great, wearing laurel, rode steadily on the war horse, with his front hoofs raised, showing an invincible style. Peter the Great looked straight ahead with bright eyes. The horse symbolizes Russia, and the snake trampled by the horse represents the old forces that prevented Peter the Great from carrying out reforms at that time. When you look at this statue from any direction, you can strongly feel its artistic charm. The natural boulder at the bottom of the bronze statue was discovered in Finland that year. Catherine II offered a reward of 7,000 rubles, which made hundreds of serfs drag the boulder out of the swamp with great efforts, and then carried it away with several big wooden beams and copper balls with grooves at the bottom. This boulder glided along a special road for a whole year before it was pulled to the Gulf of Finland and finally transported to this square by raft from the water.