The history of the stone (5 photos) Bashny.Net

Thunder-stone serves as the pedestal for the equestrian statue of Peter I, better known as "The Bronze Horseman". The construction of the monument was technically a very easy task, took 14 years. Suitable for pedestal stone - granite frozen waves, we found relatively close to Peter, who found his farmer received 100 rubles - a lot of money. According to local legend, the original form of the stone has acquired as a result of a lightning strike, split the granite rocks. Hence its name.
First of all around the boulder, departed deep into the ground, dug a pit and then with 12 levers and 4 gates lifted him and put him on the platform.



enormous platform was made of thick logs, and on the lower side of it were covered with copper sheets wooden troughs. They covered the same, laid on the ground, portable trough-track length of about 90 meters, which while driving rolled bronze 30 balls with a diameter 13, 5 cm. These "bearing", and rolled.



November 15 1769g. Stone began his journey, only transport it involved up to 400 people. All the way to the Gulf of Finland - about 8 vents - took 4 month low. Together with the stone had to drag two more as it is located on the drummers' signals, 45 bricklayers, while moving to attach the right type of stone, and the forge.
By next fall it built a special ferry. For loading onto the ship sank a stone, planted on piles driven into the bottom. The ferry across the bay and Neve were two warships attached sides. When unloading the barge to the shore again imbedded.
26 September 1770. when huge crowds "Thunder-stone" "come down" to the Senate Square. In honor of the Rock it was minted a commemorative medal with the inscription "boldness like».



When the "Thunder-stone" was taken to St. Petersburg, city residents were so impressed by this huge rock that, as one of them wrote, "for many hunters memorable definition of this stone ordered to do from different fragments thereof, cufflinks, knobs and the like."
And the monument was unveiled only 12 years later, August 7, 1782. - The centenary of accession to the throne of Peter I, when vast crowds, in the presence of the royal family, the diplomatic corps, invited guests, the thunder of the orchestra and cannons firing. On the opening day gathered around the monument 15000th army. Arriving on the boat, Catherine II sent to the Senate, went to the balcony, and nodded his head. At that moment the curtain of the monument to the fallen, and the air resounded with cries and cannon shots.



By the way, it was the second officially established in Russia monument. The first was made by Rastrelli by order of Peter - he immortalized a soldier, the first to be written in "funny army" of the king in 1683. - Sergei Bukhvostova. Unfortunately, not preserved.