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Monument to Vasiliy Korchmin

According to legend, Vasilevskiy Island, which Peter the Great designated as the centre of his new city, got its name from Vasiliy Korchmin, commander of the artillery company stationed on the island during the building of the Peter and Paul Fortress to protect the mouth of the River Neva.

Statue of Vasiliy Korchmin on Vasilevskiy Island in St Petersburg, Russia
Statue of Vasiliy Korchmin on Vasilevskiy Island

Korchmin was among Peter's closest confidants, the Tsar's chief engineer, and an inventor of firearms and fireworks. Supposedly, when sending orders to Korchmin, Peter would simply address them: "To Vasiliy on the island". Thus, it became known to all as Vasiliy's Island - Vasilevskiy Ostrov. This monument, in front of a contemporary apartment building near Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station, was unveiled during St. Petersburg's tercentenary celebrations in 2003. Sculptors, Grigoriy Lukyanov and Sergey Sergeev, were students at the Academy of Fine Arts at the time.

Metro:Vasileostrovskaya
Getting there:Turn right out of the metro station and right again onto 7-ya Liniya. The statue is to your right about 100m down the street.
What's nearby? Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, Bolshoy Prospekt VO, Sredny Prospekt