Location: On Petrova výšina (Peter's Height) west of the centre of Karlovy Vary
Year of creation: 1877
Author: Tomáš Seidan
Date of unveiling: 1877
Accessibility: Freely accessible
How to get there
Route 1: You may reach the bust of Peter the Great on Petrova výšina (Peter's Height) if you start from the Hot Spring in the centre of Karlovy Vary and walk up the forest paths and the stone stairs leading along the Chamois statute.
Route 2: An easier alternative is to take the Diana funicular from Grandhotel Pupp to the Jelení skok (Deer Jump) intermediate station and follow the comfortable path that leads along the Myslivna (Gamekeeper's Lodge) Sanatorium to Peter's Height.
History of the monument
The above-life size sandstone bust of Russian Tsar Peter the Great (Peter I) created by Prague sculptor Tomáš Seidan in 1877 is installed on a rock below the lookout on Petrova výšina (Peter's Height). It commemorates an event when on 11 November 1712, the Russian Tsar made a bet and rode up to the lookout on a horse without a saddle during his second visit to the spa. Since no path or road lead to the top of the hill back then, the tsar showed tremendous riding skills as he rode up from the Hot Spring through the steep rocky terrain.
In 1909, the original weathered bust was replaced by an identical copy. Memorial plaques with odes celebrating Peter the Great were installed on the rock in the 19th century. The French poem was written by Polish poet and writer Alfred de Chabot in 1835 and the Russian by poet Peter Andreyevich Vyazemsky in 1853. While at Peter's Height, you may also admire Therese's Obelisk and a magnificent view of thespa town in the valley. The Jelení skok (Deer Jump) Restaurant may also be found nearby
Location
Bust of Peter the Great
