THE THUNDER STONE - LARGEST STONE EVER MOVED BY HUMANS

The pedestal upon which stands the Bronze Horseman in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest stone ever moved by humans. The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of the Peter the Great in the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. The statue’s pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone. The stone originally weighed about 1,500 tons. The stone was found at Lakhta, 3.7 miles from the Gulf of Finland in 1768. It took 400 men nine months to move the stone, during which time master stonecutters continuously shaped the enormous granite monolith. Upon arrival at sea an enormous barge was constructed exclusively for the Thunder Stone. The vessel had to be supported on either side by two full-size warships. After a short voyage, the stone reached it final destination in 1770, after nearly two years of work.

The Bronze Horseman atop the Thunder Stone in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Transportation of the Thunder Stone in the Presence of Catherine II; Engraving by I.F. Schley of the drawing by Yury Felton; 1770