On June 10, as part of the All-Russian Oak Forest of Emperor Peter the Great project in the Petrovsky Square in Kirovsk (Leningrad Region), three seedlings of Peter’s oaks from the Summer Garden were planted.

Petrovsky Square is one of the most popular holiday destinations for residents and guests of the city of Kirovsk in the Leningrad Region. According to legend, in the vicinity of the modern square, the Russian Tsar Peter I spent the last night before the storming of the fortress of Noteburg, and here he was rescued in 1702. The emperor personally decided to scout the situation and for this “he intended to climb the highest pine with a telescope.” But one of the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky regiment was ahead of Peter and he climbed a tree. A shot rang out, a soldier fell to the ground dead. He was buried with honors, and a notch was left at this place. A century and a half later, a monument appeared to the emperor from the grateful Putilov peasants, which was lost during the Great Patriotic War and was recreated according to old drawings in 2013.

The landing was attended by: Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the Leningrad Region Vladimir Tsoi, Director General of the Russian Museum Vladimir Gusev, chief curator of the gardens of the Russian Museum Olga Cherdantseva and representatives of the Kirovsk administration.

The program “The All-Russian Oak Forest of Emperor Peter the Great” has existed since 2019 and is a symbol of the connection of times and all of Peter’s iconic places. Planting and preserving seedlings from the oak of Peter’s time is both an invaluable contribution to the history of preserving the memory of the planting of oaks by Peter the Great, as well as the preservation of a valuable historical natural gene pool. From 2012 to 2020, the program planted 150 seedlings of Peter’s oak in 38 cities of Russia and Europe.

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