November 9, 2012, a ceremony to open a bust of Peter the Great was held in Teplice (Czech Republic), which was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Emperor’s visit to the Czech resort.
November 9, 2012, a ceremony to open a bust of Peter the Great was held in Teplice (Czech Republic), which was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Emperor’s visit to the Czech resort.
Installation of the monument and the event itself were initiated by Kovčeg-Archa, a social organization of Russian compatriots. The Chairman of the organization, Anatoly Orlov, is a partner of the Government of St. Petersburg in the Czech Republic for implementation of the city program of "Compatriots".
The event in Teplice was attended by numerous guests and residents of the city, who were welcomed by the city administration, including the Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Prague, L. Gamza, the Consul General of Russia in Karlovy Vary, K. Provalov, and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, S. Markov.
The Governor of St. Petersburg, Georgy Poltavchenko, sent a special greeting to the participants, in particular, saying: “This opening of a monument for the Russian reformer tsar in Teplice is an important step in the development of cultural relations between Russia and the Czech Republic. Peter the Great traveled extensively through Europe, and we can even say that he was the first Russian tourist visiting the Czech Republic. A great contribution to the development and strengthening of friendship and partnership between the countries is made by the Russian compatriots living in the Czech Republic. It was they who initiated the opening of this monument to Peter the Great in Teplice. I am convinced that strengthening of cultural ties between our two countries will promote the general interest for the Russian history and culture.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg S. Markov, thanked A. Orlov for this initiative, which was supported by the local authorities, a Russian businessman, A. Chizhik, and the People's Artist of Russia, sculptor V. Surovtsev, the author of the monument.
The head of Kovčeg-Archa, A. Orlov, was also awarded the “Chronicles of the Visit of Peter the Great to Teplice in November 1-5, 1712”, prepared by the Institute of Peter I.
High school students studying the Russian language in local schools, recited poems on Peter the Great. Superiors of the Czech Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and the Hussite Church of the Czech Republic held a joint prayer service at the installation site of the monument.
Excerpts from the “Chronicles of the Visit of Peter the Great to Teplice (Czech Republic) in November 1-5, 1712”.
"November 1, 1712, Peter arrived to Teplice, where he was received by Count Clary. A cannon salute was held in honor of the tsar.
Peter initially wanted to resume his treatment in Teplice, but later he refused to be treated in the baths, stating the water was too hot. Moreover, when immersed in hot water, he would drink several cups of vodka, after which made him unwell.
November 4, 1712, Count Clary invited Peter to a game hunt, and Peter shot 15 rabbits, a fox and a wild boar.
In a letter A. Menshikov, Peter writes: “Yesterday I had my last treatment in these waters. Tomorrow I am going to Dresden, where I will have to rest for a while, since I am totally washed out by this medication and cannot even climb the stairs. Still, I hope that my health will soon improve, and this will not take long.”
Eventually, Peter the Great brought a local burger from Teplice with him to Russia to help organize saw mills.”