Pyterlahti Granite Quarry

Experience a historical journey in the footsteps of the Russian Tsar

The old quarry in Hevonniemi, in the village of Pyterlahti in Virolahti on the Gulf of Finland, is famous for its red granite, which was used to make the world's largest monolith in the Palace Square, the Column of Alexander I and the columns of Isaac's Church in St. Petersburg, Russia. The quarry's stones have also been used to pave the streets of St Petersburg and the banks of the Neva River and its canals. Quarrying began in Pyterlahti in the early 1700s, when Tsar Peter the Great began building a new capital at the mouth of the Neva River and stone was needed for the growing city.

French-born architect Auguste Ricard de Montferrand (1786-1858) designed St. Isaac's Church in Pyterlahti, and no fewer than 48 of its 17-metre columns were quarried in Pyterlahti. Montferrand was also commissioned to design the monument to Alexander I. During his frequent visits to the Pyterlahti quarry, Montferrand had discovered a thirty-metre long flawless section of rock. The architect proposed a giant monolith as a memorial. Tsar Nicholas I approved the plan and the quarrying work began.

The Pyterlahti quarry employed a maximum of 2,000 workers. A whole village was built around the quarry, with accommodation for the workers and a chapel. The excavation work was slow and the technology was rudimentary. The noise in the quarry was deafening. The stones were removed and transported to the beach by manpower. The monolith almost sank into the sea when the support beams broke. Eventually, however, it was put on board a barge and transported to St Petersburg. The monument was unveiled on 11 September 1832 and has stood tall in the centre of St Petersburg ever since. Quarrying continued until the early 20th century.