One of the most famous sights in the whole of Novgorod this huge bronze structure was completed in 1862 to celebrate Novgorod's millennial birthday. At 15 metres high and weighing 65 tonnes it's a magnificent monument unrivalled in the whole of Russia. The granite pedestal on which it stands weighs another 35 tonnes. The monument is covered in images of the whole Russian legacy of Tsars as well as Russian cultural luminaries such as Pushkin, Gogol, Glinka and Lomonsov. The huge orb on top of the ornament is topped by a cross and supported by an angel representative of Russia's strong Orthodox faith. During World War II the Nazis attempted to dismantle the monument and transport it back to Germany but fortunately at the last moment Red Army forces thwarted their efforts and the monument was saved from being melted down and made into German panzers.