Peter the Great in my city
Peter the First, or Peter the Great (1672-1725), was one of the most outstanding rulers and reformers in Russian history. Peter the First was Tsar of Russia and became Emperor in 1721. During his short life, he was in our town named Nizhny Novgorod twice. His first visit was in May 1695, when he was preparing a military campaign in Azov. The king and his army stopped in Nizhny Novgorod for a week to repair the damaged ships. The townspeople prepared for the royal arrival. A special person was sent in a boat from Nizhny Novgorod to Murom. He had to inform about the approach of the royal caravan to the city. The local government repaired the pier on the Oka with wooden boards and pavements along the streets. According to the order of the king, supplies for the campaign were prepared in large quantities: honey, beer, kvass, beluga, sturgeon, sterlet, pike, pike perch, bream. And other products: meat of bulls, sheep, geese, chickens, ham, butter, sour cream and cottage cheese. Gifts were also prepared for the king: sable furs, silver items and expensive materials. But Peter I refused such expensive gifts, because he did not want to burden the local population. Perhaps the refusal of gifts was due to the fact that the townspeople of Nizhny Novgorod were entrusted with the obligation to build 7 large ships for the campaign at their own expense. These ships were loaded with artillery and supplies. The government of Nizhny Novgorod repaired the ships at its own expense, supplied them with supplies and provided more than 1,500 rowers. The only problem for the authorities was the deployment of troops and especially the royal retinue during their stay in the city. It is known that Peter I stayed in the stone house of the merchant Efim Chatygin on Pochainskaya Street, 27. It was a two-storey house with two chambers and spacious vaulted cellars, which has survived to this day. This unique architectural monument is called the "House of Peter the First ". Peter the First played a great part in Russian history. After his death, Russia was much more secure and progressive than it had been before his reign. 