Peter the Great of Russia shared my passion for all things Dutch (see previous blog) but took it to a much grander scale.
One of Russia’s most important rulers Tsar Peter I was proclaimed emperor and given the epithet “the great” in 1721.
During his reign (1696-1725) the restless, hyper energetic, and iron-willed monarch transformed his nation from an isolated, medieval realm to a major European power.
That quest began in the Netherlands.
Peter’s love for 17 th century Holland dated back to his childhood in the countryside near Moscow where he sailed small boats along the river. It was a Dutchman who first taught him the art of navigation and another Dutchman who later built ships for him. Soon the rivers and lakes around him proved too small to satisfy his outsized ambition. It was also from his sailing instructors that Peter got his first grounding in the Dutch language. His first Fleet based on the Black Sea was largely manned by Dutchmen.
Peter’s Grand Embassy to Europe left Moscow in March 1697. The tsar had embarked
on a significant mission, one that would ultimately shape the destiny of the whole Russian Empire. To Peter, the journey’s highlight was the Dutch Republic.
Despite efforts to travel incognito, the towering tsar and his delegation of 200 evoked widespread interest, most especially in Holland. Of all the cities he visited, it was Amsterdam, founded in 1275 that he admired most. He stayed there for four months.
The young tsar’s mission to make Russia a strong maritime power led him to the shipyards of Zandaam in the outskirts of Amsterdam. There, rolling up his sleeves, he learned the craft of shipbuilding, just as in Dresden he learned to cut diamonds by King Augustus the Strong’s jeweler. This was a man who got things done.
Returning to his homeland, inspired by the canals of Amsterdam Peter would begin his transformation of Russia by creating the new capital of St. Petersburg in 1703.
More soon on the Dutch influence on Russia in part II.
Did you know we launched our first Art & Treasures Tour in St. Petersburg in 2017? We called it then our Walking Tour of St Petersburg Jewelers on the Centenary of the Russian Revolution. Eight years later, in November 2025, we’re heading to Amsterdam and Haarlem, this time on an art-focused tour entitled The Splendours of Dutch Art.
Among its many highlights, we’ll retrace the steps of the mighty Tsar Peter the Great,
whose love for Dutch culture and savoir faire knew no bounds.
