Peter The Great

Peter the Great (1672 to 1725) ruled Russia for 42 years. During that time he was determined to build a capital city to rival the capital cities of Europe and St. Petersburg was born.  In 1697 he started his “Grand Embassy” tour of Europe, incognito. One of the places he visited was Wittenberg. At the University in Wittenberg, where Martin Luther taught a century before, he sought more knowledge about “Lutheranism” and to prove that he was there, he signed his name on the lintel. Now Peter the Great was 6 feet 8 inches tall, so signing a doorway was not a stretch for this giant of a man! His signature has been preserved for all these years!