St. Petersburg, Russia: Monument to Nicholas I

As leaders go, Nicholas I was more of a despot than anything. He ruled with the proverbial iron fist in the early to middle 1800s.

His memory lives in for those in the area of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Take a good look at the picture, and notice that the horse is standing on its back legs. That was a difficult feat for a sculptor back in the 1800s. What's more, that design may have saved it from demolition. The Soviets weren't a big fan of the Tsars, but this piece may have been unique enough fame for it to survive destruction later on.

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