The monument to Empress Catherine II, created by sculptor Mikhail Pereyaslavets, was cast in 2009. For some time, it was located in Moscow at the territory of the M.B. Grekov Studio of Military Artists. In April 2010, the monument was transferred to the city of Zerbst, where Catherine was born. The sculpture depicts a young Catherine in an imperial crown. Next to the monument is the Zerbst Castle, which belonged to Catherine's family, where she lived in 1742 and 1744. The idea to install the monument was proposed in 1996 by the International Historical Society 'Catherine II' in Zerbst and the Russian Noble Society. The Russian side covered the costs of manufacturing and transporting the monument. The grand opening of the 4.7-meter bronze monument took place on July 9, 2010.