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# Catherine II Was Nevertheless the Greatest Ruler of Russia
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/ekaterina-ii-vse-zhe-velichaishaia-pravitelnitsa-rossii/
- Published: 2017-11-20T09:14:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:44:59.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Books, Monarchies, Observations, Saint Petersburg

Catherine II was nevertheless the greatest ruler of Russia. Consider only her determination to acquire Voltaire's library for the country at all costs! Neither the expense nor the difficulties of the negotiations stopped her. The library was installed beside the Empress's apartments. Of its nearly 7,000 volumes, a third bear Voltaire's own marks. But alas, beginning with Nicholas I, the treasures of this collection became inaccessible to the public: the library ceased to be shown to guests, and in time reading its books was forbidden, with rare exceptions. Alexander II handed it over to the Public Library, where it remains to this day.