The article is devoted to the reflection in historical memory of the introduction of shaving and wearing «German» dresses by Peter I. This measure was aimed at overcoming religious prejudices and instilling a European way of life. It is fixed in the cultural memory of the post-Petrine era as a metaphor for the rebirth of Russia and the image of «Europeanization». Historians, publicists, and writers in their writings combined it with the metaphor «window to Europe» and constructed the image of Peter I, who cuts beards with an axe.
