At the end of the Middle Ages, a star rose in Italy, illuminating the entire subsequent development of European civilization. Painter, engineer, mechanic, carpenter, musician, mathematician, pathologist, inventor, archaeologist, meteorologist, astronomer, architect - this is not a complete list of the facets of a universal genius. All this is Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). He was called a sorcerer, a servant of the devil, an Italian Faust and a divine spirit. He was ahead of his time by several centuries. Surrounded by legends during his lifetime, the great Leonardo is a symbol of the limitless aspirations of the human mind.