Several interesting facts about the monument to Peter I. The Motherland is calling: unknown facts about the main monument of Russia

On September 6, 1817, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky arrived in Moscow; it was cast in St. Petersburg and delivered by water through Nizhny Novgorod.

This was the first sculptural composition Moscow and the first monument dedicated not to the sovereign, but folk heroes. He, like his characters, has his own biography, full of triumph, difficulties and even barbs.

National monument

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky was built not with funds from the state treasury, but with public money. The initiators of the project, the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and the Arts, collected donations from all over Russia. In 1808, they sent engravings throughout the country with the approved project: “so that it would be known to all Russians.” In three years we managed to collect 136 thousand rubles, which was enough to build a monument in Moscow and erect an obelisk in Nizhny Novgorod.

Double rein

In fact, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky symbolizes two events - the liberation of Rus' from foreign invaders in 1612 and the victory in Patriotic War, which also went down in history as “ people's war" It was originally planned to install “Minin and Pozharsky” in 1812 for the bicentenary of the victory of the second militia, but the war ruined the plans of the project’s authors, slowing down the progress of work. The sculptural composition appeared on Red Square only on March 4, 1818.

Nomad Monument

The history of the creation of the monument, as well as the history of its existence, is filled with constant disputes about where it should stand. The very first potential location was Nizhny Novgorod, where the second militia was born, but given the importance of the event for the country, Alexander I insisted on erecting a monument in Moscow. However, in Nizhny Novgorod today you can see his twin brother, albeit in a reduced size. It is installed under the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, near the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, from which Minin once called on Nizhny Novgorod residents to convene a militia.
The sculptural composition was installed in 1818 opposite the gates of GUM. According to the architect's plan, Minin points Pozharsky to the Kremlin, calling for the Poles to be driven out of Moscow. In 1931, the monument was moved to St. Basil's Cathedral, as it interfered with parades on Red Square.

By water

By the way, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky was cast not in Moscow, but in St. Petersburg. The sculpture was delivered to the ancient capital by water. Transportation took several months from May 21 to September 6, 1818, since the plans included a mandatory stop in Nizhny Novgorod. The arrival of the long-awaited monument in the city was mentioned in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland”: “No pen can describe how delighted both Nizhny Novgorod and the entire local region were with the appearance of such a thing on the local waters.” famous monument... Nizhny Novgorod citizens of both sexes and all ages flocked to the courts from morning to night to see this monument, famous in its subject matter, art and size.”

Innovation

Today the sculptural composition “Minin and Pozharsky” may seem non-unique, but for that time it was a real technological breakthrough. Despite its impressive size, the monument is monolithic; it was cast “in one piece.” To do this, it took “1000 pounds of bayonet copper, 10 pounds of tin, 60 pounds of spiuate.” The copper was smelted for about ten hours; the metal in the mold cooled down only after five days. TO early XIX century, such work was considered unique.

Poetic criticism

At the central monument of Moscow, everything should be done wisely. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin also shared this opinion, who in his writings reported a factual error in the inscription on the pedestal: “To Citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky - Grateful Russia.” The poet wrote: “The inscription to Citizen Minin, of course, is not satisfactory: for us he is either the tradesman Kosma Minin, nicknamed Sukhorukoy, or the Duma nobleman Kosma Minich Sukhorukoy, or, finally, Kuzma Minin, an elected person from the entire Moscow state, as he is named in the charter on the election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov."

Folklore

There is a political legend associated with the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. After the death of V.I. Lenin in 1924, a struggle for power began at the top of the party. During this difficult period, at one of the congresses, the careless Grigory Zinoviev made the main report “Political Report of the Central Committee of the RCP (b),” which was the prerogative of the General Secretary. There were rumors that Zinoviev managed to seize power behind everyone’s back. This is how the nickname “the second Grishka Otrepiev” stuck to him. It is believed that at the same time an inscription appeared on the monument, which was later included in folklore: “Look, Prince, what kind of scum there is in the Kremlin today.” True, according to another version, the original belonged to a later period, sounded like “Look, prince, what scum has settled down near the Kremlin walls,” and referred to Lenin’s mausoleum.

Important events in life different nations are reflected in the monuments. They were installed in honor of rulers and national heroes, victories and key historical moments. Over time, the attitude towards monumental buildings and sculptures has changed. They became more lifelike, sometimes funny, sometimes just weird. Artists were able to immortalize literary heroes and ordinary things, animals and people from the most unexpected perspective. Contemporary works It is difficult to evaluate the arts on a single scale; they are too different. Therefore, let's get acquainted with the most unusual, beautiful and original monuments from different countries.

Most famous

In Giza (Egypt) there is one of the oldest sculptures on Earth - the Sphinx. The time of its construction is determined as 2400 BC. Scientists believe that the head was sculpted from Pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx and the pyramids have long been symbols of Egypt.

In China, in the city of Leshan, there is a stone statue of Buddha. This is a tall Buddha - 71 meters, his figure is carved into the rock, work began in 713. It took almost a century to complete the monument. In China, there is also a copper statue - the Buddha of the Spring Temple, 128 meters tall, standing on a 208 meter pedestal.

On Easter Island, from the 11th to the 14th centuries, numerous Moai statues were erected, made in different styles. In total, there are 887 9-meter stone sculptures there.

The symbol of Brazil has become the statue of Christ the Savior; it is located in Rio, or rather, it towers over the city, as it is installed on a hill 700 meters high. And Australia has its own Stairway to Heaven.

America is symbolized by the world-famous Statue of Liberty in New York, and Paris by the Eiffel Tower. In Mongolia, Genghis Khan was immortalized in 2008; his 40-meter figure now towers near Ulaanbaatar. The Motherland (52 meters high), a monument erected in memory of the Battle of Stalingrad, is well known.

One of the symbols of Brussels is the statue of the Manneken Pis, who is periodically dressed up in different costumes, and on holidays, wine or beer comes out of the fountain instead of water. In Copenhagen there is a statue of the Little Mermaid, who is not treated so respectfully: her arms and head were sawed off, and her bra was painted on.

The best statues in the world have become symbols of certain eras and events, but modern Art was not limited to them. There are unusual and unusual sculptures in different cities and countries, there are quite a lot of them, let's get to know them.

The appearance of unusual sculptures and compositions can be called a modern global trend. Sometimes it is difficult to even immediately understand what exactly the author wanted to say. But we'll try to figure it out.

Symbolic and touching

Shoes on the Danube embankment. A simple and touching row of ordinary shoes on the river bank is a tribute to the victims of fascism. People were brought to the shore and shot, but not before being forced to take off their shoes. Dead bodies flew into the water, and shoes remained on the shore.

In Klaipeda (Lithuania), the Black Ghost “lives” on the shore. According to legend, he warned about the need to save food and thereby saved many from the famine that broke out in 1595.

There are two most unusual monuments to lovers in the world. They are installed in cemeteries in Thailand and Kaliningrad. Two skeletons nearby chant love after death.
Two more images (in Amsterdam and Yakutsk) are dedicated to the proverb “don’t drink the branch you’re sitting on.”

Unknown passersby wandering along the streets of Polish Wroclaw look very touching. They symbolize the underground anti-communist activities of the Poles.

The Monument to Knowledge is very unusual: a monkey sits on Darwin’s writings, examining a human skull.
But Greed looks more symbolic: on a stand of 4 heads (a baby, a woman, a man and an old man) sits a huge toad with two mobile phones, a massive gold chain around his neck and a wad of money in his hands.

The modern exhibition of three monkeys looks no less instructive: the Buddhist symbol “I see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing” in a new variation looks like “what I want, I say, see and listen.”

“Expansion” is set in New York: a girl in the lotus position glows from within.

From walls and earth

Interesting trend modern compositions– the appearance of figures from underground or from walls. Sometimes they are very impressive:

In Los Angeles, a man managed to stick his head through the wall, everything else was outside;
And in Holland, the violinist “breaks through” to the listeners from underground;
In Washington, a giant is trying to break free (called “The Awakening”);
And in the Taiwan Zoo there are hippos;
In Headington, a shark crashed into the roof of a house, leaving half its body outside, and in Portland, a salmon neatly “entered” the corner of the house;
In Melbourne, a library has “sunk”, and in Berlin, only the heads of politicians discussing global warming stick out of the water.

Very realistic

American sculptor Mark Jenkins is a master of provocation. His original works are impressive and can even be misleading:

a mannequin of a girl jumping from a roof made random passers-by nervous;
and he laid the other lady on a billboard to sleep;
he has a man who almost fell into a fountain, lying in a puddle, half submerged in water or crushed by bicycles.

Less realistic, but still provocative, is the statue of Sigmund Freud hanging from one arm (Prague). Or a rogue Brussels thief who caught a policeman. The thief leaned out of the hatch and suddenly grabbed the law enforcement officer. By the way, the plumber looking out of the hatch is quite popular; such compositions can be found in Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Ukrainian Berdyansk, Sweden and Bratislava (Slovakia).

Dedicated to professionals

Since we are talking about professions, it is worth mentioning compositions dedicated to crafts:

in Troitsk, near Moscow, scientists are honored;
in Sweden - a street orchestra;
In general, many compositions are dedicated to musicians: in Luxembourg - to traveling artists, to violinists - in Nizhny Novgorod and Kharkov (on the roof);
for artists - in Astana and Chelyabinsk, and in Bratislava - for paparazzi;
“shuttles” were immortalized in Amursk, Slavyansk and Belgorod;
in Sochi there is an iron moneylender, and his poor victim, a beggar, “escaped” to Chelyabinsk, but even there he found a strange place to live - near a bank.

By the way, in Chelyabinsk, next to the beggar, there were: master Lefty, a policeman and a fireman, a cab driver, a postman, a musician and a shoe shiner. There is a paratrooper, a veteran, an innkeeper and other sculptures. Windshield wipers are very popular, they have been immortalized in Costa Rica, Salavat and Yekaterinburg. And the movers are located in Singapore and Germany. There are memorial figures dedicated to bankers and traffic cops, shoemakers and sculptors. But there are also less “honorable” professionals - in Amsterdam, on the Red Light Street, ladies of the oldest profession were immortalized, and in Moscow, a stripper.

Unusual items

Not only people, but also objects are immortalized in different cities of the world. The most unusual are the following statues:

a huge talking lamp with a lampshade in Sweden;
in Germany, “Tiger and Turtle” is more reminiscent of a monument to the American racing attraction;
and "Carhenge" - modern version Stonehenge, only from cars.
The unusual “traffic light” in London looks interesting;
and a tap pouring water (in Cadiz);
on Taganka there is a huge stool, in Berdyansk there is a Chair of Desires, and in Dubna there is a Chair; by the way, one of the 12 chairs is immortalized in Odessa;
in Oslo - a large paper clip;
in Springfield and Geneva there is a huge fork;
and in Australia - a wallet.

There are also quite unusual objects: in Israel they immortalized... an apple core, in Zheleznovodsk - an enema, and in London - a cigarette butt.

Little brothers

Sculptors could not ignore animals; original compositions are found everywhere:

Cats are very popular. Homeless cats “live” in Germany. In St. Petersburg, a cat nestled comfortably on the roof of the Eliseevsky grocery store. And in Barcelona there is a Fat Cat.
Insects are no less popular. You can “meet” them in Alabama, where a huge weevil is installed, there is a large bee in “Kuzminki” and in Ufa, a giant mosquito - near Noyabrsk and in Slovakia.
A huge spider lives in Canada and London, and a leech lives in front of a medical center in the Moscow region and in France.
Birds. There is a huge statue of a bird in Singapore, and near the Novodevichy Convent there is a Duck with ducklings. The sparrow was installed in Boston, and the doves in different countries(France, Belgium, Sweden, England, USA).
Dogs. Man’s friends could not be ignored; their images can be found: in the Alps - “St. Bernard Barry”, in Scotland - “Sky Terrier Bobby” and “Collie Shep”. There are stone sculptures of dogs " different professions": guides, rescuers. And simply touching: in Tolyatti the dog Verny waited for 7 years for his owners who died in a traffic accident and in Italy the dog Fido, who was greeted from work for 14 years... the owner who died during the bombing.

Various monuments, single and composite, were erected in honor of animals, each with its own story.

Under the water

A review of the most interesting monuments and structures would not be complete if we did not mention those that were specially installed in the underwater kingdom:

at the bottom Caribbean Sea there is a park of statues, there are about 400 of them;
sculptures of the Savior are installed in the depths of the sea near Italy, Florida and Malta;
in Bali there is a bicycle standing in the thickets of coral reefs;
and at the bottom of Lake Wastwater live gnomes;
an elephant settled in the Gulf of Thailand;
and in Cancun, a person is quite comfortable underwater: he sits on the couch, eats a hamburger and watches TV;
A 9-meter-long Little Mermaid lives near the Cayman Islands.

All these underwater inhabitants are not accidentally sunken figures, but specially created underwater museums and compositions. These amazing monuments are found on land, trying to get out of the walls or from underground, settled on trees and roofs, or live under water.

The most interesting monuments peace

Interesting facts about monuments

Since ancient times, people have built monuments to perpetuate an event or to honor the merits of individuals.
The first full-fledged monuments (that is, structures that serve exclusively a memorial function) appeared in Ancient Rome. These include equestrian statues of emperors, memorial arches and columns.
The oldest surviving monumental sculpture is Great Sphinx in Giza. The figure is carved from a monolithic limestone rock. The length of the statue is 73 meters, height - 20 meters; Between the front paws there was once a small sanctuary.
One of the Roman statues gave birth to the word "lampoon". The fact is that the statue, which was popularly nicknamed Pasquino, began to be covered with sheets of satire on certain individuals from the 16th century.
The most tall monument considered to be a bronze statue of Ushiku Daibutsu located in Ushiku, in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan. It was built in 1995, with a total height of 120 m above the ground, including a 10 m base and a 10 m lotus platform. An elevator takes visitors to a height of 85m above the ground, where the observation deck is located.
In Melbourne there is a “Reverse Monument” - it is installed with a pedestal up.
The largest number of monuments in the world were created in honor of the leader of the proletariat V.I. Lenin.
Indochina has the most monuments to Buddha.
In the center of Edinburgh there is an unfinished monument under big name"National Monument of Scotland", for which the Parthenon in Athens was chosen as a model. It was decided to begin its construction in honor of the fallen soldiers after completion Napoleonic Wars. Construction began back in 1822, there was not enough money, and the construction of the monument was stopped in 1829.
The symbol of New York and the United States, a symbol of freedom and democracy, is the Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island, 3 km from the southern tip of Manhattan, New Jersey. Statue French sculptor Bartholdi is a gift from the French for the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The largest equestrian statue in the world is the equestrian statue of Genghis Khan near Ulaanbaatar, opened in 2008, its height without a pedestal is 40 m. The monument is surrounded by 36 columns, according to the number of khans of the Mongol Empire from Genghis to Ligden Khan.
In Holland there is a Monument to Radioactive Decay. This is a building called the Habog Facility, where real radioactive waste from two nuclear reactors is stored. According to local law, they must be stored for 100 years. The creator of this project, William Ver, painted the building in Orange color, and wrote the famous formulas of Einstein and Planck on the walls. Every twenty years the building will be repainted in a paler color, which will symbolize the gradual fading of radioactivity in the waste.
The beginning of the protection of historical and cultural monuments dates back to the ancient era. In the 5th century Emperor Majorian issued an edict against the destruction by citizens of existing buildings and their use as quarries. Ideas for the protection of historical and cultural monuments, similar to modern ones, arose during the Renaissance along with interest in ancient art and the development of collecting.
The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 (entered into force in 1975).
The most highest degree values historical monument- inclusion in the List World Heritage UNESCO.

Interesting facts about Russian monuments

One of the oldest military memorials in Russia is the Temple-Monument to the fallen soldiers during the capture of Kazan in 1552.
In Russia, the monument to Peter the Great by Zurab Tsereteli in Moscow is recognized as the largest. This monument is called “300 years of the Russian Navy”. Its height is ninety-eight meters. Before the monument to Peter the Great appeared, the largest monument in Russia was the “Motherland” monument in Volgograd. Its height is ninety-six meters.
In St. Petersburg there is the only equestrian monument in the world that has only two points of support - this is the monument to Nicholas I by Pyotr Klodt on St. Isaac's Square.
Most old monument Moscow is a monument to Minin and Pozharsky in front of the Kremlin walls.
One of the most famous monuments Moscow - “Worker and Collective Farm Woman” by Vera Mukhina. The monument is made of stainless chromium-nickel steel. The height is about 25 m. It is located on Prospekt Mira, near the Northern entrance of VDNKh. Initially, the monument to a worker and a collective farmer was developed for an exhibition in Paris. It is a symbol of the Mosfilm film studio.
One of the symbols of St. Petersburg and its business card is "The Bronze Horseman".
Alexander Column on Palace Square St. Petersburg is not attached to the pedestal in any way; it weighs 600 tons and stands only due to its own gravity. Despite the authority of the architect Auguste Montferrand, many townspeople were afraid for a long time that it would fall.
On the UNESCO World Heritage List Russian Federation for 2015 there are 26 items, 16 objects are included in the list according to cultural criteria, with 6 of them recognized as a masterpiece of human genius), and 10 objects are included according to natural criteria, and 4 of them are recognized natural phenomena exceptional beauty and aesthetic importance.

Literary monuments

There are a huge number of monuments dedicated to writers and the heroes of their works, including sculptural compositions, memorial plaques, and busts.
Monuments of bronze and granite began to be built for writers only in the 19th century; figures of characters they created were often placed next to monuments to writers.
One of the first monuments to the writer, the monument to M. Cervantes, was erected in Madrid in 1835 (sculptor A. Sola).
In Russia, the first monuments were built to M. V. Lomonosov in Arkhangelsk (1832, sculptor I. P. Martos), N. M. Karamzin in Simbirsk (1844, S. I. Galberg) and G. R. Derzhavin in Kazan (1847 , sculptor unknown).
The world's first monument to Pushkin was erected in Italy. In 1837, as soon as the news of the poet’s death reached Eternal City, Princess Volkonskaya ordered the installation of a stele in memory of him in her villa.
First monument literary hero appeared on August 13, 1913 in Denmark. This is the Little Mermaid monument in Copenhagen. The Little Mermaid has become a symbol of Copenhagen, and the Danes believe that as long as the beauty continues to sit on her stone, everything will be calm in the Danish kingdom.
There are many monuments to the book around the world, which reflects people’s awareness great role books in our lives.

Animal monuments

There are animal monuments in all countries of the world. Mainly domestic animals received this honor, but there are also monuments to wild animals - from a mammoth to a fruit fly.
Most of the monuments and sculptures have been erected to man’s most devoted friends – dogs.
It is believed that the very first monument to a dog was erected in the 3rd century BC. In the city of Corinth in the 4th century BC. A monument was erected to the dog with the inscription “Defender and Savior of Corinth.” The ancient Greek city of Corinth was at war with the city-state of Sparta. Under the cover of darkness, the enemy crept up to the city, but the dog Soeter (Soter, was one of the 50 watchdogs) woke up the garrison and thereby prevented the enemy's invasion. She was awarded a silver collar. The grateful Corinthians did not remain in debt, preserving for centuries the memory of the faithful dog.

Computer monuments

There are such monuments. There are monuments and sculptures to people with computers and laptops in different cities of the world, including in Russia. There are monuments to the computer, separately to the computer mouse, keyboard, monument Internet Explorer, monuments to the electronic dog, a monument to the Opera browser and even a monument to Wikipedia.

Monuments to professions

It seems that there is no longer a profession whose representatives would not have monuments erected - from great warriors to housing and communal services workers, and the number of such monuments is growing, both serious and comic.

The most unusual monuments, statues and sculptures

They can be found in many cities of the world, these are sculptures of various things (wallet, enema, paper clip, clothespin), and heroes of films and cartoons, and various sculptural compositions, and even a monument to happiness (Tomsk).

This is not all information about existing monuments. The information will be clarified and supplemented.

More about monuments Crossword about monuments

the site recalls interesting facts about the famous Moscow monument.

Liberators

Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky - leaders of the second people's militia during the Polish intervention in Time of Troubles. Both of them are Russian national heroes, as they took a vital part in the liberation of Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian occupiers in 1612.

In 1803, scientific and cultural figures in Russia came up with the idea of starting to raise funds for the construction of a monument dedicated to the heroes. Initially, it was planned to be staged in Nizhny Novgorod, a city where the people's militia gathered. Soon the sculptor Ivan Martos began work on the project. The idea of erecting the monument was fully supported by Emperor Alexander I.

A little later, it was decided to erect a monument in Moscow, the city that the heroes liberated. And in Nizhny Novgorod it was planned to erect a marble obelisk dedicated to Minin and Pozharsky.

Double rein

In fact, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky symbolizes two events - the liberation of Rus' from foreign invaders in 1612 and the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, which also went down in history as the “people's war”. It was originally planned to install “Minin and Pozharsky” in 1812 for the bicentenary of the victory of the second militia, but the war ruined the plans of the project’s authors, slowing down the progress of work. The sculptural composition appeared on Red Square only on March 4, 1818.

1100 pounds of copper

Work on the creation of the monument began in 1812, shortly after the victory of Russian troops over the French in the Patriotic War. The casting was entrusted to the St. Petersburg master of the Academy of Arts Vasily Ekimov. The casting was completed on August 17, 1816. 1,100 pounds of copper were prepared for smelting, which was smelted for 10 hours. The production of such a colossal monument at once was accomplished for the first time in European history.

Initially, the monument was located in the center of Red Square Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Granite instead of marble

Initially it was planned to use Siberian marble for the pedestal. However, it was so difficult to transport such cargo across half of Russia that the decision was changed. Instead of marble, they took granite, which was abundant around St. Petersburg. Huge stones were delivered to the Northern capital from the shores of Finland. The pedestal was made by stonecutter Samson Sukhanov.

Long haul

The monument was very heavy and it was impossible to transport it by road. Therefore, it was decided to carry out delivery from St. Petersburg to Moscow by water on ships. The transportation took several months: start on May 21, arrival in Moscow on September 6, 1818. Along the way we stopped in Nizhny Novgorod. At first, the sculptural composition was transported through the Mariinsky Canal to Rybinsk, from there along the Volga to Nizhny Novgorod, where the monument stayed for some time as a sign of respect for the role of the Novgorodians in the Time of Troubles. Then transportation continued up the Oka to Kolomna, and from there along the Moscow River to the Krasnokholmsky Bridge.

Sons as models

Initially, the sculptor Martos conceived both heroes standing on a pedestal at full height, but later was forced to change his plan. The original idea caused discontent among some government officials. The fact is that Dmitry Pozharsky was a prince, and Kuzma Minin was a commoner who was not supposed to stand next to the prince.

And his own sons posed for Ivan Petrovich Martos when creating the sculptures of Minin and Pozharsky.

The authors of the majestic monument received high awards. Thus, Ivan Martos was awarded the title of full state councilor and a lifelong pension in the amount of 4 thousand rubles per year. Foundry worker Vasily Ekimov, by order of the emperor, was paid a bonus of 20 thousand rubles and awarded the Order of Anna, II degree.

Heart of the Fatherland

In 2005, the composition appeared in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Initially, the monument was unveiled in front of the building of the current GUM on Red Square. Its façade faced the Kremlin. Minin pointed Pozharsky to the Kremlin, urging him to drive the Poles out of Moscow. According to the author, Moscow and the Kremlin, which Minin points to, are united and personify the heart of the Fatherland and shrines of a spiritual and material nature.

But in 1931, it was decided to move the composition, since it interfered with military equipment parades on Red Square and the construction of Lenin’s mausoleum. Minin and Pozharsky were taken to St. Basil's Cathedral.

Small copy

In 2005, Minin and Pozharsky finally appeared in Nizhny Novgorod. A copy of the monument by Zurab Tsereteli is installed under the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. The Nizhny Novgorod composition is 5 centimeters smaller than the Moscow original.

On March 4, 1818, the first sculptural composition of Moscow and the first monument dedicated not to the sovereign, but to national heroes, were installed on Red Square. He, like his characters, has his own biography, full of triumph, difficulties and even barbs.

National monument

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky was built not with funds from the state treasury, but with public money. The initiators of the project, the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and the Arts, collected donations from all over Russia. In 1808, they sent engravings throughout the country with the approved project: “so that it would be known to all Russians.” In three years, they managed to collect 136 thousand rubles, which was enough to build a monument in Moscow and erect an obelisk in Nizhny Novgorod.

Double rein

In fact, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky symbolizes two events - the liberation of Rus' from foreign invaders in 1612 and the victory in the Patriotic War, which also went down in history as the “people's war”. It was originally planned to install “Minin and Pozharsky” in 1812 for the bicentenary of the victory of the second militia, but the war ruined the plans of the project’s authors, slowing down the progress of work. The sculptural composition appeared on Red Square only on March 4, 1818.

Nomad Monument

By water

By the way, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky was cast not in Moscow, but in St. Petersburg. The sculpture was delivered to the ancient capital by water. Transportation took several months from May 21 to September 6, 1818, since the plans included a mandatory stop in Nizhny Novgorod. The arrival of the long-awaited monument in the city was mentioned in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland”: “No pen can depict how delighted both Nizhny Novgorod and the entire local region were with the appearance of such a famous monument on the local waters... Nizhny Novgorod citizens of both sexes and all ages from morning to night came to the courts to see this monument, famous in its subject, art and size.”

Innovation

Today the sculptural composition “Minin and Pozharsky” may seem non-unique, but for that time it was a real technological breakthrough. Despite its impressive size, the monument is monolithic; it was cast “in one piece.” To do this, it took “1000 pounds of bayonet copper, 10 pounds of tin, 60 pounds of spiuate.” The copper was smelted for about ten hours; the metal in the mold cooled down only after five days. By the beginning of the 19th century, such work was considered unique.

Poetic criticism

Folklore

There is a political legend associated with the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. After the death of V.I. Lenin in 1924, a struggle for power began at the top of the party. During this difficult period, at one of the congresses, the careless Grigory Zinoviev made the main report “Political Report of the Central Committee of the RCP (b),” which was the prerogative of the General Secretary. There were rumors that Zinoviev managed to seize power behind everyone’s back. This is how the nickname “the second Grishka Otrepiev” stuck to him. It is believed that at the same time an inscription appeared on the monument, which later became part of folklore: “Look, prince, what kind of scum has started in the Kremlin today.” True, according to another version, the original belonged to a later period, sounded like “Look, prince, what scum has settled down near the Kremlin walls,” and referred to Lenin’s mausoleum.