It seems that the monument to the Unknown Soldier has always been near the Kremlin walls. Who will now remember what happened at the site of the memorial, at the place where people silently stop and remember to whom they owe their lives. Who will now remember how the eternal flame ended up in the Alexander Garden? On the Day of the Unknown Soldier, we publish facts from the history of the creation of the memorial.

They decided to create a memorial of national significance - the Monument to the Unknown Soldier - on the 25th anniversary of the defeat of German troops near Moscow.

At one time, Brezhnev did not approve of the installation of a memorial in the Alexander Garden. After all, in this place there already stood a monument with a long history - a monument to revolutionary thinkers and figures in the struggle for the liberation of the working people. In 1918, on Lenin’s initiative, an obelisk was converted into it in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

It was difficult to decide who exactly to bury at the Kremlin walls. The choice fell on the remains of a warrior from a mass grave, which was just discovered in those days near Moscow. A uniform without insignia and with a belt confirmed that the soldier was not a deserter. The fighter could not have been captured either, since the Germans did not reach this place. No documents were found on the soldier, which means his ashes were truly “unknown.”

Memorial complex "Bayonets" near Zelenograd - a mass grave from which the ashes of an unknown soldier were transferred for burial in Moscow

On December 2, 1966, the soldier's remains were placed in a coffin covered with orange and black ribbon. And the next day at 11:45 a.m. the coffin was placed on an open car, which drove along the Leningradskoye Highway to the Alexander Garden.

That morning, the entire Gorky Street (now Tverskaya), along which the motorcade was moving to Manezhnaya Square, was filled with people. On December 3, 1966, under an artillery salvo, the ashes of the Unknown Soldier were solemnly buried.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Memorial was opened a year later - on May 8, 1967. The monument consists of a tombstone covered with a bronze battle flag. On the banner lie a soldier's helmet and a laurel branch, also made of bronze. In the center of the memorial burns the Eternal Flame of Glory.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1976. Photo: my_journal_omsk

The eternal flame was delivered by armored personnel carrier from the war memorial on the Field of Mars in Leningrad. It was lit at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Leonid Brezhnev, accepting the torch from the hands of the Hero Soviet Union Alexey Maresyev.

Eternal Flame on the Champ de Mars. Photo: Dean Jackson

Next to the fire there is an inscription: “ your name unknown, your feat is immortal.”

the site remembers 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 “ 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 sculptural composition transported through the Mariinsky Canal to Rybinsk, from there along the Volga to Nizhny Novgorod, where the monument lingered 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 was facing 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, as 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.

Muscovites greeted one of the tallest monuments in Russia with some criticism. In 1997, after its installation, a series of publications appeared in the Moscow media calling on city residents to write letters in support of collecting signatures for the demolition of the monument. There were about 5 thousand of them, most of whom criticized two points - the excessive height of the monument and its location.

However, as we can observe in at the moment, the monument to Peter I in Moscow received the right to life. The work of Zurab Tsereteli was erected by order of the Moscow Government on an artificial island poured at the separation of the Moscow River and the Vodootvodny Canal. Officially announced by the creator and customers as a gift to sailors for the 300th anniversary Russian Fleet. The total height of the monument is 98 meters, the height of the figure of Peter is 18 meters.

Some Russian newspapermen called this monument a recycled statue of Columbus, which Tsereteli planned to sell in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Europeans, but never sold.

In 2014, architectural critic Revzin expressed his opinion regarding the overly active protests against the new monument. Thus, he pointed out that publications and posters “You weren’t here” began to appear too suddenly in Moscow, which had previously been necessary in mandatory coordinate, reduce the budget and receive it. Thus, this process was most likely started by someone, and then picked up by the townspeople.

The height of the monument is comparable to the height of the Statue of Liberty, which stands in New York.

Just don’t forget that the difference of 5 meters is due to the fact that the Statue of Liberty, as a solid monument, is only 46 meters, but it stands on a pedestal 47 meters high. From here the total height is considered to be 93 meters.

On March 4, 1818, a monument to the heroes of the people's militia Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky by the sculptor Ivan Martos was inaugurated in Moscow. Initially, the monument was planned to be installed in Nizhny Novgorod, where the main actions of the people's militia against the Polish intervention took place in 1612, but then the choice fell on Moscow due to the special significance of the monument for Russian history. We decided to tell you about ten interesting facts about this monument.

FUNDRAISING

The initiators of the installation of the monument were members of the Russian educational Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts in 1803. The collection of funds for construction and construction was carried out by popular subscription throughout Russia. For this purpose, an engraving depicting the first model of the monument was published. By 1811, the amount reached 136 thousand rubles, of which 18 thousand were sent from the Nizhny Novgorod province.

TRANSPORTATION OF THE MONUMENT

Work on the monument was carried out in St. Petersburg, after which it went to Moscow by water: 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. Transportation took three and a half months: leaving St. Petersburg on May 21, 1817, the monument arrived in Moscow on September 3.

MATERIALS

The pedestal for the monument was made of granite. The contract for its production was concluded with the St. Petersburg merchant Samson Sukhanov, who had already taken part in the construction of granite columns for the Kazan Cathedral. The granite pedestal was made in the Vyborg province.

To cast the sculptural group itself, it took “1000 pounds of bayonet copper, 10 pounds of tin, 60 pounds of spiuwater.” It only took about 10 hours to melt the copper, after which they began to pour it into the mold. Five days later, when the metal had cooled, the mold was broken, resulting in a “perfect monument.” For that time, such foundry work was considered unique.

ORIGINAL INTENTION

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

SCULPTURE COMPOSITION

Ivan Martos adhered to the traditions of classicism, so the figures of Minin and Pozharsky resemble ancient statues. At the same time, the monument is not devoid of Russian national identity: Kuzma Minin’s tunic resembles a Russian shirt, and Prince Pozharsky in one hand holds a shield with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which was on the banners of the Russian army during the Battle of Kulikovo. In addition, on the bas-relief on the back side of the monument, on a shield in the hands of one of the Russian soldiers, there is an image of the Kazan icon Mother of God, which was acquired on the day the Kremlin was liberated from the Poles. On the front bas-relief, the heads of women in antique clothes are decorated with traditional Russian kokoshniks.

ORIGINAL LOCATION

Initially, the monument was unveiled in front of the building of the current GUM on Red Square. The facade of the monument was facing the Kremlin. Minin points 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. In 1931, the monument was moved to St. Basil's Cathedral, as it interfered with parades of military equipment on Red Square and the construction of Lenin's Mausoleum. In addition, there is a legend that the Bolsheviks, the recent owners of the Kremlin, saw in Minin’s gesture a call to free the Kremlin from new government. Allegedly, someone even scratched the inscription on the monument: “Look, prince, what scum has spread out at the Kremlin walls.”

AUTHOR'S IMAGE

On one of the bas-reliefs to the left of the women giving money and jewelry for the sake of the Fatherland, you can see Ivan Martos himself with two sons, whom his father sends to the militia. One of Martos' sons, Alexey, was a participant Patriotic War 1812, another son, Nikita, was killed by Napoleonic soldiers in 1813 while studying in Italy.

7 chosen

The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, the historical center of St. Petersburg, the white stone monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, the Kremlin of Rostov the Great, the Kizhi Pogost, Peterhof, Solovki, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Nizhny Novgorod, Kolomna and Pskov Kremlin - the famous historical monuments of Russia, the list of which goes on and further. Russia is a country with a huge cultural past, its history still keeps many secrets and mysteries, every stone of ancient Russian cities and monasteries breathes history, behind every human destinies. In these autumn days The multimedia project-competition "Russia 10" is coming to an end, giving us the opportunity to learn about the most famous and most beautiful places of our country and in the first place are the main historical monuments of Russia, the wonders of architecture and architecture, the magical creations of the hands of Russian masters.

Kizhi

On one of the islands of Lake Onega in Karelia there is the famous Kizhi churchyard: two wooden churches of the 18th century. and an octagonal wooden bell tower (1862). The architectural ensemble of Kizhi is an ode to Russian craftsmen, the pinnacle of carpentry art, “wooden lace”. According to legend, the Transfiguration Church was built with one ax, which the master threw into Lake Onega, finishing his work without a single nail. Kizhi is the real Eighth Wonder of the World.

The main historical value of Rus' is the hands of its masters...

Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon

The Moscow Kremlin is a real treasury of monuments of Russian history and culture. Some of them are the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon. They are famous not only for their size, but also for their amazing history...

The Tsar Bell was ordered to be cast by Empress Anna Ioannovna. At her request, foreign craftsmen were supposed to do this, but when they heard the required dimensions of the bell, they considered the empress’s desire... a joke! Well, who cares, and who cares. The father and son of Motorina, bell masters, began work. It didn’t take them as long to create the project as the subsequent approval by the Moscow Senate office, which lasted for 3 whole years! The first attempt to cast a bell was unsuccessful and ended in an explosion and destruction of the furnace structure, and after this, one of the craftsmen, Father Ivan Motorin, died. The second casting of the bell was carried out by the master’s son Mikhail Motorin, and three months later, on November 25, 1735, the birth of the famous bell took place. The bell weighed about 202 tons, its height was 6 meters 14 centimeters, and its diameter was 6 meters 60 centimeters.

They took a cast, but didn’t pick it up! During a fire in 1737, a piece weighing more than 11 tons broke off from the bell, which was still in the smelting pit. The Tsar Bell was raised from the foundry pit only in 1836, thanks to Montferrand, who knew a lot about lifting heavy structures. However, Rus' never heard the voice of the Tsar Bell...

Tsar Cannon on Ivanovskaya Square is considered a monument to Russian artillery. The length of the bronze gun is 5 meters 34 centimeters, the barrel diameter is 120 centimeters, the caliber is 890 millimeters, and the weight is almost 40 tons. The formidable weapon was supposed to guard the Moscow Kremlin from the Execution Ground, but, according to weapons experts, its power was suitable for destroying fortress walls, but not for defense. Cast by the famous foundry master Andrei Chokhov in 1586 under Fyodor Ioannovich, it never took part in hostilities. According to legend, they fired from it only once - with the ashes of False Demetrius.

Mother Rus', everything is special - and the Tsar Cannon does not fire and the Tsar Bell does not announce the gospel...

Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God

On the Day of the Intercession of the Mother of God in 1552, Russian troops stormed Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate. In honor of this event, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Church of the Intercession in Moscow. How many legends and traditions are associated with it...

Previously, another church stood on this site - the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, where St. Basil the Blessed, the most revered holy fool in Rus', was buried, collecting alms for the construction of this temple. Later, others began to be built around the Trinity Church - in honor of the most significant victories of Russian weapons. When there were already about ten of them, Moscow Metropolitan Macarius came to Ivan the Terrible with a request to build one large temple on this site.

The central tent of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God was consecrated first, then a small church was completed on the grave of the holy fool, and the temple began to be called St. Basil's Cathedral. The cathedral symbolizes the Heavenly Jerusalem - its 8 chapters create an eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem. According to legend, at the end of construction, which lasted 6 years, the king, delighted with the unprecedented beauty of the temple, asked the builders if they could do something similar. The price for an affirmative answer was the blinding of the craftsmen by order of the sovereign, so that there would be nothing more beautiful on earth...

Several times they tried to destroy the Temple, services in it were banned and allowed again, but it survived for centuries, just as the Russian land resisted all troubles.

The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God is a beautiful and many-sided holy Rus'.

Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the core of the city on the Neva, a historical, architectural and military engineering monument, one of the main symbols of Russian history. It was from Petropavlovka that the construction of the city of Peter began on May 16, 1703. All of it is history, the history of wars and revolutions, faith and love. Its bastions bear the names of Peter the Great's associates: Menshikov, Golovkin, Zotov, Trubetskoy, Naryshkin and Sovereign bastions.

In the center of the fortress is the Peter and Paul Cathedral - a symbol of the formation of a new city in Russia. It contains the history of the Imperial House of Romanov; the cathedral became the necropolis of Russian emperors, where their ashes from Peter I to Nicholas II rest. Near the walls of the Cathedral is the Commandant's Cemetery, where 19 commandants of the Peter and Paul Fortress (out of 32 who served it) are buried.

The fortress was also a defense Northern capital, and its state prison: prisoners of the Trubetskoy Bastion were Tsarevich Alexei, Decembrists, Chernyshevsky, Kostsyushko and Dostoevsky, Narodnaya Volya, ministers Russian Empire, Socialist Revolutionaries and Bolsheviks.

Petropavlovka, like Russia itself, is both an intercessor and a prison, but, nevertheless, the Motherland...

Monument "Millennium of Russia"

The monument "Millennium of Russia" was erected in Veliky Novgorod opposite the St. Sophia Cathedral and the former building of the Government Places in 1862 in honor of the thousandth anniversary of the legendary calling of the Varangians to Rus'. The anniversary of its opening is celebrated these September days.

Authors of the monument project: sculptors Mikhail Mikeshin, Ivan Schroeder and architect Victor Hartman. To create a monument-symbol of Russian history, a competition was announced, to which several dozen works were submitted. The winner was the project of young sculptors - M. O. Mikeshin, who graduated from the Academy just a year ago, and I. N. Schroeder, a volunteer student in the sculpture class of the Academy of Arts.