Interesting information about the monument to Peter 1. In which cities are monuments to Peter I? What are the most famous of them? Since then, the monument has not left Senate Square.

One of the tallest monuments in Russia, Muscovites met 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 at the moment, the monument to Peter I in Moscow has received the right to life. The work of Zurab Tsereteli was erected by order of the Government of Moscow on an artificial island, poured at the division of the Moscow River and the Vodootvodny Canal. Officially announced by the creator and customers as a gift to sailors for the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy. 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 reworked statue of Columbus, which Tsereteli was going to sell in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Europeans, but did not sell.

In 2014, architectural critic Revzin expressed his opinion about the overly active protests against the new monument. So, he pointed out that publications and posters “You weren’t here” began to come out too abruptly in Moscow, which before that had to be agreed upon without fail, reduce the budget and receive it. Thus, this process, most likely, was launched 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 do not 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 now it stands on a pedestal 47 meters high. From here, the total height is considered to be 93 meters.

In St. Petersburg, there are many monuments dedicated to the great emperor, the last king of all Rus', the famous Peter I. Let's consider some of them.

Monument to Peter the Great near the Mikhailovsky Castle

Its creation began in 1716. Work on it was entrusted to the Italian master Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli. However, the project could not be completed during the reign of the great emperor. It was not until 1744 that work on the casting mold was completed, just before Rastrelli's death. In 1747, the sculpture was cast in bronze, the project already led by his son, known as Francesco Bartolomeo. By this time, it had not been possible to erect a monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg on a pedestal, since the sculptor was removed from business. At that time, power passed to, and the sculpture itself was transferred for storage in warehouses for a long time. With the beginning of the reign of Paul I, it was decided to erect a monument near his new residence. So in 1800 the sculpture found its place at the Mikhailovsky Bridge. At the same time, the statue was supplemented with the inscription "Great-grandfather - great-grandson." The monument to Peter the Great is depicted as an ancient Roman horseman, crowned with a laurel wreath, sitting on a horse and holding the ruler's staff in his hand.

The Bronze Horseman, the symbol of St. Petersburg, is actually made not of copper, but of bronze. The monument was opened in 1782 at the behest of Empress Catherine II. That year marked the 100th anniversary of the accession to the throne of young Peter. And the “copper” monument began to be called only in 1833, with the light hand of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who wrote the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. The weight of the monument is 8 tons, and the height is 5 meters.

The famous sculptor Etienne Maurice Falcone was invited from Paris to work on this majestic monument. For work, he was given two horses from the imperial stables - Caprice and Brilliant. Guards officers reared their horses on the platform, and the sculptor made sketches.

It took the master a whole 12 years to make a plaster sketch of the monument. Several times Catherine demanded to redo the proposed version. But the head of the emperor was made by the young assistant of the sculptor Marie-Anne Colo.

The Empress liked the work, and Marie-Anne received a lifetime pension.
Finding a caster capable of casting such a grandiose figure also proved to be difficult. Emelyan Khailov, a cannon master, decided to take up the job. Together with Falcone, they selected the composition of the alloy for a long time and carried out tests. By the way, it was Khailov who saved the work from collapse. During the casting, the clay mold suddenly burst, and the red-hot metal flowed to the ground. The workers fled in horror, but Khailov, at the risk of his life, managed to stop the leak.

Falcone originally planned to erect a monument to Peter on a huge granite pedestal. Moreover, granite must be monolithic. After a long search, such a boulder was found 12 versts from the capital. The locals called it "Thunder Stone", because, according to legend, a thunderstorm hit it, leaving a large crack.
Catherine the Second announced that she would pay 7,000 rubles to anyone who could deliver a block weighing 2,000 tons to Senate Square. A certain engineer, Marinos Carburi, took up the risky business. On a huge wooden platform on logs studded with copper, the gigantic stone was sent on its way. For almost a year, the stone was dragged to the Gulf of Finland, where it was loaded onto a barge. Granite was delivered to the appointed place on September 23, 1770. Enraptured, Catherine ordered that a commemorative medal be made for this occasion with the inscription: “It is like boldness.” It is interesting that the monument itself was installed on a stone only 12 years later.

The grand opening of the monument took place on August 18, 1782. Interestingly, Falcone himself was no longer in Russia at that time. He left our country in 1778. On behalf of Catherine, Prince Golitsin visited him in Europe and presented him with a commemorative medal.

The snake on the monument was no longer made by Falcone, but by the Russian sculptor Fyodor Gordeev. The snake is the third point of support and gives the monument more stability.

An interesting fact is that Peter points with his hand towards Sweden, with which Russia has been at war for more than 20 years for access to the Baltic Sea. And in Stockholm there is a monument to Charles XII, with whom the Russian emperor waged war. Karl's hand is directed to St. Petersburg.

The memory of this great man is immortalized not only, but throughout Europe. The main reminder of the existence of this cult personality are majestic monuments, some of which deserve special attention. Below is a list that describes in detail - in which cities there are monuments to Peter I:

1. "The Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg. This is one of the oldest and world-famous monuments, the construction of which took more than ten years. The opening of this famous monument took place on August 7 (18), 1782. It is located on the Senate Square in St. Petersburg. The monument got its eloquent name thanks to the poem of the same name by A.S. Pushkin, although it is actually made of bronze. The model of the magnificent commander was developed by the sculptor Etienne Falcone in 1768 - 1770. The head of the monument was created by the talented student of the sculptor, Marie Anne Collot. The snake, as conceived by Falcone, was created by Fyodor Gordeev. The casting took place under the watchful eye of master Vasily Ekimov and was completed in 1778. All other decisions and general management were carried out by Yuri Felten.
2. Equestrian monument on the territory of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg. It was cast in bronze by the Italian sculptor Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli, who created it during the life of this great emperor. The construction was completed in 1747, but it was never installed in its place. Later, Martelli presented his own project, and finally it was erected on a pedestal only in 1800.
3. Monument in Taganrog. The majestic sculpture of the talented master Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky, which was installed in 1903. This is the only copy now, which was cast under the close supervision of the master. It is one of the most significant and memorable in the entire Rostov region.
4. Monument in Moscow "In commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet." It was put on a pedestal in 1997 by official order of the Government of the capital on an artificially created island, poured at the separation of the Moscow River and the Vodootvodny Canal. One of the most impressive objects in Russia. Height - 98 meters, the height of the figure of Peter - 18 m. The most unique building, the frame of which is made of durable steel, with hanging bronze elements of the cladding. Each of its parts was assembled separately. The highest quality bronze was used for this sculpture. The monument was inaugurated on September 5, 1997 as part of the All-Russian celebration of the 850th anniversary of the capital.
5. Memorial figure in Sochi. The sculpture of the great Russian emperor towers over one of the most beautiful cities in the Krasnodar Territory - Sochi. The monument was opened on May 1, 2008 on the square near the shallow pier of the seaport. The height of this majestic bronze monument with a pedestal is approximately 5.5 m (the figure of the reformer tsar itself is 3.4 m), it was created at a factory in Minsk (Belarus). Weight - 5 tons. The project was sponsored by E. Kagosyan. The authors of the ingenious structure are sculptors from Sochi A. Butaev and V. Zvonov, they worked on the composition for four months.

   

6. Monument in Nizhny Novgorod. It was opened on September 24, 2014 opposite the Zachatievsky tower of the Kremlin. The authors of this building are Alexey Shchitov and Sergey Shorokhov. The sculpture was created from bronze. The total height of this structure is approximately 6.7 m. The monument to Peter is a life-size proud figure with an evil and menacing look.
7. Statue in Voronezh. Created by Anton Schwartz and opened on August 30 back in 1860. At one time, it was one of the majestic monuments to Peter I. During the work, the death mask of Peter I was used. The authors carefully worked out all the smallest details of the face and costume.
8. Monument in Arkhangelsk. Placed in 1914 in Petrovsky Park and is a significant piece of art. The monument was built on the initiative of the Arkhangelsk Governor Ivan Vasilyevich Sosnovsky. It was cast according to the sketches of M.M. Antokolsky as a native nephew of the late sculptor in the French capital in 1909.
9. Sculpture in the city of Tula. It is installed on Sovetskaya Street in front of the administration building of the Tula Arms Plant, the foundation of which is associated with the name of the first Russian emperor. The grand opening took place in 1912. The author is the famous Robert Romanovich Bach.

   

10. Tsar carpenter on the Admiralteyskaya embankment in St. Petersburg. It was installed in 1996 according to the design of the sculptor Leopold Adolfovich Bernshtam.
11. Monument in the city of Azov, Rostov region. It was installed in 1996 at the beginning of Petrovsky Boulevard. The very idea of ​​this monument was considered back in 1947, and it was then that the architects of Azov, who were developing the general plan of the city, intended to erect a monument to Peter I on the Market Square of the city (now III International Square). It was opened on July 19, 1996 during the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet. Located in the most beautiful part of Petrovsky Boulevard in front of Moskovskaya Street.

The historical value of the monuments dedicated to Peter I

The above indicates in which cities there are monuments that have the greatest historical value. Among them are the oldest ones, which were installed several centuries ago. Only one of them was created during the life of the great ruler, so it impresses with its rich history. The most talented sculptors who deserve attention worked on all of them.

There is, perhaps, no ruler who would be more deserving of the centuries-old memory of his compatriots than in Moscow, designed by the famous sculptor Z. Tsereteli, is considered one of the most controversial creations of the author.

Discussions around this monument have not ceased for a decade and a half, it causes many different opinions. From the point of view of artistic value, it is treated differently. Despite this, as an example of engineering art, it is unique.

Description of the monument

The monument to Peter the Great in Moscow is located on a reinforced concrete island, created specifically for its installation. The load-bearing base of the structure is made of stainless steel in the form of a frame on which a bronze cladding is installed. The figure of Peter, the ship and the lower segment of the monument were assembled separately and only after that they lined up on a common pedestal prepared in advance.

The ship's shrouds are peculiarly designed. They are made of metal cables connected to each other and swinging when the wind blows. In other words, the guys are made like real ones.

The monument is lined with high-quality bronze, which protects it from the damaging effects of the external environment. The figure of the emperor is covered with a special varnish for additional protection, which helps to preserve the color.

The ship's sails are hollow to lighten the top of the monument. They are based on a lightweight All fasteners of the monument are made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion. Inside the monument there is a staircase intended for restorers, installed to assess the internal condition of the structure.

As already mentioned, the bronze king stands on an artificial island. To imitate the movement of the ship on the waves, fountains are equipped in the bases of the island. When looking at the composition, it seems that the ship cuts through the waves.

History of creation

There are many cases in world culture when unusual or strange sculptural compositions glorified their heroes and authors. For example, the monument to Wenceslas on a dead horse, located in the center of Prague, the Haddington pedestal depicting a shark crashing into the roof of a house, or the well-known Brussels pissing boy. The Monument to Peter I in Moscow can boast of its own attraction in the same way and entered the world's ten most "unsympathetic" buildings.

Monuments in other cities

Tsar Peter left the greatest mark in the history of our Fatherland as an extraordinary reformer, ruler, military leader and, undoubtedly, a great despot. Not only Moscow and St. Petersburg are famous for Peter's monuments.

There are monuments to Peter in Kaliningrad, Voronezh, Vyborg, Makhachkala, Samara, Sochi, Taganrog, Lipetsk and even in European cities - Riga, Antwerp, Rotterdam, London.

Several volumes are not enough to tell about how much Peter the Great did for Russia. The monument in Moscow and other cities will retain the appearance of the greatest of Russian monarchs for many decades.

A few words about the author

And the artist Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli was born in the city of Tbilisi, in 1934, three days before Christmas. He received his higher education at the Academy of Arts in Tbilisi. Then he studied in France, where he met with outstanding painters - Chagall and Picasso.

The 60s in the life of the sculptor were marked by the beginning of active work in the monumental genre. One of the famous brainchild of Tsereteli is considered to be "Peter 1" - a monument in Moscow. His works are known not only in Russia and the CIS countries.

There are sculptures by Tsereteli in America (“Tear of Sorrow”, “Good Defeats Evil”), Great Britain (“Destroy the Wall of Distrust”), Spain (“Victory”).