Monument to Alexander 3 in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia

The reign of Alexander 3 lasted 13 years. He was called the emperor-peacemaker. It was his decree that gave rise to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1886. He was considered the patron of the Siberian road. He understood the importance and special nature of such construction, so he ordered that it be laid by his son - the prince Nicholas. It happened in May 1891, when in Vladivostok they began to build the foundation of the future railway station.

Planning

In honor of Emperor Alexander 3 and his services to Russia, it was decided to erect 3 monuments. The first of them is at the beginning of the track, that is, in Petersburg, the second - in the middle of the Siberian segment, in Irkutsk, and the third - at the end of the branch, which ended in Vladivostok. But these plans remained only on paper. In the end, the monument appeared only in Irkutsk.

The first monument

It was laid on the occasion of the completion of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Monument to Alexander 3 was placed in the middle of a section of this grandiose railroad, in Irkutsk, on the bank of the Angara, just opposite Bolshaya street (now Karl Marx).

This event was preceded by the All-Russian competition, as well as obtaining permission to raise funds for its creation throughout the country, since for such a magnificent monument money in the treasury was not. The competition was won by Academician RR Bach. By that time he was already known for his monument to Alexander Pushkin, established in Tsarskoe Selo and the monument to Mikhail Glinka in Moscow.

Mostly Bach's project was chosen because his idea was simple and inexpensive. He planned to put not just a monument to Alexander 3, but in general a great historical event, which was the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In general, the project was approved immediately and did not require any further improvements. The only thing that had to change is the size of the emperor's figure. It was increased by about one and a half meters.

Description of the monument in Irkutsk

Alexander 3 was represented in the Ataman uniform, with wide trousers tucked into boots. So usually the Siberian Cossacks dressed. The height of the monument was about 5 m, and the whole monument was about 11 m.

Academician Bach managed to create a whole architectural and sculptural composition, which told about the history of Siberia. The monument itself was cast in St. Petersburg. The facade of the monument from all corners is decorated with coats of arms: the general-Siberian, the Yenisei province, the cities of Irkutsk and Yakutsk. All images were on heraldic shields. They were made in the form of a flat relief. And the symbolic unity of Siberia was represented by garlands and chains, located between the arms.

Also on the sides of the pedestal were three reliefs, dedicated to Ermak and two Siberian governor-generals - N. N. Muraviev-Amur and M. M. Speransky. In front was a two-headed eagle, holding in its claws a scroll with the decree of the emperor.

The monument to Alexander 3 in Irkutsk was opened on August 30, 1908. Fencing for him was made only after 4 years. It was a cast-iron lattice, decorated with floral ornament, as well as an image of St. George the Victorious. At the corners on the granite pillars installed lights. The project also suggested the breaking of the square in the place where the monument will stand. The work on its creation began long before the opening of the monument. It must be said that the Alexander Square was very popular among the residents of the city and was its attraction.

Destruction

Unfortunately, all this beauty was short-lived. After the final victory of the October Revolution, in 1920, on the day of the celebration of Pervomaia, the monument to Alexander 3 in Irkutsk was dropped, except for the pedestal itself. After that, the figure of the emperor was taken to the courtyard of the building where the East Siberian Museum was located. Subsequently, it was re-melted.

Until 1964, the pedestal was empty until a concrete obelisk was erected on it, made according to the design of the famous architect V.P. Shmatkov. And before that, at different times, it was proposed to put the statues of the worker, Lenin and Shelikhov, but the hands did not reach the point. In the 60s of the last century, according to the city reconstruction plan, part of the Alexander Garden was destroyed.

Recreating

At the very beginning of this century, we began to think about restoring the former monument to Alexander 3, as a pre-revolutionary postcard with his image was found in the funds of the local museum of local lore. It was on it that the sketches of the new bronze figure of the emperor were made. In autumn 2003, the monument gained its former appearance and took its place at the corner of the former streets: the Embankment and the Bolshoi.

The history of the monument in St. Petersburg

The monument was commissioned by Emperor Nicholas 2 and members of his royal family. To perform this work, the Italian sculptor P. P. Trubetskoi was chosen. Since 1897 and for the next 9 years, he lived in Russia. The model of the sculpture Trubetskoi executed in St. Petersburg. For this purpose, a pavilion of iron and glass was built. It was located on Staro-Nevsky Prospekt. In total, the sculptor created 14 models: 2 on the size of the monument itself, 4 in full size and 8 small.

The bronze statue was also cast by Italian casting E.Sperati. The monument to Alexander 3 consisted of two parts. The first of these - the figure of the emperor - was made in the foundry of K. A. Robekki. The second part of the sculpture was a horse, which was poured at the Obukhov plant.

Above the pedestal was the architect F.O. Shekhtel, who carved it from the red Valaam granite. It was more than 3 m in height. It was inscribed with the inscription "Emperor Alexander III - the great founder of the Siberian route".

I must say that from the very beginning, the work of Trubetskoi was very dissatisfied with the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. He said that this monument is a caricature of his brother. But in defense of the sculptor was the widow of the emperor, who saw a clear portrait resemblance to her deceased husband. It was she who contributed to the completion of the monument. Finally, on May 23, 1909, the monument to Alexander 3 in St. Petersburg was opened in a solemn atmosphere.

The Fate of the Monument

In 1919, after the victory of the Bolsheviks, poems written by D. Bednyi, under the name "Scarecrow", were knocked out on a pedestal. After 8 years, when celebrating the decade of the revolution, to decorate the square the monument was encased in a metal cage, and next to it a sickle and a hammer with the inscription "USSR" were erected.

Twenty years after the accomplishment of the October Revolution, the monument was completely dismantled. Until 1953, it was stored in the storerooms of the Russian Museum, and then it was raised and placed in the courtyard. In the mid-90's it was decided to move the monument to Alexander 3 in St. Petersburg. At the Marble Palace, right in front of its entrance, where the branch of the Russian Museum is now located, this monument stands. Not so long ago, the authorities thought about moving it to its original location, that is, on the area of the Uprising, but a decision on this matter has not yet been taken.

Monument to the Emperor in Moscow

Work on this monument lasted almost 12 years, beginning in 1900. The sculptor A. Opekushin, architect A. N. Pomerantsev, as the chief architect and engineer KA Greinert, who was responsible for the production of the works, worked on the monument's project. On its erection it was collected more than 2.5 million rubles, and this is a colossal sum for those times.

Monument to Alexander 3 in Moscow was opened at the very end of May 1912, on Prechistenskaya Embankment, on the square near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The ceremony itself was very pompous. It was attended by Emperor Nicholas 2 with his wife and children, all members of the State Council and the State Duma, generals, admirals, county and provincial leaders of the nobility, representatives of various public organizations and many others. Other

Description of the Moscow Monument

The monument was made of bronze and depicted the emperor sitting on the throne. Here he was in all the royal regalia, including the power and the scepter in his hands, and also the crown on his head, with porphyry thrown over his shoulders, that is, the mantle of the monarch, who descended on a pedestal of red granite. The plinth of the pedestal was decorated with four double-headed crowned eagles with outstretched wings cast from bronze. Above them worked sculptor AL Aubert.

I must say that the monument to Alexander 3 greatly enriched the general ensemble of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Next to the statue of the emperor was a granite balustrade, as well as a magnificent staircase leading to the water itself.

To my great regret, this beautiful monument stood only 6 years. It was destroyed in the summer of 1918, when the Soviet leadership moved to Moscow. But still a few of his photos. The monument to Alexander 3 in Moscow was, perhaps, the most majestic. The station, which remained after its destruction, stood still until 1931, when the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was demolished.

Monument in Novosibirsk

It is believed that the appearance of this city was predetermined precisely by the decree of Emperor Alexander 3 on the beginning of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The first railway settlement in these places was named Alexandrovsky in honor of the tsar. Then it turned into a city and it was renamed to Novonikolaevsk, as the construction of the Transsib was supervised by the future emperor Nicholas 2. Now it is a one and a half millionth modern city.

The monument to Alexander 3 in Novosibirsk turned out to be quite majestic - its height reaches 13 m. The monument was erected on the picturesque Ob River. It is made of bronze, and the pedestal is made of granite. The lower part of it was decorated with an inscription taken from the tsar's highest rescript that the construction of the Transsib began. The author of the project is People's Artist of Russia Salavat Shcherbakov.

The opening of the monument to Alexander 3 was timed to coincide with the City Day, which turned 119 years old. The ceremony began at midnight from 23 to 24 June 2012. The audience was presented with photo documents and newsreels, demonstrated on huge screens. They were dedicated to the rich history of this city. At the monument to Alexander 3 in Novosibirsk and on its opening came to see about 5 thousand people. Present here was Alexander's great-grandson, Pavel Kulikov, who is a citizen of Denmark. Eyewitnesses claim that his external resemblance to the emperor is very great.