Among the many attractions of Sevastopol, one stands out. Panorama of Sevastopol depicts the defense of the Russian naval base during the Crimean War of the nineteenth century.
Historical facts
The accession of Crimea to Russia in 1783 was a great achievement in the foreign policy of the Russian Empire. During this period, the so-called Eastern Question arose in the international arena. This problem was connected with the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, the national liberation struggle of the Balkan peoples and the interest of all European countries in the territory of a weakening Turkey. It was the latter fact that determined the dissatisfaction of the developed countries of Europe with the strengthening of Russia's positions in the Northern Black Sea region. Since then, Russia's influence has only grown and by 1854 reached its peak. There was another Russian-Turkish war. The victory of Admiral Nakhimov in the Sinop Bay shattered all the hopes of the Turkish command for success in hostilities, the Russian victory was approaching. But then England, France and Piedmont entered the war. In September 1854 they landed troops on the Crimean peninsula. ATFurther, the main events develop around Sevastopol. For almost a year, the superior forces of the well-armed allied army could not take the glorious city. The panorama of Sevastopol is dedicated to these events.
In memory of the defense of Sevastopol
September 8-9, 1855 Sevastopol was abandoned by Russian troops and occupied by the enemy. But, despite this, the heroism and courage of the defenders of the city played a role in the further conclusion of peace. In Paris, when it was signed, the Russian representative Gorchakov said: "Behind my back stood the shadow of Admiral Nakhimov, which prevented the allies from demanding large territorial annexations from Russia." This so-called first defense (taking into account the events of the Great Patriotic War) in the Crimea is evidenced by many memorable places. This is a monument dedicated to the sunken ships, numerous monuments to the soldiers who died on the first and second bastions, on the Malakhov Kurgan, and of course, the panorama of the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855.
History of Creation
Panorama is a type of fine art that presents the viewer with a wide-format picture with three-dimensional objects in the foreground, thus forming the illusion of real space. On the fiftieth anniversary of the defense of the Russian port, the battle painter Franz Roubaud in 1901 received an order for a large work that was supposed to immortalize the feat of the military and civilian population of the city during the terrible days of the siege. It was a panorama"Defense of Sevastopol", which had to be completed before 1904, since it took time to establish the picture and mount the subject environment. Arriving in the city, the painter spent a lot of time and effort studying the area and local history material. Thanks to the sketches made in the Crimea, he was able to prepare and present in St. Petersburg a sketch of the picture. Having received the go-ahead for the implementation of his plan, Roubaud goes to Germany, where for several years he has been preparing a canvas in collaboration with other artists.
Museum building
The panorama of Sevastopol required a lot of space, and it was specially prepared. Architects F. Enberg and V. Feldman won the competition for building projects for the future exhibition. It in itself is a monument of art, since it is the only panoramic building in the entire post-Soviet space. Round, 38 meters high, the building is placed on the ground floor, so it looks elongated, does not leave a feeling of bulkiness. It took 2 years to build it. These are rather fast terms for Russia. There were thirteen busts of the heroes of the first defense of Sevastopol in the vertical ledges of the wall.
Picture content
The panorama of Sevastopol depicts one day from the siege of the city, when the French and British troops stormed the Ship Side. If the viewer had been present that day at the top of the Malakhov Kurgan, he would have been able to observe a picture close to that depicted on the canvas. About four thousand actors are painted by artists, and neareach intense struggle. The battle comes to life and conveys the intensity of passions. Ordinary sailors and soldiers are in the foreground, and their leader is the legendary Nakhimov. Not everything in the content of the picture was liked by the highest acceptance commission, who came from St. Petersburg. In a few years, the panorama of Sevastopol will undergo changes. Roubaud will bring them in with his own hand, for they were proposed by the emperor himself. So, portrait images of sailors in the foreground will be painted over and Nakhimov will disappear. But then, at the opening, in May 1905, the artist was flattered by the comments of war veterans, participants in the defense of the city, who found the image very alive and close to reality.
The fate of the panorama
After the October Revolution, the panorama of Sevastopol, the museum was restored and restored to its original form. During the Great Patriotic War, twenty percent of the painting was destroyed in the fire of the bombing, the rest was taken to Novosibirsk in 1942. Already after the war, in Moscow, the canvas was, one might say, recreated anew. Several episodes were added to the original with the surgeon Pirogov, the sailor Koshka. After 49 years, Sevastopol, whose panorama (photo, by the way, is presented in the article) of the defense of which again took its historical place, proudly and with pleasure shows it to the guests.
