The reign of Alexander III lasted 13 years. He was called the emperor-peacemaker. It was he who, by his decree, initiated 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 a construction, so he ordered that it be laid by his son, Tsarevich Nikolai. It happened in May 1891, when the foundation of the future railway station began to be built in Vladivostok.
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 rail track, that is, in St. Petersburg, the second is in the middle of the Siberian section, in Irkutsk, and the third is 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.
First monument
It was founded on the occasion of the completion of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The monument to Alexander 3 was erected in the middle of this grandiose rail track, in Irkutsk, on the banks of the Angara, just opposite Bolshoi 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 there was no money in the treasury for such a majestic monument. The competition was won by Academician R. R. Bach. By that time, he was already known for his monument to A. S. Pushkin, installed in Tsarskoye Selo and the monument to M. I. Glinka in Moscow.
Bach's project was chosen mainly because his idea was simple and inexpensive. He decided to erect 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 subsequent improvements. The only thing that had to be changed was the size of the emperor's figure. It has been extended by about one and a half meters.
Description of the monument in Irkutsk
Alexander 3 was presented in an Ataman uniform, with wide trousers tucked into boots. This is how Siberian Cossacks usually dressed. The height of the monument was about 5 m, and the entire monument was about 11 m.
Academician Bach managed to create a whole architectural and sculptural composition that told about the history of Siberia. The monument itself was cast in St. Petersburg. Facade of the monument from all anglesdecorated with coats of arms: all-Siberian, the Yenisei province, the cities of Irkutsk and Yakutsk. All images were placed 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 coats of arms.
Also on the sides of the pedestal were 3 high reliefs dedicated to Yermak and two Siberian governor-generals - N. N. Muravyov-Amursky and M. M. Speransky. In front was a double-headed eagle holding a scroll with the emperor's decree in its claws.
The monument to Alexander 3 in Irkutsk was opened on August 30, 1908. The fence for him was made only after 4 years. It was a cast-iron lattice, decorated with floral ornaments, as well as the image of George the Victorious. Lanterns were installed in the corners on granite pillars. The project also envisaged breaking a square in the place where the monument would stand. Work on its creation began long before the opening of the monument. I must say that Alexander Square was very popular with 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 May Day, the monument to Alexander 3 in Irkutsk was thrown down, with the exception of 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. It was subsequently melted down.
Until 1964, the pedestal was empty untilit was not erected a concrete obelisk, made according to the project of the famous architect V. P. Shmatkov. And before that, at different times, it was proposed to put statues of a worker, Lenin and Shelikhov on it, but the hands never got to the point. In the 60s of the last century, according to the plan for the reconstruction of the city, part of the Alexander Garden was destroyed.
Recreation
At the very beginning of this century, they began to think about restoring the former monument to Alexander 3, since a pre-revolutionary postcard with his image was found in the funds of the local museum of local lore. It was on her basis that the sketches of the new bronze figure of the emperor were made. In the fall of 2003, the monument regained its former appearance and took its place at the corner of the former streets: Embankment and Bolshoy.
History of the creation of the monument in St. Petersburg
The monument was commissioned by Emperor Nicholas II and members of his royal family. The Italian sculptor P. P. Trubetskoy was chosen to carry out this work. Beginning in 1897 and for the next 9 years, he lived in Russia. The very model of the sculpture was made by Trubetskoy 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 according to the size of the monument itself, 4 life-size and 8 small ones.
The bronze statue was also cast by the Italian caster E. Sperati. The monument to Alexander 3 consisted of two parts. The first of them - the figure of the emperor - was made in the foundry of C. A. Robecchi. The second part of the sculpture wasthe horse that was poured at the Obukhov factory.
The architect F. O. Shekhtel worked on the pedestal, who carved it from red Valaam granite. He was over 3 meters tall. The inscription "To Emperor Alexander III - the sovereign founder of the Siberian Way" was carved on it.
It must be said that from the very beginning, the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich was very dissatisfied with Trubetskoy's work. He stated that this monument is a caricature of his brother. But the widow of the emperor spoke in defense of the sculptor, who saw a clear portrait resemblance to her late 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. Poor called "Scarecrow" were knocked out on a pedestal. Eight years later, when the 10th anniversary of the revolution was celebrated, the monument was enclosed in a metal cage to decorate the square, and a hammer and sickle with the inscription "USSR" was placed next to it.
20 years after the October Revolution, the monument was completely dismantled. Until 1953, it was kept in the storerooms of the Russian Museum, and then it was lifted and placed in the courtyard. In the mid-90s, 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 hismoving to its original location, i.e., to Vosstaniya Square, but a decision on this issue has not yet been made.
Monument to Emperor in Moscow
The work on this monument lasted almost 12 years, starting in 1900. In addition to the sculptor A. M. Opekushin, the architect A. N. Pomerantsev worked on the project of the monument as the chief architect and engineer K. A. Greinert, who was in charge of the work. More than 2.5 million rubles were collected for its construction, and this was a colossal amount for those times.
The 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, district and provincial marshals of the nobility, representatives of various public organizations and many others. others
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 orb and the scepter in his hands, as well as the crown on his head, with porphyry thrown over his shoulders, that is, the mantle of the monarch, which descended on a pedestal of red granite. The base part of the pedestal was decorated with four double-headed crowned eagles with outstretched wings cast in bronze. The sculptor A. L. Ober worked on them.
I must say that the monument to Alexander 3 significantly enriched the overall ensemble of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Next to the statue of the emperor wasa granite balustrade was arranged, as well as a magnificent staircase leading to the water itself.
Unfortunately, this beautiful monument stood for only 6 years. It was destroyed in the summer of 1918 when the Soviet leadership moved to Moscow. However, several photographs of him have been preserved. The monument to Alexander 3 in Moscow was perhaps the most majestic. The pedestal left after its destruction stood until 1931, when the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself 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 start of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The first railway settlement in these places was named Aleksandrovsky in honor of the tsar. Then it turned into a city and was renamed Novonikolaevsk, since the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was supervised by the future emperor Nicholas 2. Now it is a one and a half million modern city.
The monument to Alexander 3 in Novosibirsk turned out to be quite majestic - its height reaches 13 m. The monument was installed on the picturesque Ob embankment. It is made of bronze, and the pedestal is made of granite. Its lower part was decorated with an inscription taken from the highest rescript of the king that the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway begins. 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 Day of the city, which turned 119 years old. The ceremony began at midnight from 23 to 24June 2012. The audience was presented with photographic documents and newsreels shown on huge screens. They were dedicated to the rich history of this city. About 5 thousand people came to see the monument to Alexander 3 in Novosibirsk and its opening. The great-grandson of Alexander 3, Pavel Kulikov, who is a citizen of Denmark, was also present here. Eyewitnesses claim that his outward resemblance to the emperor is very great.
