In Moscow, on Lenin Avenue, a majestic and grandiose monument was erected to the first man who mastered space. The monument was probably seen by everyone who was in the capital. This 42-meter monument is an adornment of the avenue and a symbol of the achievements of our country in space exploration. What is this monument? When was it installed? What is his story? What was it made of? Who is the author of the monument? The monument to Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, installed in the capital, will be discussed in the article.
History
The monument to Yuri Gagarin was erected in 1980, before the start of the Olympic Games. It was precisely this time that was chosen by chance: they wanted to magnify the astronaut and show foreigners what the most powerful space power was. Many guests of the Olympics and the capital considered it mandatory to take a photo at the monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow. He became one of the symbols of the capital.
The sculpture of the monument is made of an alloy of titanium, from which spacecraft are built. Its weight is very large - about 12 tons. The authors of the monument are sculptor P. I. Bondarenko, architects I. Belopolsky, F. M. Gazhevsky and A. F. Sudakov, designer. There is a monument, as already mentioned, on Lenin Avenue.
The monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow is very difficult to manufacture, created and installed in record time. In 1979, an order was given to create and erect a monument to an outstanding astronaut as soon as possible. This task was dealt with by the summer of 1980. It is an object of cultural heritage of the city of Moscow and Russia. It can often be seen in the screensavers of Soviet films. In 1991, a coin with the image of the Moscow monument to Gagarin was issued in honor of the 30th anniversary of space exploration.
The place where the monument is installed
It was no coincidence that Leninsky Prospect was chosen for the installation of the monument; it was on this road that Gagarin was sent from Vnukovo Airport to report on his flight into space. The square on which the monument is installed is named after the first cosmonaut.
The authors of the monument, realizing the project, wanted it to be visible from a great distance, for example, even from the ring road. The address of the monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow: Lenin Avenue, house 39.
How and where the monument was made
The monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow was made at the Foundry and Mechanical Plant in Balashikha. The sculpture was assembled from more than 230 cast fragments, which are connected into a single whole with bolts and welds. Difficulties were in the implementation of the largest element - the face of an astronaut, whose weight was about 300 kg, there were difficulties with a vacuum furnace. But metallurgists coped with a difficult task quite successfully. The monument became the first monument in the world of such a large size, which was assembled from titanium.
Description of the monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow
The sculpture is mounted on a high ribbed pedestal. It is made of titanium, its height is 42 meters. At its foot is a copy of the spacecraft on which Gagarin made his historic flight into space.
The sculptural figure of Yuri Gagarin is directed upwards - into space. And the ribbed pedestal on which he stands is associated with a fire plume that breaks out of the spacecraft at launch.
Mysterious incident
In December 2010, an unusual incident happened in front of an amazed audience on Gagarin Square. The standard illumination turned off at the monument, numbers appeared on the pedestal: from 10 to 0. After which a stream of fiery flame hit the monument and it flew away ... But after a while the illumination turned on again, and astonished eyewitnesses saw that the monument was standing on its own location, and the incident is a light installation, of which a titanium astronaut became a part.
The most unusual monuments to the astronaut
The monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow is on the list of the most unusual monuments to the astronaut, which are installed around the world. The list also includes:
- Monument to Gagarin in Baikonur. This is the figure of an astronaut whose arms are directed upwards. During sunset and sunrise, you can take a photo in which the astronaut supposedly holds a star above his head.
- The monument to Gagarin in Geneva consists of two parts: the first is an exact copy of the obelisk installed at the main entrance to the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow, the other part is a sculpture.
- The monument to the astronaut in Kaluga, the first stone of which was laid by Gagarin himself, was installed only in 2011.
- Monument in Karaganda. The city was chosen because all capsules with astronauts land in this area.
- Monument in Kolomna - the astronaut's words are carved on the monument: "The stars are getting closer ...".
- Monument in London. This is a copy of the monument installed in the suburbs, in the city of Lyubertsy.
- Monumental sculpture of a spaceship with a bas-relief of Gagarin in St. Petersburg.
- The obelisk in Star City in the suburbs, on the Alley of astronauts.
- Monument in Bryansk on Gagarin Boulevard. The sculpture depicts a walking astronaut and symbolizes the "step of eternity."
- Monument to Gagarin in the Odessa region in the village. Sergeevka.
The Moscow monument to Yuri Gagarin is a majestic monument, which is installed on one of the largest squares of the capital. It can be seen from a great distance. Many tourists visiting Moscow certainly want to see this legendary monument.