Money is also a part of history, therefore, banknotes and coins are erected monuments not only in Russia but throughout the world. For example, Canadians paid tribute to the dollar three times, residents of the state of Virginia - a golden sovereign. Even a 5 cents coin has its own likeness. In German Borken, they expressed their nostalgia for the Deutschmark by putting a tombstone on it, and in Frankfurt there is a monument to her successor - the euro.
Echoing the words of the classic, we can say: "About time, about value!" Although most of these monuments were erected not in order to bow to some bill, but for the sake of entertainment, so that people had something to stare at and take a couple of photographs.
Russian monetary units "clad" in metal
Russia also noted in this field. Naturally, monuments of the native Russian monetary units are popular here. For example, in Novokuznetsk there is a pedestal depicting the copper nickel of 1619 minting. He is only 1 year younger than the city itself.
Most of the monuments are made in a playful manner. For example, in Novgorod they created a whole ode to cabbage, but not one that grows in the garden, but one that can be earned. There, on one of the main streets, three heads of cabbage “grow”, some leaves of which are made in the form of rubles, dollars and euros. On the main square of Krasnodar there is a bronze purse with money at all.
In Moscow, a five-kopeck coin was immortalized, and with it a student's superstition that putting such a boot can successfully pass the exam.
But are there any monuments to the main running Russian bill? Naturally.
Monuments to the ruble in Russia
So far, only four cities have received such an honor: Dimitrovgrad, Syktyvkar, Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk. All these monuments are works of the 2000s. Dimitrovgrad was the first to implement this venture in 2004. The ruble monument (Tomsk) was installed 4 years later. Krasnoyarsk took over the baton in 2011, and in Syktyvkar the landmark appeared recently - in 2015.
In the cultural capital of the Volga region, it stands on a pedestal in front of the Sberbank building and is made in the form of two capital letters "P", which are the abbreviation of the phrase "Russian ruble." In the Komi Republic, a graphic ruble symbol was established to popularize the national currency. If in Dimitrovgrad and Syktyvkar monuments were erected in honor of the ruble as a monetary unit in total, then in Krasnoyarsk specifically a 10-ruble note was immortalized in bronze (it is an unwritten symbol of the city), the issue of which was discontinued. She lies on the pavement, as if someone accidentally dropped it.
And what about another monument to the ruble (Tomsk)? Where is it in the city and what is unique?
Who owned the idea
Every year in Tomsk, a carnival is held to mark the Independence Day of Russia, which is celebrated annually on June 12. As part of such a celebration in 2008, the organizers of this event, the Tomsk media holding Advertising Digest, decided to open this very monument. This association includes local and state level media representatives, a printing house, a souvenir company, etc. This holding is interested in developing Tomsk as a tourist center of Siberia. Its logo is carved on the back of the ruble (such a cunning advertisement). Of course, all this would not have been possible without the assistance of the administration. Now the new monument to the ruble (Tomsk) serves one of the good purposes - it gives tourists one more reason to visit the city.
Description
The monument is executed in a realistic manner. This is a copy of the modern monetary unit on a scale of 1: 100. On the front side the face value of the coin is indicated, in fact, “1 ruble”, and on the back there is a double-headed eagle, year of manufacture - 2007 - and the marking “Bank of Russia”. Thus, even an occasional visitor to the city, who does not know anything about the sights, will immediately understand what it was placed in honor of.
And what is the monument to the ruble made of in Tomsk? For the material they took not a traditional bronze, but a pine. By the way, in order to protect the tree from moisture, it was specially coated with water-repellent liquid, and later the whole structure was placed in a plastic sarcophagus for reliability.
You can’t put such a coin in your wallet: it weighs more than 250 kilograms, and its height reaches 2 m. It is thanks to these indicators that it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest example of a wooden ruble. Fortunately, the organizers of the Tomsk carnival filed an appropriate application.
Why is the ruble wooden?
Immediately there are associations with the phrase that arose in the late 80s, indicating either money that quickly depreciates, or that which could not be converted into foreign currency.
But here the symbolism is different: everything lies in the architecture of the city. The fact is that Tomsk has always been rich in forests, because it is still a Siberian city. Naturally, most of the buildings were cheaper to build from wood. Such development is still largely determines the architectural face of Tomsk. In the city, to this day, dozens of houses, wonderful examples of wooden architecture, have been preserved. That ruble monument is designed to remind about such an architectural heritage.
Ruble Monument (Tomsk): address
Since opening in 2008, he has stood peacefully on Novobosornaya Square. This is the historic city center. Hundreds of tourists came here to see this attraction. But, unfortunately, not everyone respects cultural values, and in 2014, vandals spoiled this creation: they broke the sarcophagus, threw garbage inside. Who and for what purpose did this is unknown.
Then the monument to the ruble (Tomsk) was removed for restoration. For a year, townspeople and tourists have been waiting for his return. After the repair was made, its location has changed, and now it is not in the same place. The restored monument to the ruble (Tomsk) was first presented to the public near the Mom Philharmonic. This was done on April 17, 2015 as part of the exhibition "Your Personal Finances" (that is, everything is symbolic). But a few days later he was placed in the reconstruction of the Tomsk fortress at the museum of the history of the city (there is more reliable).
Other sights of Tomsk
In general, the residents of the city with a sense of humor are all right. They love monuments, which are an expression of informal culture. And the ruble monument (Tomsk) is not one of a kind: residents and guests of the city are touched by sculptural works dedicated to happiness, slippers, a pregnant woman, an electrician, a janitor, a baby in cabbage, a football fan and many others.
All these sculptures, as well as the monument to the ruble (Tomsk), are relatively young, most Russians did not see them firsthand. So why not plan a trip there as a weekend tour? A lot of fun and lots of photos are guaranteed.