Among the many attractions of Sevastopol , one stands out. The panorama of Sevastopol captured the defense of the Russian naval base during the Crimean War of the nineteenth century.
Historical facts
The annexation 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 associated 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 Sinop Bay shattered all the hopes of the Turkish command for success in military operations, the Russian victory was near. But then England, France and Piedmont entered the war. In September 1854, they landed troops on the Crimean peninsula. In the future, the main events develop around Sevastopol. For almost a year, the superior forces of a well-armed allied army could not take the glorious city. It is these events that the panorama of Sevastopol is dedicated to.
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, at his signing, the Russian representative Gorchakov said: "Behind me was the shadow of Admiral Nakhimov, which prevented the Allies from demanding large territorial annexations from Russia." This so-called first defense (given 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, a panorama of the defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855.
History of creation
Panorama is a kind of fine art that presents the viewer with a large format picture with volumetric objects in the foreground, thus forming the illusion of real space. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the defense of the Russian port, the artist battle painter Franz Roubaud in 1901 received an order for great work, which was to perpetuate the feat of the military and civilian population of the city in the terrible days of the siege. It was a panorama of the “Defense of Sevastopol”, which had to be completed before 1904, since it took time to establish a picture and mount the subject environment. Arriving in the city, the painter spent a lot of time and effort studying the terrain and local history material. Thanks to sketches made in the Crimea, he managed to prepare and present a sketch of the painting in St. Petersburg. Having received the go-ahead for the implementation of the plan, Roubaud goes to Germany, where for several years he has been preparing the 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 building design competition for the future exhibition. It is in itself an art monument, since it is the only panoramic building in the entire post-Soviet space. The round structure, 38 meters high, is placed on the
basement floor, so it looks elongated and does not leave a bulky feeling. It took 2 years to build. This is a fairly quick time for Russia. In the vertical ledges of the wall were thirteen busts of heroes of the first defense of Sevastopol.
Picture content
The panorama of Sevastopol depicts one day from the siege of the city, when the assault on the side of the ship took place by French and English troops. If the viewer was present that day on top of the Malakhov Hill, he would be able to observe a picture close to that shown on the canvas. About four thousand characters are painted by artists, and near each intense struggle. The battle comes to life and conveys the intensity of passions. Ordinary sailors and soldiers in the foreground, and their legendary Nakhimov leads. Not everything in the content of the picture liked the highest commission for acceptance, who came from St. Petersburg. In a few years, the panorama of Sevastopol will undergo changes. Roubaud himself will bring them in, 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 of the city’s defense, who found the image very lively 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. After the war, in Moscow, the canvas was, one might say, recreated anew. Several episodes with the surgeon Pirogov, the sailor Cat , were added to the initial one . After 49 years, Sevastopol, a panorama (the photo, by the way, is presented in the article), whose defense again took its historical place, proudly and with pleasure demonstrates it to guests.