Alexey Mertsalov is a blacksmith from the city of Yuzovka (now Donetsk), who has glorified for centuries both his own name and native land. A talented master 120 years ago forged a palm tree, which today is a symbol of the main city of Donbass. Palm Mertsalova during its existence acquired a host of legends and myths. Some of them are real, and some have absolutely no justification. In this article we will try to determine where the lie is, where the truth is.
Legend of the author's idea
The very first myth is not even connected with the forging process itself, but with the origin of the idea of creating an iron tree. A very popular version is that a Yuzovsky blacksmith once drank in a tavern and saw a large palm tree in a tub. An unusual plant hit him and he decided to repeat it in metal. So much so that from a single piece, without any soldering and welding. No sooner said than done. Alexey Mertsalov immediately set to work. And then he presented his creation to the employer - the famous industrialist John Hughes, whose name in those days was the name of the entire developing industrial town, which later became the capital of the whole region.
Could this be true? Could in those days a simple blacksmith, without the knowledge of the owner, be engaged in creativity for 2 weeks, "swinging" from the main work? Could I get a whole rail weighing more than a centner? Of course, this is nothing more than a colorful Donbass legend.
In fact, Mertsalov’s palm was created by the order of Hughes himself to the industrial exhibition of 1896. The Yuzovsky plant of the Novorossiysk Society of Coal, Rail and Iron Production was among the participants. At that time, this enterprise was the only one in the south of the Russian Empire engaged in the smelting of pig iron and its processing into steel and iron. The main raw material was ore, which the Donetsk region is so rich in.
Mertsalov’s palm became not only the emblem of the powerful iron empire of John Hughes, but also a kind of symbol of the entire developing industry of Donbass.
Gift tour
Grateful Hughes sent the blacksmith on a trip to Nizhny Novgorod - as the next legend says.
In fact, John Hughes did not differ in excessive sentimentality. Although Alexey Ivanovich Mertsalov did visit Nizhny Novgorod, however, not as a tourist, but with a completely different task - he participated in the installation of the exhibition. And the design, I must say, was just grand! It was framed by three steel arches of high-quality metal with a square section. Their height reached 8 meters and a length of 7. Two-meter turrets stood on the sides of the arches. The total weight of the structure reached 20 tons. Exposure elements were delivered disassembled and assembled on site.
It is logical to assume that Hughes brought his best masters to the exhibition. Among them was the blacksmith Alexei Mertsalov.
The main object of the Yuzov exposition was a round leather sofa. Visitors could sit on it and relax under the canopy of iron palm leaves. Palm palm was assembled from 23 steel rings of different diameters.
Some Donetsk local historians believe that the author of the idea to create palm trees from metal was John Hug himself, whose house was decorated with these southern plants.
Random number
Palm Mertsalova has another curious legend. They say that the number of rings in the tub is a symbol of the age of the plant. The exhibition was held in 1896. If we subtract 23 from this number, we get 1873. But this year the plant was already working - in 1872 it received the first cast iron. However, the palm tree was created in 1895, a year before the exhibition. It turns out that this very date is meant. That is, the age of the young enterprise is not at the time of the Novgorod exhibition, but at that moment when the artistic forging of the palm was completed.
Solid rail
Even today, with the modern development of technology, this version will seem mythical to many. However, for a long time she was considered the pure truth. The creators, as well as many art historians and local historians argued that the palm of Martsalov was indeed forged from a monolith - a whole railway rail. Thresher Philip Shkarin, who helped the blacksmith during his work, personally testified to this fact. According to him, they really heated the rail in the open blacksmith furnace, forged it on the anvil with the help of the heavy hammer of the hammer. The hammer work was carried out under the strict guidance of an experienced blacksmith. The red-hot rail was torn in the right places, and then the metal was pulled and flattened, art forging was applied to it.
The steel plant trunk has ten leaf branches and a whisk at the top. The total height of the palm tree is 3.53 m, and it weighs 125 kg.
Today this myth is debunked. In 2014, the Blacksmithing Festival was held in St. Petersburg, at which the Golden I-Beam conference was held . Modern technology and knowledge made it possible to detect blacksmith welding marks on a palm tree. Vice-President of the Union of Russian Blacksmiths, Y. Shagunov, notes in his reports that some parts were welded to a palm tree and not elongated from a single piece of metal.
First place at the exhibition
This myth has been quite common for a very long time. However, once you dig a little deeper, it will become clear that no one handed over any medals to the palm tree at the exhibition. For the simple reason that there were no awards at all. Consequently, the palm tree could not be awarded either first place or gold.
However, there is some truth in this legend. The industrialist Yuz from Novgorod nevertheless brought the award. She became the right received by his enterprise on the image of the state emblem on manufactured products. This was considered a great honor.
Place of residence - Donetsk
Most people, at least a little interested in the history and culture of Donbass, are sure that the same palm tree today stands near the building of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, at the very beginning of Pushkin Boulevard. Moreover, even some Donetsk residents are sure of this. The image of the legendary symbol is so closely intertwined with the history and culture of the city, the Donetsk people consider their palm so strongly. Moreover, everyone knows that it is this image that adorns the coat of arms of the Donetsk region.
In fact, all the exhibits after its completion were brought to the capital Petersburg. The palm tree was donated to the Mining Museum in 1898, and is still stored there. And on the boulevard is an exact copy of the legendary tree. Like many monuments of Donetsk, it is a popular subject for the work of local artists and photographers who sing their hometown in their works.
Coat of arms
But this is not a myth. The tree depicted on the coat of arms of the Donetsk region is the palm of Mertsalov. Donetsk often uses this image, which has become a kind of symbol of the land of hardworking miners, diligent metallurgists, talented blacksmiths.
Mertsalov’s legacy today
The main value of the Donetsk region is its people. The great master left behind not only the famous palm tree, but also a great experience in blacksmithing. Today, many monuments of Donetsk are made by skilled blacksmiths.
Speaking about the sights of the city, one cannot fail to mention the forged figures park, which is located in the heart of the city, not far from the palm sculpture. Of course, he is worth it to take a walk and see with his own eyes his magical exhibits.