In the history of Russia, Peter the Great deservedly occupies a leading place. The great Russian converter, who dreamed of accessing the southern seas, realized his dream by deploying a great shipbuilding project in Voronezh. The quiet patriarchal town began to live a busy life, creating ships for the first Russian flotilla according to the drawings of the tsar himself. Here, in Voronezh, Peter the Great laid the foundation for the creation of a navy, the first in the history of Russia, which strengthened the power of the state.
Unofficial symbol of Voronezh
The city in which the tsar created the navy of Russia, preserved the memory of the great reformer. In 1860, the first monument to Peter 1 in Voronezh appeared in Russia. In the historical center of the city, at the intersection of Stepan Razin Street and Revolution Avenue, there is a square. It is named in honor of Tsar Peter 1 - Petrovsky, a monument is erected to him here. Petrovsky Square is a favorite place of Voronezh residents.
In 2003, it was reconstructed, now the Petrovsky Passage rises behind the monument in place of the old building. But Voronezh residents believe that the building of the new shopping center gives a modern look to Petrovsky Square. That is why in 2009, the townspeople chose the monument to Peter 1 as an unofficial symbol of Voronezh. Tourists coming to the city take a memory photo at the monument, and wedding processions will not fail to stay here for a few minutes. In the square, elderly people and mothers with prams like to relax in the shade of trees.
Monument Creation
The idea of creating a monument to Peter 1 belonged to the governor of Voronezh, Begichev D.N. He sent a petition to the ruling Emperor Nicholas 1 in 1834, asking for assistance in building the monument to Peter 1. The sovereign approved the application, but funding was refused. Money was needed for the redemption of the island and the arsenal. Money was collected from the inhabitants of the province. Some of the funds raised was spent on redemption and some restoration work. Further work was suspended due to lack of money.
Work on the design of the monument was resumed only in 1857. Already the new governor Sinelnikov N.P. continued the work of the previous one in translating ideas into reality. Emperor Alexander II ordered the allocation of a certain amount from the state treasury for the erection of a monument to Peter the Great in Voronezh. In addition, he ordered that the shoes of the sculptural Peter be checked for compliance with the time.
The construction of the monument
The architect Grimm D.I. worked on the creation of the future building on paper, the drawing of which was embodied in the sculpture by A. E. Schwartz. The appearance of the king was reproduced with the greatest accuracy from the death mask. The emperor was "dressed" in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky regiment. The monument was cast at a factory in St. Petersburg.
The basis of the monument was polished granite slabs delivered along the Don River to Voronezh. The monument to Peter 1 was installed on a granite pedestal, facing towards the main street of the city. The inscriptions were made of bronze. On one side of the monument is "Emperor Peter the Great, 1860". On the opposite side - "Voronezh nobles and citizens." The monument was unveiled on August 30, 1860 under 101 salvos of artillery pieces. At the opening of the monument was attended by the Azov Regiment sent to Voronezh.
The end of the first stage of the life of the monument
The sad story of the monument to Peter 1 in Voronezh was remembered by local residents who survived the revolution and the years of Nazi occupation. Immediately after the revolution, the director of the museum of local lore of Voronezh, who decided to curry favor with the new government, received a proposal to demolish the monument to Peter 1 in order to establish something in its place that was appropriate for the time, but the locals defended the monument.
But during the occupation, they could not resist the Nazis. In 1942, on the orders of the occupying German authorities, two bronze monuments were removed and taken out of the city for remelting. These were the monuments to Peter 1 and Lenin. About Peter 1, the memory remained in the form of an empty granite pedestal.
On the pedestal young Peter 1
At the end of the war, Voronezh residents turned to the city authorities with a request to restore the monument to Peter 1. It so happened that the request was granted. Of course, there was no such precedent in history for the government of the Soviet Union to erect a monument to the emperor. But such a decision was made by a special government decree. Monument to Peter 1 in Voronezh according to the description of eyewitnesses, preserved photographs, prints, postcards and documents of museums was created by sculptors G. A. Shults and N. P. Gavrilov.
True, they decided to make two amendments to the created image of Peter 1. The first is to give dynamism to the sculpture, making the caftan floors on the king fluttering in the wind. The second amendment is the appearance of Peter 1. He "rejuvenated." Since Peter 1 was between 21 and 32 years old at the time he was building the fleet at the shipyards of the city, this change was welcomed.
In 1947, sculptors create a working model of the monument, which was put on display to Voronezh residents. Then a sculpture was made of plaster, and then cast in bronze at the art casting factory in Mytishchi. A new monument to Peter 1 in Voronezh was erected on a pedestal awaiting him and opened in 1956.