The Essence of the Phenomenon
A monument (statue, sculpture) is a work of architecture designed to draw the attention of passersby to a well-known event or person.
Uses
They are erected by the government in Gorods and at sites of historical events to commemorate certain concepts and meanings.
In Russia, the size of monuments ranges from a few dozen centimeters—such as the monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik on the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg—to world records, such as Volgograd’s “Motherland Calls,” which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest sculpture in the world. It is 52 meters tall, with an arm span of 20 meters and a sword length of 29 meters; the total height of the sculpture is 85 meters. By comparison, the Statue of Liberty in New York is 46 meters tall, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters tall.
Types of Monuments
Over time, some of Russia's distinctive urban and rural architecture has gradually come to be recognized historical heritage and is granted special status as an “architectural monument.” This may be a single house, but more often it is a complex of buildings, and rarely an entire neighborhood. In Nizhny Novgorod, there are also private apartments where unauthorized renovations are prohibited but people continue to live there—for example, the building at Bolshaya Pecherskaya Street, where he once stayed Lenin (Ironically, he cared more about the future than any other Leader.)
In addition to nature reserves, the legislation of the Russian Federation also designates natural monuments—natural landscapes that are visited by the public and are too well-known in the rest of the world to be used in the national economy.
The Cultural Significance of Monuments
An example of a regional monument of federal significance is Svetlyar, believed to be the underwater home of the inhabitants of the legendary Kitezh.
Every year, tourists from all over Russia gather at the lake to take part in amateur festivals Ivan Kupala and Baptisms.
As noted by Aleksey Groza, a leading tourism specialist with the Voskresensky District Administration, There are plans to create an exhibition on Lake Kitezh dedicated to the legendary city of Kitezh in the near future. In this regard Governor Valery Shantsev, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, believes it is necessary for regional authorities to hold traditional ceremonies on Lake Svetloyar (Voskresensky District). The governor made this statement on June 22, 2007, during a visit to the monument. According to him, tourists who visit the lake “should see that colorful ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations are traditionally held here.”