The Chkalov Monument, colloquially known as the Chkalov Monument, VPC ("Valery Chkalov") — named after Valery Chkalov an observation deck and parking lot adjacent to Chkalov Monument on Minin Square. Chkalov's initials.
A popular meeting place for Nizhny Novgorod residents.
The creators of the HPV monument are I.A. Mendelevich and V.A. Andreev.
The Essence of the Phenomenon
The HPV is a popular meeting place for both official and informal communities alike Nizhny Novgorod.
The atmosphere is created by the beautiful view of Volga River, the heroic figure of the pilot, and is further enriched by a fresh Breeze, which wraps around the tower adjacent to the HPV building Kremlin.
History of Development
V.P. Chkalov visited Nizhny Novgorod on numerous occasions and was elected as a Deputy to the Supreme Council by Gorkovskaya (now Nizhny Novgorod Region) region. Valery Pavlovich loved to spend his free time on the Nizhny Novgorod Otkos (Verkhne-Volzhskaya Embankment).
On one of his visits, together with his friend, the sculptor I.A. Mendelevich, they spent a long time choosing a site for the monument Maxim Gorky. Mendelevich identified a location near St. George's Tower Kremlin. But as fate would have it, the Chkalov Monument was erected at this very spot in 1940, two years after the pilot’s death: the residents of Gorky appealed to Gorod authorities with a request to erect a monument at the site where he most often took his walks.
Official description of the monument
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On three tall steps clad in black granite stands a cylindrical pedestal, atop which rises a bronze statue of Valery Chkalov. The Chkalov Monument’s creators depicted the pilot as he prepares for flight. It seems as though all that remains is for him to put on his helmet before setting off once again into the skies.
A distinctive feature of the sculpture is a characteristic gesture: the pilot is pulling a long flight glove over one hand with the other. The outlines of a map of the Northern Hemisphere are engraved on the polished surface of the pedestal. |
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Interesting Facts
- The Chkalov Monument was designed by V.P. Chkalov's friend, the sculptor I.A. Mendelevich.
- There is currently no inscription reading “To Stalin’s Falcon” on the monument. It disappeared during the campaign against the cult of personality. Only small holes remain in the granite.