Obelisk in Honor of Minin and Pozharsky — a monument commemorating Kuzma Minin and Prince Pozharsky in Nizhny Novgorod. Erected in 1828 in the Kremlin in place of the originally planned monument. Designed by architect A.I. Melnikov, with bas-reliefs created from sketches by I.P. Martos.
History
In 1794, historian N. Ilyinsky arrived in Nizhny Novgorod to gather information about Kuzma Minin. Finding neither "a monument nor an inscription" over the hero's grave, he proposed erecting one. From 1804, I.P. Martos began work on a sculptural composition. Upon completion of the sketches, a public fundraising campaign was announced in Nizhny Novgorod Governorate in the spring of 1809.
By 1811, 18,000 rubles had been collected, but on 15 February of that same year the Committee of Ministers decided to erect the monument in Moscow.
The monument in Moscow is currently under threat of destruction. It has been taken under the protection of UNESCO. Water had been eroding the monument from within for many decades.
On 20 February 1818 the monument was installed in the center of Red Square, and a year later the Academy of Arts announced a competition for an obelisk with bas-reliefs for Nizhny Novgorod. The design by A.I. Melnikov and I.P. Martos won. A.A. Betancourt proposed placing it in the center of the Kremlin parade ground, but in 1825 it was decided to erect the obelisk on the same axis as the military Uspensky Cathedral. On 15 August 1828, following a military parade of the Nizhny Novgorod Garrison, the obelisk was unveiled.
Technology
The obelisk is composed of 15 granite "pieces" quarried in Karelian quarries, while the bas-reliefs based on Martos's sketches were cast in the workshop of the Academy of Arts. In 1827 the granite was delivered to Nizhny Novgorod, but during unloading the top of the obelisk broke off. To finish and install it, Martos and Melnikov arrived in N. Novgorod in 1828 with stonecutters. The shaft of the obelisk was shortened by 2 meters. The broken-off section was secured with a metal pin and the seams were polished smooth.
Interesting Facts
- The obelisk is one of four monuments in Nizhny Novgorod dedicated to Kuzma Minin, and one of two monuments in the city dedicated to Minin and Pozharsky (alongside a replica of the Minin and Pozharsky monument by Tsereteli).
- The polished seam on the obelisk became visible again after some time and can now be easily observed.
- A famous riddle about the monument: "Which of them (Kuzma Minin and Prince Pozharsky) is wearing bast shoes, and which is wearing boots?" Answer: both are barefoot.