Bust of Mikhail Kutuzov - a bust of the great Russian commander Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov , installed in 1912 in the Heroes' Square in Smolensk .
| Bust | |
| Bust of Mikhail Kutuzov | |
|---|---|
| A country |  Russia |
| Location | Smolensk |
| Project Author | Maria Mikhailovna Strakhovskaya |
| Established | |
| Building | 1912 - 8/26/1912 |
| Status |  An object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation of federal significance. Reg. No. 671510253770006 ( EGROKN ). (Wikigid database) |
Location and appearance
A bust of Kutuzov is currently located in the eastern part of the Heroes' Memory Square. Kutuzov is depicted in a ceremonial military uniform with a sash . The bust is placed on a low one and a half meter granite pedestal . An inscription on the front of the pedestal reads: “To Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, Prince Smolensky. 1912. ”The bust is made of bronze . Around the monument is a flower garden. In front of the monument is a granite monolith with the text of Kutuzov’s appeal to the population of the Smolensk province on August 20, 1812 [1] :
 | Worthy Smolensk residents, dear compatriots! With lively enthusiasm I am announcing from everywhere about unparalleled experiences in your loyalty and devotion ... to your most beloved motherland. In your worst disasters, you show the steadfastness of the rules. The enemy could destroy your walls, turn into ruins and ashes of property, put heavy shackles on you, but he could not and will not be able to defeat and conquer your hearts. These are the Russians [2] ! |  |
History
The bust of Kutuzov was installed on funds that were collected by residents of the Smolensk province . The opening was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino , August 26, 1912 . The monument was sculpted by Maria Strakhovskaya, a graduate of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg . Initially, the bust stood on the central alley of the Heroes' Memory Square [1] .
In the 1930s, the bust was dismantled and was on display at the Museum on Sobornaya Gora , where it was exhibited along with the painting by the artist Mushketov “Napoleon in the Assumption Cathedral” [3] .
During the Great Patriotic War, the German occupiers dismantled the bust for the purpose of further export to Germany , but the Soviet troops managed to return it to Smolensk. A bust was found during clearing of railway tracks in a pile of scrap metal on the Krasnoye-Osinovka stretch on the Orsha direction in 1944 [3] . During the war, the original bronze plaque hanging on the pedestal was lost [1] .
In 1975, during the reconstruction of the Heroes' Remembrance Square, the bust was moved from the central alley to the entrance to it from the side of Dzerzhinsky Street [2] .
In 1987, opposite the bust of Kutuzov, an alley of busts of commanders of the Patriotic War of 1812 was established : Barclay de Tolly , Bagration , Dokhturov (author A.S. Sergeev ), Neverovsky (author A.N. Rusetskaya ) and Raevsky (author L.A. Elchaninova ) [1] . In 2011, a bust of General Olenin was opened there (author P. A. Fishman ) [4] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Bust of Mikhail Kutuzov (inaccessible link) on the website “Cultural Heritage of the Land of Smolensk”. Article 1
- ↑ 1 2 Bust of Mikhail Kutuzov (inaccessible link) on the website “Cultural Heritage of the Land of Smolensk”. Section 2.
- ↑ 1 2 Bust of Mikhail Kutuzov (inaccessible link) on the website “Cultural Heritage of the Land of Smolensk”. Section 3.
- ↑ Vladimir KOROLEV, Olga CHULKOVA. In Smolensk, a bust of the hero of World War II of 1812 was established. . Smolensk newspaper (August 8, 2011). Date of treatment January 8, 2012. Archived on September 8, 2012.
Literature
- “Set of monuments of architecture and monumental art of Russia. Smolensk region". Moscow, Nauka, 2001
- A. Minkin, A. Khodchenkov. "Monuments of culture of the Smolensk region." Second Edition, 1962
- A. A. Smirnov. "Monument to M. I. Kutuzov", publishing house "Moscow Worker", 1986