Novosibirsk. Monument to Alexander III: description, history, disputes

The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was initiated by Emperor Alexander III. During the reign of this representative of the Romanovs' house, the length and number of railways in the country doubled. The descendants placed several monuments to the tsar in gratitude for the development of roads, and along with them the entire economy, but these gestures happened before the revolution. In 2012, it was decided to resume historical justice, and the first was done by Novosibirsk. Monument to Alexander III was placed in the most honorable place, where it can be visited by townspeople, and the autocrat with pride glances over the city.

Pride of Siberia

The beginning of Novosibirsk was laid in the plans for the construction of the Great Siberian Highway in 1893. The place for the city was chosen as the bank of the Ob River near the village of Krivoshchekino. In this place it was necessary to build a bridge for the unobstructed movement of trains traveling from the center of the country to the Far East. The case quickly bore down, and not only was the bridge erected, but the working settlement, Novonikolaevsk, also grew up.

Completion of the construction of the bridge served as an impetus to the development of the village. By 1897, on the banks of the Ob River, a pier, a railway station, a sawmill was built, and the city became a trans-shipment point, a major trading center of the rich Siberia. After the devastating fire, from 1909 to 1912, only stone buildings began to be erected in the city, and, taking into account all the benefits of civilization, they were equipped with steam heating and sewerage.

The revolutionary events in the country were not spared by Novonikolaevsk, hence destinies began to take place, and so from 1925 the city received a new name, not associated with the royal family, Novosibirsk. The monument to Alexander III appeared here not accidentally. It took a long time after the decree on the construction of the road, the Soviet power was already over, and the road that connected the country together continues to function.

The capital of Siberia is Novosibirsk

The monument to Alexander III became a gift of railwaymen in honor of the City Day. The author of the project is the sculptor Sh. Sherbakov Salavat Alexandrovich. The initiator of the installation of the monument and the sponsor of its implementation was RZhD. The opening occurred on the eve of the City Day, at midnight. Accompanying the event was the victorious overture by the composer PI Tchaikovsky "1812" and cannon volleys. At the ceremony was invited one of the descendants of the king - his great-grandson Pavel Kulikovsky.

Location:

The end point of the Trans-Siberian Railway was Novosibirsk. Monument to Alexander III was erected in the most popular city park - "Urban Beginning", which is located on the picturesque embankment of the Ob River. By location, the monument facing the city, behind it is the farm of the old bridge, once connecting the banks of the river.

The monument to Alexander III (Novosibirsk) has a height of five meters, made by the method of bronze casting. The granite pedestal on which it is installed is eight meters high. On its title part the rescript of Alexander III is shown to his heir, Nicholas II, where the decree on the order was written to begin construction of the railway track across the whole of Siberia. Above the commemorative inscription on the dedication of the monument to the sovereign, on a pedestal, the emblem of Russia is depicted.

Other monuments

Monument to Emperor Alexander III in Novosibirsk is the third of the established in honor of the development of the railway communication of Russia. The first one appeared in Irkutsk. The monument was designed in 1902, and the opening took place in 1908. The figure of the king was cast in bronze in the image of the ataman of Siberian Cossacks.

Another monument to Alexander III, in gratitude for the beginning of the construction of the Transsib, was erected in 1909 in St. Petersburg on the initiative of the monarch's family. In 1937, the monument was dismantled and sent to the Russian Museum for preservation. For public access, it was again opened in 1994 in front of the entrance to the Marble Palace (formerly the Lenin Museum).

Controversial issue

Disputes about who did more for the development of the railways of Siberia, do not cease. Many believe that the great merit in this field belongs to Nicholas II, because it was in his time was formed by Novosibirsk. The monument to Alexander III appeared in the series of already existing sculptures to the czar-innovator, continuing the tradition of honoring the emperor, who started the construction of the railroad track not only in the European part of the country.

To date, the last point where the monument to the emperor was installed, was Novosibirsk. Monument to Alexander III, a photo of which flew all local and national media, may be the beginning of the next wave of gratitude to all "guardians of the Russian land."