The monument to Karamzin in Ulyanovsk is erected in honor of Russian writers and historians. The author of the monument is Galberg Samuil Ivanovich, a talented sculptor. The memory of the great writer in the form of a monument was left at the request of the poet's brothers. Karamzin often lived in Simbirsk from autumn to spring in a private mansion located on the Old Crown. The writer made an invaluable contribution to Russian literature.
History of the monument
The history of the monument to Karamzin in Ulyanovsk dates back to 1833, when the governor Zagryazhsky filed a petition to Tsar Nikolai the First on the creation of the monument to the writer on June 13. The document was signed by the 38th noblemen of Simbirsk.
The emperor granted the request. We needed funds for the construction of the monument. The first contributions were made by the brothers and nobles who signed the petition. Soon all the money was collected, but the question arose about the appearance of the monument.
Monument Creation
The dispute was put to an end by the king. Nikolai the First arrived in Simbirsk in August 1836. The emperor personally indicated the place and gave the name of the one who will be involved in the creation of the monument. So, the monument to Karamzin in Ulyanovsk (in those days the city was called Simbirsk) was entrusted to Professor Halberg.
The monument was to be installed between the city magistrate and the gymnasium, next to the fence of the Spassky Monastery. Halberg was given three years to work. According to plans, the monument was to be surrounded by golden bas-reliefs.
Funds for many materials were allocated from the treasury. But the professor began to work only two years later. He died in May 1839, never having had time to complete his masterpiece. The students had to finish the monument with the professor.
Description
The monument to Karamzin in Ulyanovsk was created in the spirit of those times, made in the style of classicism. On a pedestal stands a statue of Clio, the muse of history. In her right hand are the tablets, the altar of immortality. This is the main book of Karamzin. In the left hand of the muse is a trumpet, with the help of which she broadcasts about Russian life.
A small niche in which the bust of the writer is located is hollowed out in the monument. The pedestal of the monument is decorated with high reliefs. In the north, N. M. Karamzin himself is depicted, reading an excerpt from his work in the presence of the emperor and his sister. In another high relief, the writer is depicted on the deathbed, which is surrounded by the poet's family.
All figures are imprinted in antique robes. An inscription on to whom the monument is dedicated was cast in brass letters on a pedestal. Its height is 8.52 meters, at the pedestal - 4.97 m, at the statue of Klio - 3.55 m. The pedestal of the monument is made of red granite, brought from Finland. This part of the monument was made in St. Petersburg by the sculptor Anisimov.
A bust of Karamzin, high reliefs and a statue of Clio are cast in bronze at the Academy of Arts. Professor Klodt supervised the work. All the details of the monument were brought to Simbirsk in 1844 with great difficulties, and preparatory work took place next spring.
At the opening of the monument on August 28, 1945, the nobility, merchants, pupils of the theological seminary and gymnasium gathered in the cathedral. Many townspeople came. After the requiem, they all went to the square where a monument was erected and opened. The writer himself did not assume that he would be immortalized for his works.
Karamzin was very fond of Walter Scott's novels. The writer really wanted to put a monument to him in the garden of his own house. It turned out that Karamzin himself became no less beloved writer.
Further arrangement and description of the monument to Karamzin in Ulyanovsk
At first, as soon as the monument was erected, it was surrounded by a wooden grill. In 1855, the widow of Karamzin's eldest son, Aurora Karpovna, set about arranging the monument.
At her request, the wooden grate was removed and a metal one set up richly decorated with gilded copper finishes. In 1866, there was a big fire in Simbirsk, and the area around the monument after restoration began to please the eye with a green square. And a new cast-iron grate appeared on the stone foundation.
