Cherepovets is the largest city in the Vologda Oblast, as well as an important industrial center of the North-West region of Russia. It has been leading its rich and interesting history since the mid-14th century. In our article you will find photos and descriptions of the most famous sculptural monuments of Cherepovets.
Meet Cherepovets
The city is located 125 kilometers from Vologda, at the confluence of the Yagorba River in Sheksna. Almost 320 thousand people live here. It is the largest city in the Vologda Oblast, both in terms of population and territory.
Cherepovets was first mentioned in documents for 1362 in connection with the founding of the Resurrection Monastery here. Gradually, the shrine was overgrown with villages and small towns. Cherepovets received the status of the city in 1777. At that time he was famous for his fisheries. In particular, the local sterlet, which was directly delivered to the royal table, was highly valued. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Cherepovets was nicknamed “Russian Oxford” for a large number of educational institutions. The construction of the Volga-Baltic water corridor and the creation of the Rybinsk reservoir in the 30s of the last century gave a new impetus to the development of the city. Soon, Cherepovets turned into a large port, and they began to proudly call it “the city of five seas”.
Modern Cherepovets is the most important industrial center and major transport hub of the country. Today, 1, 500 enterprises operate here. The city itself is one of the ten largest industrial centers in Russia. The main sectors of the urban economy are ferrous metallurgy, the chemical complex, metalworking and the woodworking industry.
Cherepovets is famous for his people. At different times, the brothers Vereshchagins, the poet Igor Severyanin, Valery Chkalov and other outstanding personalities lived and worked here.
Monuments of the city of Cherepovets
Sculptural art is one of the oldest in the world. The history of any locality is always reflected in its monuments. And Cherepovets is no exception. Streets, parks and squares of the city are decorated with dozens of various monuments, stelae, sculptural compositions and busts. They are dedicated to a variety of personalities and historical events.
The total number of monuments in Cherepovets amounts to several dozen. The most famous of them:
- I.A. Milyutin.
- V.I. Lenin.
- Monument to the Monks Athanasius and Theodosius.
- Memorial sign "To the builders of Cherepovets".
- Monument "Continuity of generations."
- Monument to nurses.
Monument to Athanasius and Theodosius in Cherepovets
According to the legend, Cherepovets was founded by two people - the wealthy Moscow merchant Theodosius and the student of Sergius of Radonezh Athanasius. It was they who in 1362 laid the Resurrection Monastery.
The sculptural group depicting two monks is perhaps the most iconic monument of Cherepovets. It is located in the very center of the city, on the Cathedral Hill. The monument was erected here in 1992. The height of the bronze figures is four meters. The Monk Theodosius points his hand to the mountain, where he once had a vision.
Monument to I. A. Milyutin
The monument to the first mayor, Ivan Andreevich Milyutin, adorns the square in front of the new building of the city registry office. It was installed at the place where in 1907 the official was supposedly buried. Residents of Cherepovets began to collect money for the construction of the monument immediately after the death of Milyutin. But the discovery of the sculpture took place only 90 years later. Its author is the sculptor Alexander Shebunin. On the pedestal of the monument you can see a tablet with the following inscription: "To Ivan Andreevich Milyutin, the first head of Cherepovets, with repentance from his fellow citizens."
Monument to V.I. Lenin
Such a large city, like Cherepovets, could not do without an inspired and inspiring figure of the leader of the world proletariat. The monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in the city appeared quite late - in 1963 on Metallurgists Square. The author of the figure was the capital's sculptor Vitaliy Tsigal. Cherepovets Lenin looks towards the local metallurgical plant, with which the bright future of this city was once associated.
Monument "Continuity of generations"
Of course, there is a monument to metallurgists in Cherepovets. Officially, it is called "Continuity of Generations." The monument was erected in 2006 on Metallurgists Square in honor of the 50th anniversary of Severstal OJSC, the main city enterprise. 16 authors from different cities of the country took part in the competition for the best sculpture project. But the winner was the local architect Alexander Shebunin.
According to the author’s intention, the monument should convey two things to the townspeople: the continuity of generations in metallurgy and a confident look into the future. Therefore, in the central part of the monument, we see a metallurgical father and his young son walking in a helmet in that very bright future. In the background is a vertical stele, symbolizing the process of metal smelting.
The monument was cast in bronze in parts in the city of St. Petersburg. Many of the Cherepovets were puzzled by the disproportionate size and gait of the child, however, this sculptural composition has long become one of the main urban symbols.
Monument to Heroic Nurses
One of the most touching in Cherepovets is a monument to nurses. During the Great Patriotic War, the city, located in the frontline zone, turned into one large hospital. In the hottest days of the war, up to 16 echelons with wounded and evacuated people daily passed through Cherepovets.
In order to perpetuate the heroic and dedicated work of medical personnel, it was decided to erect an appropriate monument in the city. In 2014, a sculptural composition adorned the square in front of the city station. After all, it was here that the wounded from the front massively arrived. In the foreground is a nurse and a little girl with a doll in her hand, then a soldier wounded in the leg, followed by a group of refugees. The total weight of the sculptural group is 2.5 tons.
