The Tatishchev Monument () is an

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

on the banks of the Volga at

Tolyatti Tolyatti or Togliatti ( , ; , ), known before 1964 as Stavropol, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which is neither the administrative center of a federal subjects of Rus ...

. Completed in 1998, it honors

Vasily Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (sometimes spelt Tatischev; , ; 19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a statesman, historian, philosopher, and ethnographer in the Russian Empire. He is known as the author of a book on Russian history titled ''The His ...

, the founder of Tolyatti.

Vasili Tatishchev

Vasili Tatishchev (1686–1750) was a prominent Russian statesman, historian, geographer, and economist, and author of ''History of Russia Since Ancient Times'', the first major comprehensive Russian history. He founded the cities of

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places * Perm, Russia, a city in Russia **Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 ** Perm Governorate, an administr ...

and

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

and, in 1737, Stavropol-on-Volga – the city which is now Tolyatti.

The monument

The masonry pedestal uses limestone from the Shiryaevo quarry in Zhigulyovsk. The pedestal is high, the statue itself is bronze and is tall. The statue was cast in Poland and Belarus, with some of the most complex elements being cast in the Czech Republic. The monument was financed by the Spiritual Heritage fund and donations by organizations, institutions and citizens. The total cost was 14,134,451.75 rubles, with an additional 835,000 spent on improvements to the monument's surroundings. The architect was A. Kochekovsky, the chief sculptor was

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation ...

Alexander Rukavishnikov, and the project chief engineer was Mikhail Petukhov. The construction was by PSO AO Gidromontazh under the direction of B. Goritsky. The monument is in the form a miniature fortress of

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

's era - masonry walls with protruding polygonal towers. In the center sits the great statue on the gigantic pedestal. According to Rukavishnikov, during the construction some changes were made in the statue: initially it had been planned that the rider would point to the drowned city of Stavropol-on-Don, but later it was decided that it would be better for him to gesture toward the modern city of Tolyatti. The monument was officially opened on September 2, 1998 by the then mayor of Tolyatti, Sergei Zhilkin. The opening was attended by Nicholas and Mary Zhestkova, descendants of Vasili Tatishchev. The monument is located on the shores of the

Kuybyshev Reservoir Kuybyshev Reservoir or Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir () is a reservoir of the middle Volga and lower Kama in Chuvashia, Mari El Republic, Republic of Tatarstan, Samara Oblast and Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is sometimes called as Samara Reservoir an ...

, a location preferred by Rukavishnikov as a better setting than the urban area of Tolyatti. And so Tatishchev is again near the city he founded, which lies now at the bottom of the man-made lake. Although the monument was created with the people's money, it does not enjoy great popularity among the townspeople. Hooligans hang balloons on the horse periodically, and the pedestal is sometimes marred with graffiti which, from lack of resources, the authorities usually clean only when preparing the monument for some celebration. But the statue is the image most commonly associated with the city, becoming almost its official symbol, and representations of it can be seen everywhere, from tickets to cognac labels.

Notes

References

External links

Tatishchev Monument at Monuments of Tolyatti

Tatishchev Monument at Municipal Gymnasium № 39
{{in lang, ru Monuments and memorials in Tolyatti Equestrian statues in Russia Buildings and structures completed in 1998 Statues of politicians Cultural heritage monuments in Samara Oblast