Description of the attraction
The monument to Tsar Alexander III was erected in honor of the completion of the construction of the Great Siberian Railway, which connected the eastern outskirts with the center of the country. Alexander III has long been considered the patron saint of Siberian construction.
In 1902, an All-Russian competition for the erection of a memorial monument was announced in Irkutsk. Bronze figure of Alexander III on a large granite pedestal, the author of which was the sculptor R. R. Bach, became the best and won the competition. The grand opening of the monument took place in August 1908.
The dark bronze statue was cast by metallurgists from St. Petersburg. Alexander III was presented not in royal attire, but in wide trousers and in the ataman uniform of Siberian Cossacks. On three sides of the monument, you can see bronze sculptural portraits of famous historical figures who left a noticeable mark on the formation and development of Siberia - the conqueror of Siberia Ermak, Governor-General M. Speransky and Governor-General N. Muravyov, on the fourth side there is a two-headed eagle holding in the beak issued a decree on the beginning of the construction of the Transsib.
The figure of the emperor stood until 1920. After the monument was removed, only the pedestal remained as a highly artistic part. The statue, disassembled in parts, stood for several years in the courtyard of the city museum. After some time, the monument was reconstructed according to the project of the architect V. Shmatkov. Then the pyramidal concrete spire was completed and the monument was named as the Monument to the Discoverers of Siberia.
In the early 1990s. the idea of recreating a memorial monument to Alexander III was born. In April 2002, the Irkutsk city executive committee decided to restore the monument to the emperor. The bronze sculpture was recreated and cast in St. Petersburg according to the project of the sculptor A. Charkin. In October 2003, the tsar's figure was solemnly returned to the granite pedestal. The total height of the monument is 13.45 m.
