Description of the attraction
The Panorama of the Defense of Sevastopol is the most interesting museum object of a large memorial complex dedicated to the heroic defense of this city from allied troops in 1854-55 during the Crimean War … Despite the fact that it was created more than a hundred years ago, it is a bright and spectacular museum that impresses with its realism.
Defense of Sevastopol
The siege of Sevastopol by the allies with numerous assault attempts lasted 349 days. During this time, many military feats were accomplished, which are still preserved in the memory of people. The fortitude of the city's defenders was unparalleled. Led the defense admirals V. Kornilov and P. Nakhimov.
The main battles unfolded for the dominant height over the city Malakhov Kurgan … On June 6, 1855, one of the brightest episodes of the assault happened, when the Russian army managed to repel the attack of the enemy, who was more than twice outnumbered and better armed - this is the episode that the museum's exposition is devoted to.
Sevastopol fell only after the fortifications of the Malakhov Kurgan were almost completely destroyed - this happened already in the early autumn of 1855.
Franz Roubaud and the creation of the panorama
Franz Alekseevich Roubaud came from a French family that had once settled in Russia. He studied painting in Odessa and then in Munich. Roubaud immediately began his career as a battle painter. In the last third of the 19th century, it was a popular genre: there was a public demand for huge monumental canvases that conveyed the course of historical events with photographic accuracy and allowed the viewer to be present at them, as it were. The first paintings of the young battle-painter were dedicated to the events of the war with Persia in 1804-1813, then he painted many paintings about the Caucasian wars for the Tiflis Museum "Temple of Glory".
At the beginning of the 20th century, Roubaud received an order for a grandiose canvas dedicated to the defense of Sevastopol. In 1905, the 50th anniversary of this event was celebrated. A memorial complex was conceived on the Malakhov Kurgan. The new painting was to become the pearl of this complex.
Having received the order, F. Roubaud went to Sevastopol, to study the places of events that he had to portray. He made numerous sketches, communicated with still living participants in the events. Some scenes for him were specially staged by local residents dressed in appropriate uniforms. For this, several platoons of soldiers were allocated. In total, Roubaud made several dozen sketches and sketches. A year after starting work on the painting, the artist presented her sketch. The plot was chosen heroic day 6 June 1855 … The sketch was made in ink on a 11-meter paper tape and exhibited in the Winter Palace. Approved it, including personally Nicholas II … The main work on the canvas was already carried out in Munich over the next three years.
A special pavilion was built near Munich. The huge and durable canvas for the painting was woven at Mommen's Dutch factory. Of course, the artist did not work alone - work on such canvases in general is always done collectively. Roubaud was helped by artists Karl Frosch, L. Schenchen, Oscar Merteas well as several Bavarian students from the Academy of Arts. The diameter of the pavilion was thirty-six meters. The canvas was stretched over strong iron rings, and rails were arranged along the perimeter, on which it was possible to move the platforms for work.
Transportation of the painting the place where she was to be was also not easy. She was transported on two railway platforms, wound on a fifteen-meter shaft, and the whole carriage was occupied not by picturesque, but by subject parts of the panorama. All this together weighed more than ten tons.
Already after the installation of the picture, the commissions sent from St. Petersburg arose to the author ideological issues … For example, the painting depicted the admiral P. Nakhimov, but the commander-in-chief was not depicted. Russian troops then commanded M. Gorchakov … Despite the fact that on the day of the attack on Malakhov Kurgan on June 6, M. Gorchakov was not in this place, they demanded to depict him. Negotiations on the acceptance of the painting were going on with several commissions, but in the end it was nevertheless accepted - by the fourth commission in May 1905. The painting hung quietly until 1909, and then Nicholas II wished to see it. The canvas was brought to St. Petersburg. Again the question arose about P. Nakhimov. The fact is that despite the fact that P. Nakhimov was a hero of defense, he allowed himself to criticize the decisions of the commander-in-chief, was distinguished by his willful character, spoke out quite sharply - and therefore was completely unfit for the key characters of the picture. As a result, the figure of the admiral was still covered with a cloud of smoke. The painting returned to Sevastopol in an edited form.
Saving the panorama during the war
In the 1920s, it turned out that the Panorama needed restoration. A former student of Franz Roubaud was engaged in it - an artist M. B. Grekov … Roubaud himself was still alive, but since 1912 he moved to live in Germany, and he did not want to return to the USSR to restore his picture. Mikhail B. Grekov carried out the restoration in 1926. During the restoration, the painting was returned to its original appearance and the figure of Nakhimov was restored.
In 1941-42. Sevastopol again became the arena of fierce hostilities. Malakhov Kurgan was subjected to continuous bombing and almost all the objects of the memorial complex in 1905 were destroyed. The question arose about the evacuation of a huge painting, and the evacuation had to be as careful as possible, because in forty years the best Dutch canvas had become dilapidated, and the colors, despite the restoration, began to crumble. While they were looking for ways to take the canvas out of the besieged city, a bomb hit the Panorama building and the picture lit up. Several officers of the Red Navy heroically carried out the fragments of the Panorama that they managed to save from the fire. A total of 86 fragments were saved. The next night they sailed on the destroyer Tashkent to evacuate - this was the last ship to leave the city under continuous German bombardment.
In the post-war years, a huge amount of work was done to recreate the canvas. It was impossible to restore the picture in its original form - too many fragments were lost. A whole group of restorers was organized, led by the academician V. N. Yakovlev … It included N. Kotov, V. Korzhevsky, N. Solomin, and others. They again had to turn to military consultants to restore the lost parts. A detailed plan of all the buildings of the Malakhov Kurgan was created on the day of the summer assault, all the old photographs of both the Panorama itself and just the city, taken after the city was surrendered, were raised. The consultations were carried out by I. Isakov and A. Kuzmin. The non-picturesque, three-dimensional plan was completely lost - it had to be recreated. It was originally made of clay, so it was dusty and dirty. A new refractory material was created on the basis of glue and plaster.
More than a ton of glue and paint went to one primer on a huge new canvas. Young artists were not bound by ideological pressure, so they added to the picture a number of new everyday episodes dedicated to ordinary soldiers. New Panorama was inaugurated in October 1954.
Panorama building
The building itself was built in 1901-1904. in place the former 4th bastion … It is a round neoclassical building with wide staircases on the sides. Special niches were made in the walls for the busts of the heroes of the defense. It is built on project F.-O. Enberg and is unique - this is the first building of its kind in Russia. F.-O. Enberg, a military engineer, also took part in the design of the Monument to the Scuttled Ships in Grafskaya Bay.
The building was restored in the post-war years according to the project architect V. P. Petropavlovsky … It was slightly altered - for example, a basement was added to it. If earlier the panorama was cold, now air conditioning systems were installed here, and the walls and roof were built with insulation. The building was completed in 1954, but was not fully decorated. The reconstructed busts of the heroes of the defense appeared here only in 1974.
Currently
The museum is not limited to the Panorama itself with an observation deck. Here you can see drawings and sketches by F. Roubaud … A separate exposition is devoted to the process of restoration of the great canvas in the Soviet years; there are many exhibits dedicated to the Crimean War.
In front of the Panorama building there is Historical park … It contains several 19th century guns in fortifications recreated from concrete, as well as a small exhibition of anchors. The park is decorated with several monuments. There is a monument to the author of "Sevastopol Stories" Leo Tolstoy - he served exactly on the 4th bastion, there is a monument to the engineer E. Totleben, the author of all the fortifications of Sevastopol. A separate memorial sign is dedicated to all the soldiers, defenders of the 4th bastion.
The park now has amusement rides - for example, sight wheel, from the height of which you can photograph the round building of the Panorama.
Franz Roubaud's granddaughter lives in Germany. She also became an artist and wrote prefaces to several museum editions of her grandfather's work.
On a note:
- Location: Sevastopol, Historical Boulevard, 1.
- How to get there: Trolleybuses No. 1, 3, 4, 7, 9 to the stop. pl. Ushakov; No. 12, 13, 17, 20 to bus stops pl. Ushakova / University. Route taxis and buses: No. 2a, 12, 17, 20, 22, 25, 26, 94, 95, 105, 120. On the route from the city center - stop pl. Ushakova, University; to the city center - stop Panorama.
- Official website:
- Working hours: from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Monday.
- Ticket prices: adults - 200 rubles, schoolchildren - 100 rubles.
