Description of the attraction
M. V. Lomonosov is a world-famous Russian scientist, poet, lyricist, naturalist. His name symbolizes not only Russian science. Streets, avenues, higher educational institutions are named in honor of the great scientist. In the 40s. of the last century, the Lomonosov Museum was also opened.
The monument to Lomonosov is located near the State University, at the intersection of the University Embankment and the Mendeleevskaya Line. Mikhail Vasilyevich was at one time a student of this university, and then the rector, so this place for the installation of the monument was not chosen by chance.
In 1910, the St. Petersburg government studied the proposal of the Academy of Sciences to perpetuate the memory of Lomonosov and decided that the monument to the greatest scientist should be located on the line between the university and the Academy of Sciences. The decision that the monument should be located at the beginning of the University line was made on November 26, 1910 at a meeting of the City Duma. At the beginning of 1911, the question of choosing a location was raised again, but the city council and the Academy of Sciences did not come to a common opinion. As a result, funding for the installation of the monument from the city budget was denied. Many years later, the monument was still opened and approximately at the place where it was planned in 1911.
In 1959, the Union of Artists of the USSR announced an all-Union competition for the best design of a monument to the scientist. Since few monuments were being erected at that time, the event attracted attention. The competition, which took place in 1960, was attended by about 100 architects and sculptors. In November 1961. after two rounds of the competition, the best project was recognized by L. Torich, M. Gabe, and P. Yakimovich and architects V. Vasilkovsky and I. Fomin. They proposed a monument in the spirit of the "thaw" - the figure of a scientist in a working apron on a low pedestal had to be as close as possible to the viewer, i.e. to the people.
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which was celebrated with some delay, a granite stone was erected next to the university building with an inscription carved on it that a monument in honor of M. V. Lomonosov.
In 1979, the foundation was installed and the installation of the foundation blocks of the monument began. The work on the monument to Gabe - Torich - Yakimovich, at the suggestion of Anikushin, who had great influence after receiving the Lenin Prize, was completely mothballed. The foundation stood empty for a while, but after a while it was dismantled. The idea of creating a monument was returned only in the 80s, timed to coincide with the 275th anniversary of the birth of Lomonosov. The jury of the competition itself chose the sculptors to participate in the competition. Among them were V. Stamov, M. Anikushin and a team of three authors: G. Baghramyan, V. Rybalko, N. Gordievsky. V. Sveshnikov and B. Petrov submitted their projects to the competition as their initiative. As a result, the first place was awarded to the project of B. Petrov and V. Sveshnikov. By the anniversary date, work began on the construction of the monument. In the summer of 1986. the foundation is being rebuilt, the granite blocks of the pedestal are being mounted, and in November the work on the sculpture is being completed.
The opening of the monument took place during the magnificent celebrations in connection with the 275th anniversary of the birth of M. V. Lomonosov. November 21, 1986 The figure of the scientist is made of bronze, the pedestal is made of red granite. The height of the monument is 3 m. In general, the monument demonstrates the traditions of the classical style. The scientist is depicted sitting in a classical pose, located diagonally from the main axes of the pedestal. The scientist is depicted in an unbuttoned jacket, with a manuscript on his knees. Lomonosov is easily recognizable thanks to these very elements. His face is filled with creative thought, as if at this moment the scientist is on the verge of a new discovery. His gaze is directed towards the Neva. The monument has a simple and easy-to-read silhouette that looks good from all angles. It fits well with the perspective of the Mendeleev line and fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.
Since the opening of the monument, it has become a good tradition to congratulate freshmen on entering the university every year at the foot of the monument.
