Description of the attraction
Monument "Eagle" is located in the Novgorod region in the town of Staraya Russa, at the intersection of Volodarsky and Mineralnaya streets. Made in a strict style in the form of a five-meter granite obelisk with a stepped base. At the bottom, the staircase begins with two gray granite low steps and ends with two pink granite steps, higher but smaller in area. Next is a pedestal with a plaque made of unpolished granite with horizontal projections. The pedestal and obelisk have a four-sided shape. On the obelisk, at the very top, there is a ball made of bronze. The monument is completed by the figure of an eagle with widely spread wings.
The history of the monument is connected with the history of the Vilmanstrand 86th Infantry Regiment. The monument immortalized the memory of the infantrymen who died heroically in 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War. In August of that year, near the city of Liaoyang, which was located on the territory of Manchuria in China, there were bloody battles. The 86th Wilmanstrand Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 22nd Novgorod Infantry Division, also arrived at its destination. Heavy fighting took place in the area of the Shakhe River, the Khodyabey position and the Yandyly Pass. The warriors of the Wilmanstrand regiment heroically repelled enemy attacks. Almost no one returned alive after these battles.
However, the history of this regiment began much earlier than the Russian-Japanese war. In the summer of 1806, Major General Gerard formed the Wilmanstrand regiment in Tver. At first, it consisted of one company of grenadiers and three companies of musketeers of the Ufa regiment, then more recruits entered it. The Wilmanstrand Infantry Regiment, which received its name in 1816, went through six wars. Among them: two Russian-French wars (1806-1807 and the war of 1812) and the war with the Swedes (1808-1809). They bravely withstood the Eastern War (1853-1856), the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and the First World War. Only in 1918 the glorious and valiant path of this regiment ended.
The war with the French in 1806 took place under the command of Lieutenant General Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky. During the war with Finland, the soldiers of the regiment captured the Swedish king and took another two hundred prisoners of war. During the Swedish War, the valiant warriors repelled an attack by 1,100 Swedish soldiers. During the war of 1812, the regiment took an active part in the battles of Smolensk and in the Battle of Borodino under the command of Lieutenant General Tuchkov. During the Crimean War, the regiment bravely defended in the north of the Gulf of Finland and Sveaborg, repelling enemy bombed attacks. In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, many soldiers of the regiment were killed in battles, 700 people were injured. For their exploits, two second lieutenants received awards: the Order of St. George the Victorious, 4th degree.
The history of this regiment is closely connected with the city of Staraya Russa. This is the place from where soldiers and officers went to the front. Today, the Staroruspribor plant is located on the territory of the Red Barracks, the location of this regiment.
In 1913, on October 25, in front of the building of the Red Barracks, during a solemn ceremony and a prayer service, the foundation of a new monument was laid. Construction work began immediately after the foundation was laid. The commander of the Wilmanstrand regiment V. Kruglevsky initiated the creation of the monument. It is known that Emperor Nicholas II himself took part in the construction, giving the amount missing for its construction. Fixed assets were collected by city dwellers and patrons of the arts.
The author of the project and the head of construction work was appointed V. P. Martynov, who was a technician-builder of the regiment. However, he did not succeed in completing the work he had begun, since in 1914 he was sent to the front. The management of the unfinished construction was entrusted to I. N. Witenberg, who worked as a cemetery master. The monument was opened in 1913.
During the Great Patriotic War, the monument suffered some destruction. It was restored in 1953.
