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Monument to the Millenium of Russia

Erected in 1862 in the heart of the Kremlin to celebrate the Russian State's first thousand years, it commemorates Veliky Novgorod's important role and its impact in the creation of the Russian state and in Russian culture. Many major events and historic figures in Russian history are shown. The monument is crowned by the figure of a woman, symbolizing Russia, kneeling before an angel who is giving her its blessing.

The idea of opening the monument «Millennium of Russia» belonged to the governmental circles in Saint-Petersburg and was supported by the historians who saw Novgorod as a craddle of Russian statehood. Also convenient were the city's closeness to Saint-Petersburg, the loyalty of its population and the fact that it retained the status of the oldest religious centre of the country.

In the upper part of Monument to the Millenium of Russia, an angel symbolizing Orthodox religion is blessing a kneeling woman which is Russia.

The second register consists of six sculptural groups, each representing one of the stages in Russian statehood development - from Prince Rurik on the southern side of the monument to Peter the Great on the northern side.

The high relief row in the lower part shows compressed complete history of Russia. 109 figures of the frieze were approved by the tzar and, therefore, demonstrate certain «double standard» - representatives of the oppressing and democratic tendencies suddenly became neighbours. Some of them are true portraits, such as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander I, commanders A.Souvorov and M.Kutuzov, great Russian poets A.Pushkin and M.Lermontov. Others are actually made-up but still quite convincing images of historical characters of the 9th-17th cc. - chronicler Nestor, monk Maxim the Greek, fighter for the independence of Novgorod Marpha Posadnitsa, conqueror of Siberia Ermak, and many more. Others still are purely imaginary, collective images of friends and enemies of Russia of various epochs.

The fate of the monument is significant. During the World War II, when Novgorod was occupied by the Nazis, the fascists stretched a narrow railroad inside the mostly destroyed Kremlin, and dismantled figures and reliefs of the monument were about to be taken to Germany. The monument then would have been re-erected in Berlin as a symbol of defeated and subdued Russia. However, Soviet Army freed the city, and after restoration was over, the Monument «Millennium of Russia» was returned to Novgorod. The event was recorded on a film and taken as a definite presage of the Grand Victory.