Памятник Александру II, Bronze monument in Sursky District, Russia.
The monument to Alexander II in Beliy Klyuch stands on Church Hill, between two large trees that date from the time of the original memorial. Its bronze figure is 2.2 metres tall, and with the pedestal the whole structure reaches about six metres. The pedestal bears the inscription "To the Liberator and Benefactor Alexander II" and a double-headed eagle is fixed at the foot of the monument.
In 1887 the village headman Yefim Ivanov Somov and local peasants funded a pedestal, and the sculpture was commissioned from the St Petersburg architect Robert Marfeld; Alexander III approved the project in 1888. The monument was unveiled on 18 August 1898, with a cast-iron figure on a marble pedestal. After the February Revolution of 1917 it was dismantled and the figure disappeared; the pedestal remains were destroyed in the late 1960s–early 1970s. A bronze reconstruction based on Marfeld's surviving design was unveiled on 19 February 2011.
The monument reflects the artistic traditions of late 19th-century Russian sculpture and shows how Alexander II was remembered in local memory culture. The bronze figure and granite base represent how important figures were honored in this period.
The monument is located at coordinates 54.434501, 46.839015 and can be reached via the main road network of Sursky District. Visitors should expect conditions typical of an outdoor memorial exposed to all seasons throughout the year.
The original 1898 statue was pulled down after the February Revolution of 1917 and the emperor's figure disappeared; the pedestal remnants were buried in the ground around 1960–70. The present bronze figure, cast by sculptor Denis Stritovich's Moscow workshop, was unveiled on 19 February 2011, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom.
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