Памятник В.О. Ключевскому, Bronze statue in Penza, Russia
This monument to a major Russian historian stands on Plekhanov Street in front of a culture and arts institution in Penza. The bronze figure depicts him holding a book while standing upright.
Vasily Klyuchevsky (1841–1911), a Penza-region native and academician of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences, is honoured by one of only two monuments to him worldwide. The bronze statue by sculptor Valery Kuznetsov was unveiled on 11 October 2008 before the Penza College of Culture and Arts. Governor Vasily Bochkaryov, State Duma deputy Mikhail Pitkevich and pupils of the Voскресеновка school bearing his name attended.
The monument honors a historian whose writings shaped how Russians understand their own past and remain widely read today. Its placement near an arts and culture institution reflects the educational mission tied to his legacy.
The site is freely accessible year-round and sits directly on a street with good visibility. Visitors can view it at any time without advance notice or special arrangements.
It is one of only two monuments to Vasily Klyuchevsky in Russia and the world, the other being a bust in his native village of Voskresenovka, Penza Oblast. In 2011, for the 170th anniversary of his birth, Russian Post issued a postcard showing this sculpture by Valery Kuznetsov.
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