Millennium of Russia, Bronze memorial in Veliky Novgorod, Russia
The Millennium of Russia is a bronze memorial inside the Novgorod Kremlin marking the foundation of the Russian state. On a bell-shaped pedestal stand 129 individual figures arranged in multiple tiers, topped by a cross-bearing orb that brings the total height to 15.7 meters (51.5 feet).
Emperor Alexander II unveiled the memorial in 1862 to mark one thousand years since the arrival of Rurik, the Viking prince credited with founding the first Russian dynasty. German forces attempted to dismantle and transport it during World War II, but the plan failed and Soviet restorers rebuilt it in 1944.
Around the massive pedestal stand statues of rulers, military figures, writers, and composers whose names mark different chapters in Russian memory. Among them are Pushkin, Lermontov, and Glinka, artists whose work continues to shape cultural life across the country.
The memorial stands openly in the courtyard of the Novgorod Kremlin and can be viewed from all sides. Daylight brings out the finer details of the bronze figures more clearly.
All 129 figures are worked with careful attention to detail so that individual faces and attributes become visible up close. The massive structure rests on sixteen granite blocks, each weighing more than 35 tons.
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