Statue of Yuriy Dolgorukiy, Moscow, Bronze equestrian statue in Tverskaya Square, Russia
The Statue of Yuriy Dolgorukiy is a bronze equestrian monument in Tverskaya Square depicting the prince in medieval armor with his right arm extended toward Moscow City Hall. The monument stands on a tall pedestal decorated with ornamental details.
The bronze statue was unveiled on 6 June 1954 on what was then Soviet Square, now Tverskaya Square. It replaced the Monument to the Soviet Constitution, which had stood there since 1918 and was blown up in 1941. The 1147 date marks Moscow's first chronicle mention, not its founding; a settlement existed at the site at least 200 years earlier. Sculptors S. M. Orlov, A. P. Antropov and N. L. Shtamm designed it, with architecture by V. S. Andreyev.
The monument bears the name of the prince who founded Moscow, and its pedestal ornaments display patterns from ancient Russian architecture and Slavic mythology. Visitors can study these details to understand the city's cultural identity.
The statue faces the Moscow Mayor's office on Tverskaya Square, with the square open around it for viewing from several sides. The bronze figure and carved pedestal band are best examined up close on foot. The square is a busy crossing point, so approach from the pedestrian areas rather than the roadway.
The dedication reads "To the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky" — sculptor Sergei Orlov fought to keep the words "from the Soviet government" off it, and won. A legend holds that Stalin, shown the model, asked why Dolgoruky sat on a mare, saying a stallion would stress the founder's masculinity; the horse was changed.
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