Monument Cherepanov, Russian engineers, inventors, builders of the first steam locomotive in Russia, - This is the most famous monument of Nizhny Tagil.It was erected on the central square by the decision of the USSR Council of People's Commissars (August 22, 1945). And the opening itself took place on November 4, 1956. The monument cost the city 251 thousand "old" rubles. In this article we will look at some facts about the monument Cherepanov (Nizhny Tagil).
The author's idea
The work on the creation of the monument was entrusted to the sculptorA. S. Kondratiev. He began with a study of the life and life of the Cherepanovs. Soon the author formed the basic concept of the monument. The seated figure in the face of the father E. A. Cherepanova personified the power of Russian antiquity, which comes as if from the very earth itself. In the hands of Yefim Aleksemovich there is a scroll, and his face is turned to his son. Thus, he calls the younger generation to finally solve the technical problem that has arisen. And the standing figure of the son - Miron Efimovich - expresses the strength of spirit, perseverance, calmness and confidence. It is quite clear that he will solve the problem that has appeared. That, according to Kondratieff, should be seen by people who look at the monument to Cherepanov (Nizhny Tagil).
Reality mismatch
It is worth noting that the author of the sculpture, apparentlywas full of romanticism and did not fully delve into the biographies of the heroes of his monument. If he had done this, then the monument to Cherepanov would have turned out quite different. According to Lyubimov (the manager of the house of steam engine builders), Efim Alekseevich was only considered literate. In fact, he did not even learn to really read by the age of thirty. The only book he mastered is the Psalter. Also Cherepanov Sr. could not write. The maximum that he was capable of - sign on the statements.
Subsequently, the number of books he readincreased. But, according to contemporaries, he did it with great reluctance. His son Miron was engaged in translation and writing of texts, and the nephew by the name of Ammos was engaged in drawings. So in the scene captured by the sculptor, Efim Alekseevich, most likely, asks his son to read him a scroll.
"Two Jew"
That is how the monument to the people of Cherepanov was nicknamedafter opening it. The thing is that on a solemn day the first snow fell, decorating the heads of the son and father with white yarmulks. But then tagilchanam fell in love with the monument of steam engine building pioneers, and they began to call the monument simply - “Cherepanovs” or “Skulls”.
Two interesting facts are connected with the construction. Over time, they became urban legends.
Fact one: persons
Young people are unlikely to notice this feature.But representatives of the older generation, upon careful consideration of the monument, have vague guesses: somewhere they have already seen these faces. At least twice a year.
To understand why this is happening, it is necessaryrefer to the story. In those distant times, members of the Union of Artists earned mostly by making sculptures and busts of religious characters. Of course, the main ones were the theorists of scientific communism - Engels, Marx and Lenin. In this regard, the sculptor Kondratyev, who created the monument to Cherepanov, was no exception. Either he decided not to bother himself with the work on the portraits of his son and father, or the routine left a certain imprint, but Miron is very similar to Marx, and his father - to Engels.
Fact two: the legend of compasses
This story is about a drawing tool thatshould have been in the hand of Miron Efimovich. By the way, the monument to Cherepanov (Nizhny Tagil) is connected by a historical thread with another famous building - a monument in honor of N. N. Demidov. And unites them is nothing like a compass.
It all started in 1830, when the sons of Demidovdecided to build a monument to him. Seven years later, their order was ready. The monument was erected in 1837 next to the still unfinished Vyiska-Nikolsky church. There was the tomb of the Demidovs. After some time, Nizhny Tagil visited Alexander II and ordered that the monument be transferred to the main square.
The monument turned out to be impressive.On the marble pedestal there were two figures: Demidov, dressed in the court caftan, extended a hand to the kneeling woman in an ancient Greek costume and crown. Below the central pair in the corners were four bronze groups depicting different periods in the life of an industrialist: a disciple, an enlightener, a protector, and a patron.
Спустя несколько лет приказчик Белов обнаружил theft of some elements of the monument. From the sculptural group, where Demidov was depicted as a student, the compasses and the book disappeared. The clerk informed the owners, and the necessary items were quickly restored at the factory. But after two months the story repeated. With fright, Belov dismissed rumors that freemasons appeared in the village. Who else could so brazenly steal a book and a compass from a monument in front of the watchmen of the dam, the temple and the plant management? Only masons ...
To prevent further lootingmonument, the manager ordered to twist with the design of all the small parts, and then pass them to the warehouse according to the inventory. In 1891, the Gorno-Zavod Museum opened, and all the elements from the Demidov monument were transferred to its exposition. As a result, only the sign of Mercury has reached our days. Well, the building itself was waiting for the unenviable fate. In 1919, after the end of the revolution, the monument to Demidov, along with four allegories, was sent to Moscow to be melted down.
History repeats itself
In 1956, the monument was opened Cherepanov(Nizhny Tagil), the description of which is presented above. According to the project, the hand of Miron Efimovich could not be cast together with the compass. Therefore, this drawing tool was made separately, and then attached with a bolt. The photographs of the monument on the opening day and ten days after the compasses were in hand. But two weeks later, mysteriously disappeared. Did the masons really take part in this?
City officials asked manufacturers to makesome more compasses. But within 2-3 years and this stock was used. The city executive committee was fed up with the mania of the townspeople, they decided to forget about the compass. So the monument and stood without this drawing tool until our days.
In the middle of the zero, Nikolay Didenko (mayor) decidedto restore the monument to Cherepanov (Nizhny Tagil), whose history is known to almost every resident of the city. Knowing the fellow countrymen for the bronze compasses, he ordered as much as five pieces in reserve. But after the restoration, the monument was put in place, the story was taken off for news and the drawing tool was twisted, deciding not to tempt lovers of non-ferrous metals. As a result, Miron Efimovich was left without a compass. Most of the residents did not know anything about the drawing tool, so this item went into the category of urban legends.
