Novgorod University Explains How Restoring Russia's Millennium Preceded Victory

An open lecture was held at the Humanitarian Institute of Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise, where students and city residents were told the story of the restoration of the legendary monument "Millennium of Russia" after its destruction during the Great Patriotic War. Specialists from the regional State Archive, referring to documentary sources, not only told about the feat of the restorers, but also emphasized its significance. Let us recall: the enormous, overwhelming work of restoring the symbol of Russian statehood took less than six months.

Although the lecture was devoted to the "second birth" of the monument, the head of the department for the use of documents of the State Archive of the Novgorod Region, Ekaterina Mikhailova, began the story with how the masterpiece of Mikhail Mikeshin and Ivan Shreder appeared in the center of the Novgorod Kremlin. Many are perplexed: why did Novgorod, almost completely destroyed, unsuitable for living and having lost all its residents, begin to be restored from the monument? One of the answers lies in the pre-war history of the sculpture - in individual facts that testify to the people's love for the monument.

Perhaps everyone knows that by decree of Emperor Alexander II, the images of those people who strengthened and glorified the greatness of Russia with their deeds were imprinted in the bronze of the Millennium monument. There are rulers, military heroes, scientists, artists, poets... But it is not so well known that the money for the construction of the monument came not only from the treasury, but also from public donations (and they amounted to about 150 thousand rubles). Old coins were used for the bronze for the parts. So, one can say that the monument was literally cast from money.

It is also important that the sculpture was saved from the "repressions" of the new Soviet era. When any other legacy of the "tsarist regime" was unceremoniously destroyed, the "Millennium of Russia" was hidden from view under a large wooden tribune.

The enemy troops that entered Novgorod, as Deputy Director of GANO Boris ZORIN explained, were divided into two categories. The first was made up of ordinary soldiers, including the Spanish Blue Division. They acted barbarously: they robbed, destroyed, and mocked monuments and shrines. At the same time, there was a special working group "Osterland" of more experienced German soldiers, which took historical and cultural valuables out of Russia.

Of course, the same fate awaited the central sculpture of the city. Perhaps even more terrible: according to one version, the Germans had an idea to make their own sculpture on the basis of our monument, symbolizing the victory of the Nazis. However, they only managed to destroy the "Millennium of Russia", the robbers managed to take away small parts - swords, shields, books, even hands ... Disarmed, desecrated and defenseless figures were left lying around the bare pedestal. In that place, they were discovered with horror by the liberators of Novgorod, who entered the deserted city in January 1944. Already in April, a decision was made to restore the monument as soon as possible.

"Since Novgorod was then part of the Leningrad Region, the Committee for Architecture under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Executive Committee of the Leningrad Regional Council of Workers' Deputies decided to restore the monument as soon as possible. However, several more months passed before work began. At first, the work was assigned to the Military Construction Directorate, but they refused: there were no restorers. As a result, at a meeting of the Leningrad Regional Executive Committee on June 21, 1944, a high-ranking NKVD officer, the head of the North-West Directorate of the Main Directorate of Airfield Construction of the NKVD of the USSR Vasily Tikhanovsky, was appointed responsible," said Boris Zorin.

Work began in July. The monument was restored by builders S. V. Tikhanovich, A. B. Granat, S. I. Steinberg, L. N. Rotinyan, N. I. Lozovsky, A. S. Davydkin, N. N. Zelenkov, A. E. Titov under the supervision of architect V. F. Zakharov and artist-restorer N. A. Chernyshev. Here it is appropriate to recall the succinct description given to them by Novgorod historian Viktor Smirnov : they were "eight hungry and cold workers who took a personal obligation to finish the work by the 27th anniversary of the October Revolution."

According to the same historian, the figures weighing over 2.5 tons were raised to a height of about 10 meters. The monument was surrounded by scaffolding, on which an inclined flooring was placed, and on it – rails (the Germans managed to build a narrow-gauge railway directly to the Kremlin, along which they planned to take the figures away). With the help of a winch, trolleys loaded with bronze guardians of Russian statehood were pulled upward by God knows what forces. By November 1, the monument appeared in its original form, and on November 2, 1944, solemnly, surrounded by a jubilant crowd, the sculpture celebrated its “second birthday” and was reopened.

"The decision to restore the monument, this symbol of statehood, was made in fact at the height of the war. Including this, as well as its subsequent restoration, was the most important ideological decision. A way to show that we are not giving up, preserving our centuries-old history, no matter what. It is like Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 sounding in occupied Leningrad," Boris Zorin emphasized.

As the scientist noted, Leningraders foresaw another important point: they issued an order not allowing Novgorodians to destroy churches for construction purposes. Alas, one such architectural and cultural heritage monument was nevertheless dismantled to the ground – this is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Desyatinny Monastery. Now in its place there is only a brick column (part of the apse) and a small fragment of the wall.

" It was important to preserve our architectural heritage , even in a ruined state, at least until we found restoration specialists. They were hard to find, not just in Novgorod, but all over Russia. Many people know the name of the architect-restorer Lyubov Shulyak , but few know that in 1942 she was slandered and sent into exile beyond the Urals. And she had to be returned and sent to Novgorod, because there were no more craftsmen who knew how to restore ancient architecture ," said Boris Zorin.

Following the revival of the "Millennium of Russia", other monuments began to rise from the ruins. Finally, Novgorod itself, and many other cities destroyed by the war. Our symbol of statehood was the first restored monument in the entire USSR and at the same time became a symbol of the coming Great Victory.