Monument to Prince Zasekin (Samara)

The monument to Prince Grigory Zasekin is a bronze equestrian statue of the founder of Samara, standing on the Volga embankment in the city of Samara, Russia, and one of its main symbols. It was unveiled on 12 September 2014, for Samara's 428th anniversary. The figure of the prince on his horse faces toward the historic centre, where the first fortress was founded in 1586. The sculptor was Karen Sarkisov of Samara and Moscow. The statue stands about 8 metres tall and weighs 46 tonnes together with its pedestal; the bronze casting was done at the Smolensk foundry. Address: Volga embankment, opposite Shostakovich Street.

Who Was Zasekin

Grigory Osipovich Zasekin was a Russian voivode who served under Ivan the Terrible, Feodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. He founded three fortresses on the Volga that grew into major cities: Samara (1586), Saratov (1590) and Tsaritsyn, now Volgograd (1589). By order of Tsar Feodor Ioannovich, Zasekin was sent to the Volga to protect the trade route from nomad raids. The Samara fortress, built on a bend of the Volga at the mouth of the river of the same name, became an outpost on the south-eastern frontier of the Russian state.

Description of the Monument

The sculpture shows Zasekin in armour on horseback, pointing toward the site where the fortress was founded. The pedestal is faced with granite. The monument stands on the upper tier of the embankment, with a view over the Volga, the Zhiguli Mountains and the confluence of the Volga and Samara rivers.

Sculptor Sarkisov

Karen Sarkisov (born 1955) is a sculptor born and raised in Kuibyshev, now Samara. He works in Moscow, but a large part of his work is devoted to his home city. The Zasekin monument became his main large-scale work in Samara.

Nearby

The monument stands on the Samara Embankment, one of the longest river embankments in Russia (about 5 km). Nearby are the river port, Victory Square with its monument and Eternal Flame, the Iversky Convent, the Zhigulevskoye Brewery and the city's historic centre.

How to Get There

The Volga embankment, near Shostakovich Street / Vilonovskaya Street. The nearest metro station is Alabinskaya (a 10-minute walk). Buses and trams run to the "Ploshchad Revolyutsii" or "Naberezhnaya" stops.