Tourist Monument (Veliky Novgorod)

The Tourist Monument, also called the Tired Tourist, is a bronze genre sculpture in Veliky Novgorod. It sits on the granite parapet of the Volkhov embankment on the Trade Side, by the Kremlin pedestrian bridge, next to Yaroslav's Court and facing the Novgorod Kremlin. It is one of the city's most popular photo spots.

History

The sculpture was unveiled on 17 June 2009, when Veliky Novgorod was celebrating its 1150th anniversary, as a gift to the city for the jubilee. It is the work of the Novgorod sculptor Vadim Borovoy, and according to guidebooks it was paid for by the publisher and patron Nikolai Sumarokov. It was meant as a sign of hospitality in a city that welcomes thousands of visitors every year.

The story goes that the sculptor first wanted to show a tourist taking a picture of herself against the Kremlin, but the idea was dropped in favour of a calmer, more lyrical image of a girl taking a rest.

What to see

The bronze figure, weighing about 150 kilograms, shows a young woman in a plain blouse and skirt. She sits on the parapet with her back to the river, leaning back on her hands with her face to the sun. Her handbag stands beside her on the stone, and her shoes lie kicked off next to her bare feet. Anyone who has walked all day around an unfamiliar city and finally sat down will recognise the pose.

There is no pedestal, so the sculpture is at the level of passers-by and it is easy to sit down next to her for a photo. It looks best in the evening, when the embankment lights come on and the Kremlin walls across the river are lit up.

Legends and customs

The monument has its own customs. A coin dropped into one of her shoes is said to bring you back to Novgorod, and some believe it makes a wish come true. Visitors also rub the bronze girl's nose for luck.

Getting there

The monument stands on Alexander Nevsky Embankment, where the Kremlin pedestrian bridge comes down to the Trade Side. The easiest way is to walk from the Kremlin: cross the Volkhov by the footbridge, which stands almost where the medieval Great Bridge once was, and go down to the embankment. The bridge gives a view of both halves of the city, the Sophia Side and the Trade Side. Yaroslav's Court, with St Nicholas Cathedral and the arcade of the former merchant court, part of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve, is a few minutes' walk away, so the monument fits easily into a walk around the centre.