Monument to Orenburg Heroes of the First World War

The Monument to Orenburg Heroes of the First World War stands in the centre of Orenburg, in Vladyka Leonty Square on Chkalova Street, near its crossing with Stepana Razina Street. It is a six-metre granite stele with a mosaic icon of St George the Victorious, unveiled in 2014 for the centenary of the war's outbreak. The monument honours all the soldiers, Cossacks, officers and generals of Orenburg Governorate who went to the front in 1914–1918, and it is one of the city's notable war memorials.

History

The site was chosen with intent: the square once belonged to St Nicholas Cathedral, and in 1914 prayer services for the success of Russian arms were held here. The stele was put up on the initiative of the regional government, the Orenburg city administration, the Orenburg Cossacks, public organisations, local historians and scholars. Its making and installation were paid for by the Regionrazvitie foundation, headed by Mikhail Konnov.

The design was created by a team that included the city's chief architect Sergei Brenev, sculptor Evgeny Vargot, mosaic artist Denis Vargot, Maxim Vedernikov and Yulian Davydov.

The monument was unveiled on 29 August 2014. Before the ceremony it was consecrated by Metropolitan Valentin of Orenburg and Saraktash. Acting regional governor Yuri Berg spoke at the opening about keeping alive the memory of the people of Orenburg who went to that war. Estimates of how many men the governorate sent to the front range from 160,000 to 200,000, among them about 30,000 Cossacks.

What to see

The 6-metre stele is made of Karelian granite. Its front bears a mosaic icon of St George the Victorious with the Cross of St George, and a double-headed imperial eagle crowns the top. The monument stands in a small green square planted with maple, birch, apple trees, lilac, dog rose and hawthorn; locals used to call it the Apple Orchard Park.

Two more Chkalova Street landmarks are right next to it and easy to see on the same walk:

• St Nicholas Cathedral, built in 1883: closed after the revolution and returned to the faithful in 1944; beside it stands a red-brick chapel for the blessing of water with a dark green roof.
• The Monument to the Orenburg Cossacks, unveiled in December 2008: a bronze Cossack horseman with a lance by Moscow sculptor Alexei Nikolaev, about 13 metres high.

Getting there

The stele is in central Orenburg, on Chkalova Street, in Vladyka Leonty Square between St Nicholas Cathedral (8 Chkalova Street) and the Monument to the Orenburg Cossacks, by the crossroads with Stepana Razina Street.