Monument to the Beskudnikovskaya railway line. Monument to the Russian Intelligentsia
Surprisingly, it is not the collectors of diamond snuffboxes, pre-Petrine incunabula or Gardner porcelain who are the most closed people from the world - namely, the collectors of Stalin’s, Khrushchev’s, Brezhnev’s, Gorbachev’s “member carriers”. In some country houses ZIL-115s are kept in excellent condition, on the move and almost with a fresh technical inspection - but even the neighbors don’t know about them, and the cars never leave the garages.
A collection is always an attempt to acquire something that cannot be purchased with money in principle, that is, history, albeit in the form of a print. ZISs and ZILs are generally a fantastic thing: the imprint of a Byzantine, secret, confused and gloomy power.
Here is an excellent example in the collection presented on the site: the armored limousine ZIL-41052 (analogous to the unarmored ZIL-41047). What is its booking class? But in the USSR there was no such concept. It is known that the German company Trasco Fahrzeuge Bremen, which at one time sheathed armor for Soviet leaders three ZILs (one of them was immediately shot at a training ground in Germany), provided protection class 7B. But the fact is that the Germans used a monocoque base, hung armored sheets on it, welded the seams - and the ZIL-41052 was a solid armored capsule, onto which the outer skin was then hung: wings, door “mirrors”. Presumably, as a result, the level of protection exceeds all modern ones. Supposedly it can withstand four minutes of mortar fire. Presumably, the capsule was poured at a plant in Kurgan. How many of these cars were produced? - unknown. If only because it is not clear how to count. When the car reached the end of its service life - 100,000 kilometers - the engine and chassis were replaced, but the capsule was not. It is eternal, this capsule. Look, it’s standing in one wonderful place on the territory of a departmental garage.
Everything related to government transport in the RSFSR and the USSR - great secret, first of all, from its own citizens. How much does this armored cock carrier weigh? And God knows. The owner has not weighed it yet, but estimates that it is 7 tons. The data sheet says 3.86 tons. Why is it written like that? Well, maybe then, so that a driver with a driver’s license of category B, and not C, could drive the car. Kremlin-9 was not allowed to drive a truck into the GON (special purpose garage). But who knows the truth!
What else is there in the collection? There are Stalinist ZIS-101 and ZIS-101A, perfectly copied from Buicks.
ZIS-101 is dated 1936. At that time, there was no mass production of rolled metal, and ZIS bodies were assembled like boats - from wood, along stringers and frames, and the top was sheathed with metal, and the roof was fabric (now, when you drive a ZIS-101, you hear an incredible sound - the carriage creaking of wood ). There are generally ALL limousines of the USSR, short cars and convertibles. There is a ZIL-111A, which non-connoisseurs confuse with the Chaika. In fact, he even has a nickname - “Big Seagull”. This car, produced under Khrushchev, was, in fact, the car of the Soviet dream - adopted, as happens with dreams, from the American dream. Brezhnev, who came to power, ordered the release of a new, entirely Soviet car: this is how the modest-looking, but expensive ZIL-114 appeared. For which even the bolts were turned by hand, from stainless steel. The designer of the “Big Chaika” was exiled from Moscow to Gorky, that is, from ZIL to GAZ, but remained true to his dream: at GAZ the production of “Chaikas” was launched, repeating the ZIL-111A, only on a smaller scale.
However, this entire line - ZIL-114, ZIL-115, and the “short” ZIL-117 was quite strikingly different from ordinary Soviet cars. And not even driving performance, but comfort unimaginable at that time. Already in the “one hundred and fourteenth” (the year was 1965) there was a transistor radio with automatic tuning to stations, electric windows, and an electric partition between the executive salon and the front seats. There was (since 1958 - on all limousines) even air conditioning, which was sometimes an absolute necessity: the design of the capsule-type armored “member carriers” (unlike the products of Trasco Fahrzeuge Bremen) did not provide for lowering the windows in the doors.
However, what distinguished the limousines spending the night in the Kremlin-9 GON from other Soviet cars even more strikingly was the process of preparing for work. Most of all, it resembled preparation for an airplane flight, when, long before leaving the garage, a whole team checked all working systems, fluid levels, etc. At the same time, several cars were prepared in this way, then their number was reduced, but until last moment it was unknown which one Sam would ride. By the way, outwardly the same armored car ZIL-41052 is absolutely indistinguishable from the unarmored ZIL-41047, and this was done with intent.
The owner of the described collection believes that there are no more than 150 USSR limousines of all models left in the world, but this is an optimistic estimate, and, again, no one knows the exact figure. From time to time, rumors begin to circulate among the owners of oldtimers that thirty ZILs are mothballed in excellent condition in the Kremlin-9, which has not gone anywhere - but who would confirm this rumor? Sometimes an even more incredible rumor appears that in someone’s garage there is the legendary first Soviet government limousine L-1 (it was produced in a tiny edition in the 1930s in Leningrad, hence the name), but the search comes to a dead end (though the front axle is from L-1 was still found).
“The general rule is this,” says the owner of the collection, “if it became known that a ZIL appeared on the market, and you didn’t hear about it that same day, then tomorrow the car will no longer be there.”
It is clear why. Those cars that cost $30,000 four years ago are now sold for $150-180,000. Prices for ZIS-110 start from $200,000. For ZIL-111 convertibles - from $1 million. Last year, in the gallery of old-timers Ilya Sorokin, an armored ZIL-115 was exhibited for one million euros.
However, the collection is not for sale. “Demand is growing,” says the owner. — Including from foreigners. Wait and see".
According to famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli and a monument to ex-mayor Yuri Luzhkov will definitely be erected in Moscow. “If it doesn’t, I’ll deliver it,” the BBC quotes him.
“I am grateful to him for the fact that he gave freedom not only to me, but to all artists and people of art, he created galleries, many museums, theaters, helps writers. God grant that new mayor had the same chivalrous spirit that Luzhkov had,” the sculptor said.
At the same time, Tsereteli told RIA Novosti that he does not yet see the point in a third monument to Luzhkov - he has already made two. “I have Luzhkov the athlete and Luzhkov the janitor in the museum on Prechistenka. That’s enough, I think, but if necessary, I’m ready to do it,” said the artist.
Meanwhile, the Moscow City Duma Commission on Monumental Art stated that it does not intend to support proposals to erect a monument to ex-Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov during his lifetime, said commission chairman Lev Lavrenov.
Tsereteli denied rumors that he was hiding abroad. IN telephone conversation from Paris, he assured that he would return to Moscow to complete several projects. “Firstly, a park for children, which will be better than Disneyland. Since I am a patriot and love my capital, I really want to see this through to the end in Moscow,” said the sculptor.
He also stated that he does not object to the monument to Peter the Great, which he created in the mid-1990s, which stands in Moscow next to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and is confident that history will put everything in its place.
When asked about the possible transfer of the monument, Tsereteli replied: “For God’s sake, this is not my monument. It belongs to Russia and Moscow. I am an artist. If they want to move it, for God’s sake, let them move it to a good place. St. Petersburg asks to put Peter there. Even at the dacha, some people can put it up, let them take it.”
Speaker of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov proposed placing the work of Zurab Tsereteli “in the middle of the Gulf of Finland at the entrance to St. Petersburg.”
However, the governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, considered that one monument to the Russian emperor was enough for the city. "We have a very worthy monument to Peter, a unique masterpiece -" Bronze Horseman", Interfax quotes her.
Let us recall that after Luzhkov’s resignation, the acting mayor of Moscow, Vladimir Resin, proposed moving the monument to Peter I on the Obvodny Canal to another location. Moscow officials opposed this proposal, since the transfer would cost the city budget 1 billion rubles.
Vice-President of the Union of Architects of Russia Alexander Remizov proposed transporting the notorious monument to Ecuador, since the monument was originally created for this state as a monument to Columbus. He also noted that dismantling and transporting the monument is technically feasible.
Meanwhile, Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeev believes that the decision to move the monument should be made by Muscovites and the public. “Here we must rely on the opinion of the public, Muscovites. I will not express my taste for this monument today,” the minister said on Monday.
The monument to Peter I is one of the tallest in the world - its total height reaches 98 meters.
On Monday, Tsereteli called the idea of moving the monument a shame for its initiators, and for yourself – advertising. Tsereteli expressed surprise at how “the same people, led by Resin, when Luzhkov was mayor, raised the issue of installing a monument, and the public town planning council, together with the chief architect, accepted this place.” Tsereteli suggested that Vladimir Resin “found a monument the best place, and perhaps he wants to put another sculpture there." “I am ready to make a sculpture of Resin in the place of Peter the Great,” the sculptor added.
Tsereteli also denied information that the monument to Peter is a converted version of the monument to Columbus, adding that he is now installing 126-meter sculpture of Columbus in America. “So they carry it in their arms, they don’t scold, but praise,” the sculptor shared.
The sculptor, who is now in France, believes that a monument to former mayor Yuri Luzhkov should be erected in the Russian capital. At the same time, Z. Tsereteli emphasized in an interview with the BBC that if this does not happen, he himself will erect a monument. The sculptor believes that Yu. Luzhkov deserves gratitude for his contribution to the development of culture and art. “I am grateful to him for the fact that he gave freedom not only to me, but to all artists and people of art, he created galleries, many museums, theaters, and helps writers. God grant that the new mayor has the same chivalrous spirit that Luzhkov had,” said Z. Tsereteli. Artists and architects spoke about what the monument to ex-mayor Luzhkov should look like. According to gallery owner Marat Gelman, the monument should be made in a kitsch style. “Inteko, corruption, massive development and, of course, the golden cap are associated with Yuri Mikhailovich,” he said in an interview with the Russian News Service. Sculptor, five-time world champion in sand sculpture Pavel Zadanyuk believes that sculpture should be large sizes, about 5 meters in height. “As an option - improvised blocks in the form of houses, personifying construction, and at the top is Yuri Mikhailovich with his hands raised up,” he told RSN. The classic version - a portrait with a cap - is proposed to be created by the chairman of the association of Moscow sculptors and the chairman of the Moscow Union of Artists, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Ivan Kazansky. At the same time, the director Central House artist Vasily Bychkov believes that no monument to Yuri Luzhkov is needed. “So he lives well,” he believes. The artist and organizer of the Artmarine gallery Marina Zvyagintseva sees the monument to the former mayor this way: “A janitor, construction helmet or everything related to housing and communal services and construction. An alternative is to install a transformer booth (or any other one: a central heating station, for example) and name it in honor of Luzhkov, since he was the main economic manager of Moscow.” Artist Anatoly Brusilovsky would have built a building in honor of Luzhkov, and architect-artist Karen Saprichan believes that those buildings that were erected during Luzhkov’s time can serve as a monument to the ex-mayor. “Like Stalin’s high-rise buildings,” he said. And only sculptor Georgy Frangulyan adheres to the law and regulations: “When Luzhkov passes away, then we need to talk about monuments. It is necessary to follow the written rules,” he is sure. According to the chairman of the commission on monumental art at the Moscow City Duma, professor Russian Academy architecture and construction sciences Lev Lavrenov, if he can install such a monument to Tsereteli, then only in his own yard, on his own territory. In order for the monument to appear in the capital, you need to submit a corresponding application and wait for the decision of a special commission, he emphasized in an interview with RSN. At the same time, L. Lavrenov noted that according to the law, a monument can only be erected to those who have already died. “This is a memory of a man who is no longer alive, but Luzhkov lives and God bless him,” he said. Currently, two monuments to Yu. Luzhkov have already been erected in Moscow. One of them is in the courtyard of the Moscow Museum contemporary art. It depicts the former mayor as a janitor. The second monument represents Luzhkov as an athlete who plays both football and tennis. The author of both monuments is Z. Tsereteli.
Luzhkov left, and good memory stayed. At least, from a friend of the former mayor - sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. He told reporters yesterday:
The monument to Luzhkov will stand! If it doesn’t, then I will. I am grateful to him for the fact that he gave freedom not only to me, but to all artists and people of art, he created galleries, many museums, theaters, and helps writers. God grant that the new mayor has the same chivalrous spirit that Luzhkov had.
It is interesting that the maestro has already made two monuments to Yuri Mikhailovich. One shows the former mayor as a stern janitor. On the other - in the image of an athlete. Yuri Mikhailovich is dressed in shorts, has a racket in his hand, and kicks a ball with his foot. Usually, even inveterate athletes don’t play tennis and football at the same time... But Zurab Konstantinovich is still an artist, he knows better.
Deputies of the Moscow City Duma have already responded to the idea of erecting a monument to Luzhkov.
Such proposals were received repeatedly, but several years ago, said Lev Lavrenov, chairman of the commission on monumental art. - If proposals are received now, we will not support them. After all, a monument is a memory. But Luzhkov is alive.
However, the Third Transport Ring (though in traffic jams) or the unfinished Moscow City complex can be considered a monument to the ex-mayor... But they very incompletely reflect the versatility of Luzhkov’s personality. So what monument is Yuri Mikhailovich worthy of? We decided to conduct a humorous survey among readers.
Joking, because Tsereteli’s idea cannot be taken seriously. Well, in fact, it’s impossible to erect monuments in Moscow to all the friends of the famous sculptor! Even if they did very, very much for the maestro...
RESPONSE OF THE REGIONS St. Petersburg deputies ask not to send them Peter... This is how they reacted to Sergei Mironov’s readiness to install a Moscow monument in the city on the Neva
A statement by Sergei Mironov, in which he proposed moving the monument to Peter I from Moscow to the Gulf of Finland, caused a lot of noise. Let us recall that the Chairman of the Federation Council proposed to accept the creation of Zurab Tsereteli, after... O. The mayor of the capital, Vladimir Resin, spoke about the need to move the monument from the center of the capital. “He looks a bit strange in Moscow,” Mironov said the other day. - When I first saw it, I thought: this monument should definitely be erected at the entrance to St. Petersburg. He would look great there. In response to these words, deputies of the city parliament representing the faction “ United Russia", sent to Mironov angry letter. “The use in St. Petersburg of openly controversial architectural solutions that have not taken root in Moscow,” write the elected officials, “is an insult to northern capital" Deputies hope that " discriminating taste and a good attitude towards St. Petersburg” will allow the Speaker of the Federation Council to change his opinion. However, there was no response from Mironov at the time of signing the issue... MEANWHILE...and in Petrozavodsk, Yaroslavl and Voronezh they shout: “The Tsar is coming to us!” While cultured St. Petersburg turns up its nose at pompous St. Petersburg, small and not so proud Petrozavodsk itself suggested: bring the monument to us, we will accept it with pleasure! “We believe that this will be historically fair, since our city, founded in 1703 on the site of the first Petrovsky plant and named after the first Russian Emperor, is one of cultural centers North-West Russia,” deputies of the Petrozavodsk City Council wrote to the acting mayor of Moscow Vladimir Resin yesterday. They intend to erect the sculpture on the embankment of the capital of Karelia along Lake Onega - in company with the Iron Peter, which has already been standing there for 30 years. “Moscow Peter will not become our competitor,” Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet Oleg Fokin is not embarrassed by this proximity. - After all, it will stand about a kilometer away and in a more respectable place - not far from the city hall! In the meantime, the people's representatives of Petrozavodsk are sawing the embankment between the two Petersburg, a place for Tsereteli's masterpiece has already been selected in Voronezh (). There public organizations They are in full swing collecting signatures for an appeal to the Moscow government: they say that Peter’s transfer would be a great gift for the 425th anniversary of the city, which will be celebrated in a year. “If it weren’t for Peter, Voronezh would not have played such a significant role in the history of Russia,” activists are sure. - After all, it was here that the emperor began to build the first Russian fleet! While we were preparing this selection, Pereslavl-Zalessky presented its rights to the Tsereteli monument ( Yaroslavl region). Deputies of the local City Duma became concerned with finding a place for Moscow Peter. Like, historical manor There is already a “Boat of Peter I” in our city - exactly the monument to the Tsar Father was missing! - We will be very pleased to place in this historical place monument to Tsereteli, since Muscovites don’t need it, the deputy vowed. Chairman of the City Duma Sergei Khabibulin. By the way, Zurab Tsereteli is a frequent guest on Yaroslavl soil. Last time I stopped by to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Yaroslavl, and, of course, the city was not left without a gift. A frightening-looking bronze bear now adorns the local Millennium Park. Anna GAMZIKOVA (“KP” - St. Petersburg), Galina ONUCHINA (“KP” - Yaroslavl), Elena PERTUNEN (“KP” - Petrozavodsk), Tatiana PODYABLONSKAYA (“KP” - Voronezh).
