- Narva Triumphal Arch
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Narva Triumphal Gate
During the Soviet defense of Leningrad, 1942The Narva Triumphal Arch (lit. Gate, Russian: На́рвские триумфа́льные воро́та) was erected in the vast Narva Square (known as the Stachek Square in Soviet years), Saint Petersburg, in 1814 to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon. The wooden structure was constructed on the Narva highway with the purpose of greeting the soldiers who were returning from abroad after their victory over Napoleon. The architect of the original Narva Arch was Giacomo Quarenghi. The program was meant to respond to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, originally erected to celebrate Napoleon's victory over the Allies at Austerlitz, but the material used was a weather-resistant plaster that was never intended to be permanent.
Narva Triumphal Gate in 1910Between 1827 and 1834 Vasily Stasov redesigned and rebuilt the gate in stone. A similar gate, also by Stasov, was erected on the road leading to Moscow. A sculptor Vasily Demut-Malinovsky was responsible for the arch's sculptural decor. As has been conventional since Imperial Roman times, sculptures of Fame offering laurel wreaths fill the spandrels of the central arch. The main entablature breaks boldly forward over paired Composite columns that flank the opening and support colossal sculptures. Nike, the Goddess of Victory surmounts the arch, in a triumphal car drawn by six horses, sculpted by Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg, instead of the traditional Quadriga.
Neither the arch nor the Russian Admiralty were protected from artillery bombardments during the Siege of Leningrad. A small military museum was opened in the upper part of the arch in 1989. At the beginning of 21st century the gate was capitally restored and according to experts, is in a fine condition as of August 2009.[1]
References
- ^ "Narva Gate is 175 years old Russian: Нарвским воротам — 175 лет " (in ru). City (fontanka.ru). 2009-08-18. http://www.fontanka.ru/2009/08/18/120/. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
External links
Coordinates: 59°54′03″N 30°16′26″E / 59.9009°N 30.2738°E
Monuments of Saint Petersburg Alexander Column • Bronze Horseman • Hero-City Obelisk • Column of Glory • Cruiser Aurora • Peter I near St. Michael's Castle • Church of the Savior on Blood • Alexander Pushkin in Arts Square • Nikolai Gogol in Konushennaya Street • Chesme Column • Kagul Obelisk • Monument to Nicholas I • Mother Motherland • Moscow Triumphal Gate • Narva Triumphal Gate Placename toponym Narva Outpost in St. Petersburg · Narva Triumphal Gate · Subway station · Square Categories:- Saint Petersburg culture
- Neoclassical architecture
- Buildings and structures in Saint Petersburg
- Visitor attractions in Saint Petersburg
- Triumphal arches in Russia
- Museums in Saint Petersburg
- Military and war museums
- Vasily Stasov buildings and structures
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