June 18, 1880 in Moscow was opened the monument to Alexander Pushkin. In 1950, the monument was moved from Tversky Boulevard to the other side of the reconstructed Strastnaya Square (now Pushkinskaya Square), turned around 180 degrees and put in place of the former bell tower of the Strastnoy Monastery.
According to one legend, the townspeople chose this place for a reason. It was said that there lived a lady who was passionately in love with a poet, who had once been rejected by him. After the death of Pushkin, she decided to erect a monument to him, so much so that the poet always stood under the windows of her house, as if begging forgiveness. If you follow the gaze of a writer immortalized in bronze, you will notice that he is directed to the corner balcony of the neighboring house, in which the beautiful woman in love with him supposedly lived.
You can walk from Red Square to the monument to Pushkin on Pushkin Square, the distance along Tverskaya Street is only 1 km. The easiest way to get here is by metro, Pushkinskaya and Tverskaya stations.
The monument to Alexander Pushkin, standing on Pushkin Square, is the first monument to the poet in Russia, and indeed in the world. The idea of its creation appeared immediately after the tragic death of the writer, but officials were against the monument to the freedom-loving poet. Permission to create it was obtained only in 1855.
The initiators of the fundraising were graduates of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, who contacted the public through periodicals. In 1875, an open competition was held for the best design of the monument, which was rightfully won by the talented sculptor Alexander Opekushin.
The grand opening of the monument took place on June 6, 1880 on the Strastnaya Square, which over time was renamed Pushkinskaya. The poet’s children — Alexander, Gregory, Maria and Natalya, as well as his friends and fans took part in the opening of the monument.
Another monument to the great poet — bronze sculptures of Alexander Pushkin and his muse and wife Natalia Goncharova are met by Muscovites and guests of the capital at the doorstep of their house on Old Arbat.
