millennium of russia

really great, reflecting people who influenced our history over past centuries - Tsars, heroes, poets, warriors....a good thing for Russians to check their historical skills and recognize figures on the Monument ;-)

In many respects, this is the “crown jewel” of the Novgorod Kremlin. Russians consider that their country was born in 862 when Rurik, a legendary Scandinavian chieftain came to the region and built a fort near the present-day city, after being invited by the local tribes to establish order following years of internecine fighting. One thousand years later, a competition supported by massive public subscription was held to select and construct a suitable memorial. The winning designers came up with a large bell-shaped bronze statue, 100 tons in weight, topped by a cross, a shape symbolic of the power of the church in Russian History up to that time. They were not sculptors, but they assembled a formidable team from the finest of the day to carry out the actual carving that makes this memorial a stunning masterpiece. It is enclosed by a circular barrier that makes it a little difficult to study the details of what must be one of the busiest pieces of sculpture in our universe. I wish that I had known more about the schematics when I stood admiring it. Our guide did not explain it, but I looked up the details subsequently and discovered what it was all about. Two tiers of sculpture are separated by a series of blank circular rims, the whole thing resting on a pedestal of 16 large blocks of granite. The upper of the two tiers depicts 6 scenes describing the arrival of Rurik followed by that of Christianity; the expulsion of the Tatars and the foundation of the Monarchy (Tsardom); the ascent of the Romanovs and the flowering of the Empire. The images on the lower tier are much smaller in scale but very profuse, comprising 30 “Men of Enlightenment”, almost all ecclestiastical ; 26 Statesmen, several ecclesiastical and the rest Tsars and their Advisors, and other Members of the Royal Family ; 36 Military Commanders, including several Admirals; and 16 Artists and Writers, among whom I recognized the names of Lermontov, Pushkin, Gogol, and Glinka. The numbers are a pretty good reflection of the influence exerted by the various groups on the course of Russia’s History over its first 1,000 years.

One of the most brilliant monument I have seen. The sculptures are in great details and they look alive!

Our guide gave us a 15 minute explanation around the monument. It explains every part of the history of Russia from its beginning. I really liked this and hoped there was a book that would explain each part of it to take home with me.

Go with a local guide to find out about the history of this monument. Really lovely working, the guide that I had was able to tell me about all the people on the top of the monument and some in the middle. It's really fascinating, the history.

It give a good review about important people in history of Russia, but it is better to order a tour with guide, who will explain details of this monument.

The bell is just incredible, and it's a good introduction to the Russian history as all the prominent Russians are carved here. It would be better to have a local guide to explain who's who on the bell to help you having a better understanding of this monument. If you are a cat lover, try to find a cute ginger cat that likes to hide behind the figures (apparently it is a common visitor to the bell according to my guide), the scene could be quite amusing.

This is huge bronze monument dedicated to luminaries that has contributed to Russia during first 1000 years of its existence.The number of figures is quit large, get good guidebook with its explanation or get a guide.

It is a large bronze bell from 1862 with different tiers of sculptures. It is indeed very impressive. U need a guide to explain to u the significance of the tiers...

You won't get to wander far into the Novgorod Kremlin before running into the Millennium of Russia monument, which stands proud in the plaza of the kremlin. In front of the monument is where many of the events and celebrations inside the kremlin take place (for example, on my visit, there was a choir there, followed by a religious celebration). The monument itself is very impressive, although the history of it is unclear if you didn't do the research beforehand (I did not). While you probably won't go seeking out the monument by itself on your visit to the kremlin, you will easily find it, so make sure to just examine its fine details. Then sit and relax by its side and people watch (a great activity in Russia!).

We were lucky to have a guide with us to explain all of the interesting parts of this impressive monument otherwise we probably would've just taken a photo and walked on. There are many famous Russians located on it so it helps to have some basic knowledge of Russian history to understand why they're important and a guide to point out of all the important figures.

This monument is quite interesting and an impressive piece of art. It is obvious even at first glance that it is more than just any ordinary monument, but to really get the most of it I think one needs to either have a good local guide that can point things out to you or find a good description in a travel guide book.The monument is interesting not just because it depicts the history of Russia during the first 1,000 years, but also because it shows the events from a Russian perspective. I found it quite interesting to see the importance placed on events that to me as a western European never had had any major significance.

Очень интересный памятник, можно долго рассматривать тематически построенные скульптурные композиции.

Были в марте 2015 г., на улице было достаточно прохладно,это был единственный минус. На памятнике изображены реальные исторические лица и автор , видимо, поставил себе задачу изобразить всех до Петра !

Памятник просто потрясающий. Изображает великих русских царей и их поверженных противников. Все величие и мощь Российской государственности.