beginning of destruction
The Odessa edition “Dumskaya” reported that the dismantling of the monument to the founders of Odessa in the city began.
“Morning in Odessa, Russian Empress II. They began to dismantle the monument to Catherine. It is impossible to drive up to the square, everything is closed there and they do not allow people to pass.
In response, the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on his Telegram channel that “some work has begun near the monument”, everyone is surrounded, people are not allowed.
To “protect the national interests”
On August 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the Odessa authorities to examine the petition for the demolition of the Catherine II monument. According to the head of state, the monument was erected according to the decision of the Odessa City Council.
Zelensky also noted the importance of “protecting the national interest” and “working on the problems of cleansing the public space from objects and monuments related to the Russian imperial and Soviet heritage.”
On August 23, the city’s commission on history and place names decided to postpone the demolition of the monument. Local publication Dumskaya says the History and Toponymy Commission is considering the initiative, but it remains unclear whether they can advise on demolition of the monument. Lawyers also had to express their views on the dismantling.
On November 2, the vandals put the executioner’s hat on the empress’s head and tied a gallows to her hand. The monument was also repeatedly soaked with paint. On November 5, the mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, announced that the majority of city residents voted to dismantle the monument on the “Socially Active Citizen” platform. The next day, the monument to the founders of Odessa was surrounded by a wooden wall.
November 30 Odessa City Council decided Dismantling monuments to Russian Empress Catherine II and commander Alexander Suvorov.
While 43 deputies voted for the removal of the Empress statue, one deputies who objected and abstained did not vote. No one voted against the demolition of the Suvorov monument either, 41 deputies supported the initiative, three of them did not vote.
Deputy city councilor Alexandra Kovalchuk suggested that the monuments be transferred to the Odessa Art Museum after they are dismantled for temporary storage.
Monument to the founders of Odessa
According to open sources, in 1794 the Russian Empress II. With an edict, Katerina laid the foundation for the construction of Odessa and the port. The monument to the founders of Odessa was erected in the city on Ekaterininskaya Square in 1900 according to the design of Odessa architect Yuri Meletevich Dmitrenko. The monument is dedicated to Catherine II and her partners – de Ribas, de Volan, Potemkin and Zubov. The founding of the city was their endeavor.
The monument was inaugurated on May 6, 1900, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the death of commander Alexander Suvorov. At the 1901 Paris Architectural Exhibition, Catherine Square was recognized as the best in Europe.
After the February Revolution of 1917, the monument was covered and dismantled under Soviet rule. Statues of the Empress’ associates were kept in the local lore museum and were preserved in World War II. Catherine’s monument was partially destroyed. According to historical legend, they wanted to melt the bronze statues into shells, but one of the sailors said that “it is not worth having shells of non-proletarian origin.”
In 1965, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the uprising on the battleship Potemkin, a monument to rebellious sailors was erected on the site of the monument to the founders of Odessa.
For the first time, the return of the Empress to her place with her associates was discussed in the late 80s of the last century. In 1995, the Odessa city council decided to restore the monument to the founders of the city, using the preserved bronze fragments and adding the missing elements of the granite plinth. However, this attempt was stopped by the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.
In 2007, the Odessa City Council again decided to restore the city’s founders and dismantle the “Potemkins” and move them to the Customs Square.
The bronze figure of the empress had to be completely redone, since it was impossible to combine the color of the head preserved in the Museum of Local Culture with the rest of the created figure.
The recreated monument was unveiled in October 2007. The architectural ensemble of the square claimed that it is included in the number of architectural monuments protected by UNESCO.