A 1978 Soviet postcard depicts a winter landscape featuring the Obelisk to the Pioneers of Siberia, erected on a historic pedestal in Irkutsk.
What is shown on the postcard
The photograph captures a tall, dark, pyramid-shaped obelisk rising in the middle of a snow-covered park. Surrounding trees and shrubs are heavily coated with hoarfrost and snow, conveying a Siberian winter atmosphere. The structure stands on a massive, decorated granite pedestal adorned with wreaths and bas-reliefs.
Historical note
This monument has a complex history. Initially, a monument to Emperor Alexander III was opened on this site in 1908 to commemorate the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1920, the bronze statue of the Tsar was dismantled. In 1964, a reinforced concrete obelisk dedicated to the pioneers of Siberia, designed by architect V. P. Shustitsky, was erected on the surviving historic pedestal.
Present day
In 2003, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the concrete obelisk was dismantled, and a recreated bronze statue of Emperor Alexander III was restored to its original place. Today, this monument is one of the key landmarks on the Angara River embankment.
Location (map)
Address: Gagarina Boulevard, Irkutsk, Russia
Coordinates: 52.275800, 104.276700
(Google Maps)
Coordinate source: Coordinates of the Monument to Alexander III (where the obelisk stood from 1964 to 2003) on Gagarina Boulevard in Irkutsk.
Questions and answers
- What obelisk is depicted on the postcard? The postcard depicts the Obelisk to the Pioneers of Siberia, which stood on Gagarina Boulevard in Irkutsk from 1964 to 2003.
- On what pedestal is this obelisk installed? The obelisk was installed on the surviving granite pedestal of the monument to Emperor Alexander III, which had been dismantled in 1920.
- What is located at this site today? In 2003, the obelisk was removed, and the reconstructed bronze statue of Alexander III was returned to the historic pedestal.
See also
The «Old Postcards» archive includes other views of Irkutsk from 1978.
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