Bust of Pushkin in Odesa
Bust of Pushkin in Odesa, also known as the Monument to Alexander Pushkin, is a monumental bronze bust depicting the writer Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837). It is located in Odesa, Ukraine, on the edge of Primorsky Boulevard in the area known as Nikolaievsk Boulevard. The bust stands on a granite pedestal in front of the Municipal Duma, then the Odessa Stock Exchange. This was the third monument in Odesa dedicated to Pushkin. It was erected in his honor at local expense for the 50th anniversary of his death and was created between 1887 and 1888.
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Identification | |
| Title | Bust of Pushkin in Odesa |
| Original-language name | Пам'ятник Олександру Пушкіну |
| Type | Monumental bronze bust |
| Subject | Alexander Pushkin |
| Depicts | Writer Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) |
| Alternative name | Monument to Alexander Pushkin |
Historical context | |
| Purpose | Commemorates Alexander Pushkin |
| Occasion | 50th anniversary of Pushkin's death |
| Historical significance | Third monument in Odesa dedicated to Pushkin |
| Historical note | Conceived as a memorial to Pushkin in Odesa, a city associated with his biography |
Creator | |
| Other sculptor involved | A. Reutov |
| A. Reutov's contribution | Created the sea monsters on the pedestal |
| Caster | A. Moran |
| Architect / designer | Khrysanf Vasyliev |
| Sculptor | Zhanna Polonska / Zh. Polonskaya / J. Polonskaïa |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Competition extended to | 1 May 1882 |
| Odesa delegation | Attended the opening of the first Pushkin monument in Moscow by A. M. Opekushin |
| Initiative speaker | Nikolai Troynitsky, editor of Odessa Bulletin, who had seen Pushkin in his youth at the Richelieu Lyceum |
| Expert council members | Architects A. I. Bernardaazzi, A. D. Todorov, A. E. Sheins, and engineer A. A. Shvendner |
| Commission members | Representatives of the city administration, the university, the Slavic Society, and the Society of Fine Arts, including N. V. Velkoborsky, professors N. P. Kondakov and A. A. Kochubinsky, I. I. Bobarykin, R. I. Mrachen, D. E. Mazirov, F. O. Morandi, V. A. Krasovsky, and later L. L. Vlodek |
| Estimated cost | 5,000 rubles in the competition terms; 6,520 rubles after final approval and soil study |
| Second-round submissions | Five new proposals |
| Initial competition submissions | Four works, all rejected by the commission and expert council |
| Second-prize winner | Z. I. Zhukovskyi |
| First-prize winner | H. K. Vasyliev |
| Decision on site | On 25 June 1880, the City Duma allocated a site on Mykolaiv Boulevard for a fountain with a bust funded by private subscription |
| Competition deadline | 31 December 1881 |
| Competition announced | Conditions for a competition for the best monument project were published on 29 May 1881 |
| Commission began work | 29 May 1881 |
| Commission formed | At the end of 1880 |
| Announcement of monument plans | Summer 1880, during celebrations for Pushkin's birthday |
| Initiative to commemorate Pushkin | Raised at a meeting at Odesa University, initiated by Odesa mayor Hryhorii Marazli |
| Planned location | Mykolaiv Boulevard, opposite the Exchange building |
| Original planned location | Theater Square, between the City Theater and the English Club |
| Funding method | Public subscription / public fundraising |
| Funding | Built with funds from the city Duma and donations from Odesa residents |
Physical characteristics | |
| Form | Bronze bust with a fountain |
| Pedestal | Tall square granite pedestal with three steps |
| Base | Large granite reservoir surrounding the monument |
| Corner decoration | Four stylized dolphins |
| Bronze elements | Four large bronze vases |
Materials | |
| Material of monument | Bronze and granite; former crystal star |
| Former star material | Crystal |
| Reservoir material | Granite |
| Bust material | Bronze |
| Pedestal material | Granite |
Technique | |
| Construction period | 1887–1889 |
| Created between | 1887 and 1888 |
| Year built | 1888 |
| Opening date | 16 April 1889 |
| Opening time | 12:00 noon |
| Opening type | Ceremonial opening |
Appearance | |
| Bust drapery inscription | Zh. Polonskaya |
| Bust drapery detail | Falls onto the old coat of arms of Odessa |
| Orientation | Front faces the boulevard; sea-facing side bears the maker’s inscription |
| Pedestal inscription | Built in 1888 |
| Upper step inscription | Granite from the Gnyvan quarries of Vinnytsia district, Podolia province donated… |
| Semicircular band inscription | According to the project of Khr. Vasiliev, sculpted by Zh. Polonskaya, cast by A. Moran |
| Lyre inscription | 1820–1824 |
| Front inscription | A. S. Pushkin from the citizens of Odessa |
| Decorative elements under the bust | A lyre, with a diagonal quill behind it and a five-pointed star with one ray pointing downward |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Star symbolism | Symbolizes the poet's connection with the almanac Polar Star |
| Lyre meaning | Symbol of poetry |
| Dates on the lyre | 1820–1824, recalling Pushkin's stays in Odessa and his southern exile |
| Unrealized lighting plan | The crystal star was once planned to be illuminated with electricity, but the project was never realized |
| Water feature | Water jets emerge from the mouths of the stylized sea creatures at the pedestal corners, fall into four bronze vases at the base, and overflow into the granite reservoir |
Location and ownership | |
| Former street name | Nikolaievsk Boulevard / Mykolaivskyi Boulevard |
| Street rename | Italian Street was renamed Pushkinska Street in connection with the monument |
| Location | Primorsky Boulevard, Odesa, Ukraine |
| Country | Ukraine |
| City | Odesa |
| Specific location | At the edge of Primorsky Boulevard in the section adjacent to the Odesa City Council building, formerly the City Duma / Odessa Stock Exchange building |
History and restoration | |
| Current treatment | On 30 October 2025, covered from public view with OSB boards together with the memorial plaque in accordance with an order from the head of the regional military administration |
| Vandalism / protest actions | Doused with paint, had a pink bag put on it, and was left with the inscription 'Get out, Moscovite' and a poster reading 'Cargo 200' |
| Public actions against the monument | Repeatedly targeted by actions calling on city authorities to remove imperial markers |
| City council funding for dismantling project | In December 2024, the Odesa City Council allocated funds for a dismantling project that included this monument, but it was not removed |
| Reason for planned dismantling | It contains symbolism of Russian imperial policy |
| Demolition order | In September 2024, Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, signed an order to dismantle the monument |
| Removal from heritage register | In 2023, the government decided to exclude it from the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Cultural Heritage of national significance |
| Historic status | For a long time, included in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Cultural Heritage of national significance |
| Heritage status change | In 2023, excluded from the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Cultural Heritage of national significance; also removed from the Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine |
| Transfer of fundraising responsibility | On 26 January 1887, the commission asked the Slavic Charitable Society to take over fundraising, prepare new subscription sheets, and time the laying of the foundation stone to the anniversary of Pushkin's death |
| City response to request | Denied because the Duma wanted to keep the original idea of public subscription |
| Request to city administration | In March 1886, the commission asked the municipal government to build the monument at city expense for the 50th anniversary of the poet's death |
| Fundraising pace | Very slow; Odesa residents were reluctant to donate money |
| Funds collected by foundation-stone day | 600 rubles |
| Foundation stone laying description | A solemn laying took place with city authorities, municipal representatives, and a large public |
| Foundation stone laying | 2 February 1887 |
| Memorial plaque | A memorial plaque associated with the monument was also covered with OSB boards on 30 October 2025 |