Monument to Michael Glinka

In the center of Smolensk, in the immediate vicinity of the Philharmonic building, stands a monument dedicated to the great Russian composer - Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka. The project of the monument was designed by the sculptor A.R. von Bock and was installed not by chance. The great composer was a native of the Smolensk province and spent his childhood years in Smolensk. And, despite the fact that a significant part of his life Glinka rarely visited Russia, in Smolensk remember his famous countryman and honor his memory.

The monument is a 2.5-meter bronze figure of Glinka, installed on a rectangular pedestal. The composer stands at the puppeteer with a conductor’s wand in his hand, as if listening to a melody coming from somewhere far away. The forged openwork fence of the monument is made in the form of lines dotted with notes, on which connoisseurs of musical writing read excerpts from the works of Glinka. The fact that Glinka is depicted standing with his back to the music player only emphasizes that he is a composer - knows the notes by heart and does not need clues.

The grand opening of the monument, created on voluntary donations, was timed to the composer’s birthday and took place on May 20, 1885. The ceremony was attended by the composer's colleagues - A.S. Arensky, P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.A. Balakirev and many others.