Monument to A. P. Chekhov
Description:
A two-meter bronze monument to A. P. Chekhov was installed in 2004 on the embankment in honor of the 400th anniversary of the city of Tomsk. The author of the monument is the famous sculptor Leonty Usov. The monument was erected at the expense of public funds.
The writer is depicted in a caricature and grotesque form: in a ridiculous hat, in a coat, skewed to the side glasses, as well as barefoot and with rather disproportionate large legs. Behind his back, he has an umbrella, and at the bottom of the pedestal there is an inscription: "Anton Pavlovich in Tomsk through the eyes of a drunken man lying in a ditch and not reading "Kashtanka"!"
Thus, the city seemed to “revenge” Chekhov, who, having stayed here for a week, passing to Sakhalin in 1890, spoke about him in a rather unflattering way.
Opinions about this monument differ. Some say that he insults the memory of the great Chekhov and demand to demolish it, and for others he acts as a popular city landmark: guests and local citizens of Tomsk come to him to take pictures, but students believe that if you rub the nose of the sculpture before passing the exam, you will be lucky!
