September 26, 2022

HBD, Famous Orb


HBD, Famous Orb
A summer view of a monstrous landmark. VisitNovgorod.com

One hundred and sixty years ago September, one of Russia's most strikingly unusual monuments was erected: the fastidious and orb-shaped Millennium of Russia.

A granite-plinth-mounted bronze monstrosity weighing over a hundred tons and located in the medieval Kremlin of Veliky Novgorod, the landmark fastidiously portrays major events from throughout Russian history in individual characters as well as reliefs. Political and military leaders appear alongside cultural icons like Pushkin and Gogol.

The monument was constructed in 1862 to coincide with the one thousandth anniversary of the initial founding of the Russian state in 862, the date traditionally regarded as when the Viking adventurer Rurik settled in what is now Veliky Novgorod and took on the role of a local leader. His relatives would eventually come to rule many of the oldest Russian cities.

The tsar himself at the time of construction, Alexander II, presided over the opening ceremonies.

The Millennium of Russia incorporates a good deal of symbolism that reflects a traditional Russian view of the motherland: the orb, a piece of imperial regalia, is topped by a massive cross, below which kneels a female personification of Russia, in the process of being anointed by an angel. Peter the Great strides forward confidently, and Rurik himself gazes above a shield marked "6370": 862 by the Byzantine calendar.

Ivan the Terrible is, notably, absent.

You Might Also Like

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square
  • March 14, 2021

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square

The hoopla surrounding a new monument at a controversial location in central Moscow highlights the importance of history for Russia – and ourselves.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955