Monument to the letter "O" in Vologda: history, description, photo

The monument to the letter "O" in Vologda appeared in 2012. It was installed in honor of the 865th anniversary of the city. The initiators were the students of the Vologda Institute of Business. The monument is dedicated to a special Vologda dialect with characteristic circumference known practically to the whole country.

The appearance of the monument

The monument to the letter "O" in Vologda appeared in the park on the Cathedral Hill. The choice was made not by chance. After all, this is the most favorite letter of the region's inhabitants in the entire Russian alphabet. It is thanks to her that everyone knows perfectly well what Vologda dialect is.

A warm relation to this letter from the Vologda has long existed. One has only to say that almost all brands have it in their composition. The monument to the letter "O" in Vologda appeared on June 29, becoming the main gift for the celebration of the City Day.

Jubilee of Vologda

It is believed that Vologda was founded in 1147. It was this date that was determined on the basis of the chronicle of "The Tale of the Miracles of Gerasim of Vologda", which was published in 1666. And also the work "The Chronicler", which belongs to Ivan Slobodsky. He graduated in 1716.

It is worth, however, just to make a reservation that both of these sources are secondary, written on the basis of earlier works that have not reached us. They tell how the monk Gerasim came to the river Vologda and founded the Trinity Monastery.

According to other sources, in the 12th century there was already a small settlement on the site of modern Vologda. However, it was not yet a city, did not have a fortified detynets. So, perhaps, 1147 is not the year of foundation, but the year of the first mention of Vologda. Despite this, it is from this date that modern historians are counting.

Therefore, in 2012, when they placed the monument to the letter "O" in Vologda, celebrated the anniversary - 865 years from the day of foundation.

Symbols of Vologda

The monument to the letter "O" in Vologda, the description of which is in this article, clearly demonstrates one of the key symbols of Vologda. But he is far from being the only one.

When any person hears the name of the city of Vologda, he immediately remembers the Vologda oil. Today it is one of the main brands in the region. Unsalted sweet cream butter is known throughout Russia and far beyond its borders, thanks to its special flavor and taste. It can be achieved with the help of a special method for processing fresh cream under the influence of high temperatures. The nuances of technology are kept secret.

It is noteworthy that the Vologda oil has an inventor. They are the brother of the famous battle artist Vasily Vereshchagin - Nikolai. Before working on the production of oil in his homeland, he studied the dairy industry in Europe for a long time. I wrote out the best oil masters from abroad to teach Russian technologists.

It is believed that the first Vologda oil was received in 1871. Shortly before, Vereshchagin returned from Paris, where the World Exhibition was held, dedicated to the dairy farm. There he was inspired by oil with a pronounced nut flavor, produced in Normandy. He set a goal - to make a home product is not worse.

Also, after hearing about Vologda, everyone remembers the song of Boris Mokrousov and Mikhail Matusovsky, which is called Vologda. About it there is a funny urban legend, which is told to all visitors. As you remember, the lyric hero of this song personally carries letters to the post office to be delivered to his lover, who lives in Vologda, in a house with a carved palisade. Jokers claim that at the time of writing the song in Vologda there was only one house with a carved palisade. It housed a skin and venereal dispensary.

The idea of installing a monument

In April 2012, it became known where exactly the monument to the letter "O" in Vologda would appear. The history of the appearance is connected with the initiative of the students of the Vologda Institute of Business. Now it is called the Vologda Cooperative College.

It should be noted that the city authorities eagerly supported this proposal. After the discussion, officials and public figures came to the conclusion that the most optimal location would be a square on the Cathedral Hill, opposite the house of the famous writer, a native of Vologda Varlam Shalamov. Earlier, the option to install a memorial sign on Babushkin Square was considered. But they decided to abandon it, because they were going to carry out the reconstruction in the near future.

The citizens themselves had to decide what would be the monument to the letter "O" in Vologda. Information on the selection of the project was posted on the website of the educational institution. In the competition, 17 sketches participated, Vologda residents had to choose the best one.

Vologda Speech

The Vologda dialect, which served as the basis for the appearance of the monument to this very letter, is considered one of the most original in the country. It belongs to a group of Northern Russian dialects, which were widely distributed on the territory not only of the Vologda, but also of the Arkhangelsk region.

At the same time, the Vologda dialect has its own individual characteristics, which became so famous. Vologda prose writer Vassily Ivanovich Belov, one of the brightest representatives of the Soviet "rural" prose, the author of the story "The habitual business", the novel of "Eve", the documentary "Daily life of the Russian North" contributed to this in many respects. It was he who began to use the features of the Vologda dialect frequently and vividly in his works. The corresponding vocabulary is often found in the dialogues of his characters, making them particularly memorable.

What does the monument look like?

The monument to the letter "O" in Vologda, photo of which is in this article, is made of metal. According to the results of an open Internet poll conducted on the website of the Vologda Business Institute, the architect Denis Pozdnyakov won the project.

The height of the monument is about three meters, this is taking into account the pedestal, on which the letter itself stands. The final weight is about 300 kilograms. The memorial sign is decorated with traditional classical northern patterns, among which Vologda dominates, of course. For its production, the author was given a certificate in the amount of a quarter of a million rubles. It is worth noting that almost immediately after installation, the monument became the winner at the prestigious interregional exhibition called "Vologda - the innovation platform". The jury members appreciated the author's idea and how it was embodied.

Time to create a monument took a little - just two weeks. But they worked hard to make it to the Day of the City, six highly skilled blacksmiths worked every day without a weekend in the workshop. In the development of the drawing, the main architect of the city rendered assistance to the developers. I had to work with metal, bend everything strictly according to the schemes, at the last stage - paint. Ultimately, it was decided to make one side of the letter copper, and the second - golden.

Later Vologda students, who care about the development and popularization of their land, began to develop an information tourist portal, which they called - "O". He tells about the history, architecture and culture of Vologda itself, and, of course, the monument to which this article is devoted.

Information and tourist portal

The portal, founded shortly after the opening of the monument, played a large role in the development of the tourist potential of this region. After all, you can find on it not only a description of the monument of the letter "O" in Vologda, but also information about everything, for which it is worth to come to this area.

There are at least 8 reasons to visit this area. It is cognitive, therapeutic and health-improving, active and children's rest, gastronomic, religious tourism, ecotourism and a trip for the purpose of entertainment and shopping.

It is noteworthy that any of these programs can include the visit of the monument to the letter "O" in Vologda. The history of the region is rich, so you will not be bored, and you will be able to replenish your knowledge luggage significantly.

List of attractions

The list of memorable and iconic places in the Vologda region, of course, is not limited to one monument to the letter "O". For all visitors, the residence of Father Frost, the unique museum of paper in Kirillo-Belozersky monastery and the museum-reserve, the Gal'skiy estate, the Vologda lace museum, the Bryanchaninov manor, the Semenkovo architectural and ethnographic museum, the house museum of Peter I.

Vologda crafts

We should also mention Vologda's crafts. Today many of them are cultivated till now, actively using, by the way, the letter "O" in their brands.

First of all, this is lacework, painting on wood and ceramics, pottery, production of birch bark, silvering.

Vologda lace is another symbol of this region. Their main distinguishing feature - openwork, as well as a special pattern that resembles an apple orchard or a flowering meadow.