Category Archive: Folk monuments

Dol hareubangs – Cheju Do island stone grandfathers

Dol hareubangs – Cheju Do island stone grandfathers
A pearl of South Korea, Jeju, or Cheju Do is the most beautiful island of all East Asia. Also, people know it as the island of three abundances: stones, wind and women. And what is most important here is stones, because the whole island consists of stone. The inhabitants came up with an original application for it: house fences, gravestones, coastal traps. According to the results of the international competition, held in late 2011, Jeju Island entered the seven new natural wonders. Strictly speaking, the island is an extinct volcano. Once poured from the crater lava, now, becoming a basalt, it serves material for the sculptors and artists of applied art. Carved from it stone idols, grandfathers became symbols of Jeju Island and accordingly, tourist destination.
The characteristic feature of the appearance of such statues is a common facial expression, similar to a grin, large bulging eyes without pupils, a large and flat nose, and closed smiling mouth. Also, a relaxed state of hands below the face, one above the other. The entire upper part of the Hareubang crowns the mushroom-like cap. The word “hareubang” (“Dol hareubang”) from the dialect spoken by the inhabitants of Jeju Island can be translated as “stone grandfather”.
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Sculptural composition located in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia. Photo by Ramil Farrakhov. The Gigantic Turnip Repka fairy-tale monuments

The Gigantic Turnip Repka fairy-tale monuments
Undoubtedly, every child knows a classic Russian fairy tale, written by Alexey Tolstoy “Repka” (Turnip). An old man plants a turnip seed that grows into a turnip of enormous size. He can’t pull the vegetable from the ground, because it’s too big. So, his wife tries to help him. Next, their grandchildren come. To pull the turnip from the ground, even the farm animals – a dog, a cat, one by one, come to help. Finally, the most unexpected creature – a little mouse enables them to pull the turnip from the ground. The moral of the story is that a collective labor and a united family, where every member is important, can do anything.
Also, the Fairy tale points to the interrelations of generations. Besides, it points to the interaction of temporal structures, life forms and forms of existence. And Turnip unites the earthly, underground and aboveground – three forms of life, three structures.
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Naro-Fominsk of Moscow region. The sculpture of Yemelya in front of a bank. Fairy-tale character Yemelya monuments

Fairy-tale character Yemelya monuments
A simple and kind guy Emelya, sitting on the stove – the main character of the Russian folk tale “On the Pike’s Wish”. The ride on the stove, on which the lazy Emelya lies, not wanting to get up from it – one of the brightest episodes of a fairy tale. Meanwhile, village guy Emelya on the stove is the embodiment of many people’s dreams. So, doing nothing, getting everything from life, isn’t it a dream? And not surprising that the lazy Emelya, lying on the stove, became an inspiration for the film makers, artists and sculptors. As a result, monuments dedicated to Emelya on the stove appear one after another in different cities of Russia.
Tale of a guy who was lying on the stove, and then married the daughter of the king – the fruit of folk art. The author of the ancient Russian legend is for certain unknown. By the time of the first publication, there were 3 different versions of the story.
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Located on the border of Serbia and Romania, Decebalus face unique rock carved sculpture

Decebalus face unique rock carved sculpture
If your way passes through Serbia, then you can see the statue from the opposite bank of the river in good and clear weather. Route 25-1 passes along the Danube, at a slight distance from the high rocky coast. Leaving the car at the road, you can go to the shore through the forest (about 200-300 meters) and will see the monument behind the bridge. The distance to the nearest city of Tekiqa is about 11 kilometers.
Carved from a monolithic rock, the head of the last king of Dacians Decebalus is, in fact, the largest rock monument in Europe. Decebalus (87–106 AD) became famous for his frequent raids on the Roman Empire. According to belief, Decebalus, who did not want to give up, committed suicide by piercing himself with a sword.
Noteworthy, it took the sculptors ten years to create this impressive monument, completed in 2004. Twelve sculptors-climbers worked on a sculpture, which height is 40 meters and a width of 25 meters. Besides, the place not chosen by chance. Here, in the narrow canyon of the Danube, the Roman emperor Trajan in 105 won the final victory over the army of Dacia.
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Sterlitamak, Russia. Work by sculptor Valentin Mikhailovich Rechikov, St. Petersburg. Mythological bird Sirin monuments

Mythological bird Sirin monuments

The sculpture of the mythological bird Sirin appeared in the Russian city of Sterlitamak in 2015. According to the Slavic and, in particular Russian mythology, Sirin is a wonderful bird of paradise, possessing a charming voice. In medieval Russian legends, sometimes it flies to earth and sings prophetic songs about the coming bliss, but sometimes these songs can prove harmful to a person – you can lose your mind. Therefore, in some legends, Sirin acquires a negative value, so that it even begins to be considered a dark bird, a messenger of the underworld. The Sirin bird is afraid of loud sounds, so to scare it off, people ring bells, shoot guns, and blow trumpets.
The author of the sculpture is Valentin Mikhailovich Rechikov, St. Petersburg. Born in 1954 in the village of Volovo, Moscow Region – Meshchera on the river Pra. He graduated from the Higher Art and Industrial School of VI Mukhina in 1991. Participant of more than 100 exhibitions and more than 10 symposia on stone, wood in Russia and abroad.
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Work by sculptor Ivan Storozhev. Famous Russian Samovar monuments

Famous Russian Samovar monuments
Suksun, a city-type settlement in the Perm region of Russia, bears the name of “the capital of the Russian samovar.” Located on the left bank of the Sylva River (Chusovoy tributary), the city got its name from the Turkic word suksun, which means “jelly water”. Meanwhile, the found here copper deposits became the reason of establishing here a settlement and later a city (1651). Since the 17th century it was here that the production of samovars began.
The monument to the famous Suksun samovar appeared in 2006. The author of the monument is the teacher of the Perm branch of the Russian Academy of Painting and Sculpture Ivan Ivanovich Storozhev. The monument to the samovar consists of 4 sculptures, which symbolize prosperity, strong family relations and hospitality. The height of the monument is 3 meters, and its weight is more than 900 kg.
Meanwhile, there is a popular belief that if to rub a Suksun samovar you will always be surrounded by friends and close people. In addition, on their wedding day the newlyweds come here to perform a kind of ritual. In particular, after holding on to the tap of the samovar, they make a wish and believe that their family life will be long and happy. Besides, the locals and guests of the city, in the hope of returning here again, fill a cup of tea with coins.
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Copper monument to Kolobok in Ulyanovsk. Located next to the hotel ‘Skazka’ (Fairy tale). Russian folk character Kolobok monuments

Russian folk character Kolobok monuments
The inscription on the monument says – shake my hand – and you will find a true friend. Rub my cheek – you will find love. And if you leave the coin – you’ll become rich.
Kolobok is a funny character of the Russian folk tale of the same name. Represented in the form of a small wheat bread in a spherical shape, the kolobok escaped from his grandmother and grandfather. So, during the holy journey, he manages to escape from different animals (a hare, a wolf and a bear). However, no matter how lucky the kolobok was, the cunning fox ate it.
Meanwhile, a fairy tale about Kolobok found in Russian and Ukrainian folklore, also has analogues in the tales of many other peoples. In particular, its equivalents are the American “gingerbread man”, and the English “Johnny-donut”. Also, Scandinavian, German, Uzbek, Tatar and other fairy tales have a similar plot.
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