Animals Garden History

The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk

22.10.201701.03.2020 by Elena

The creation of the German animal painter Richard Freese, the Sculpture of the Deer, originally installed in the Rominstenskaya forest, appeared after the Great Patriotic War in the Smolensk garden of Blonje. The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk — The creation of the German animal sculptor Richard Freese, bronze Deer. Originally installed in the Rominsten forest, after the Great Patriotic War it appeared in Russia. The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk

The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk is quite interesting. In 1909, during the hunt in the Rominsten forest, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II killed a deer. The animal made a very strong impression on him, and he decided to install a statue of a deer in his castle. For many years the monument adorned the courtyard of the hunting castle in East Prussia, but in 1944 the statue mysteriously disappeared. In 1945, the sculpture, found by Soviet soldiers at the dacha of Goering, moved to Smolensk.
By the way, one deer horn weighs 200 kg. Meanwhile, residents and visitors of the city of Smolensk have a fun tradition – to rub the genitals of a deer to attract good luck.

Sculpture of a deer against the background of the hunting estate of Kaiser Wilhelm II (Rominsten forest). In late April 1911, the sculpture was in Berlin at the Great Art Exhibition

In 1909, in the vicinity of his hunting lodge in the Rominten Forest, Kaiser Wilhelm II shot a deer with surprisingly beautiful branched horns. The hunting trophy was so appealing to the emperor that he decided to immortalize it in bronze. For this, he invited the well-known sculptor-animalist Richard Freese. As a result, in 1910, at the chapel of St. Hubert on a low pedestal appeared a bronze sculpture. Besides, bronze deer turned out to be about 1.5 times larger than the original.

However, in 1944, the sculpture mysteriously disappeared and a year later the Soviet soldiers discovered it at Gering’s dacha. After the war, the deer was transported to Smolensk. In 1945, on the side of the trophy, it was still possible to read the inscription with white paint “A gift from East Prussia to the children of Smolensk from the Soviet Soldiers!” So, the Bronze deer became an ornament of the playground in the garden of Blonje.

Unfortunately, the favorite of Smolensk citizens, bronze deer repeatedly suffered from “excessive love” of the locals. During the years of its stay in the park of Blonje, the sculpture underwent three restorations. Once sculptor AN Rusetskaya and twice PA Fishman restored it. In addition, in 2010, to the centenary of the creation of the sculpture, P.A. Fishman conducted a major restoration of the deer. Also, the same year, next to the sculpture was installed a granite stone with a brass plaque, which indicates the name of the sculptor, as well as the date of creation of the bronze deer.

Interestingly, even before the war in the Rominsten forest near the sculpture was a comfortable hotel “At deer’s”, named in its honor.