Russian History Museum restores ancient statue in Red Square

The Russian State History Museum carried out the work on restoring the bronze statue of Prince Dmitry Bujarsky and citizen Kuzma Minin on Red Square in Moscow.

Museum director Alexei Levikin said the restoration process would not affect the statue’s historic exterior. He explained that the restorers will restore some missing parts, such as parts of the prince’s helmet and some gilded elements, which will restore the copper statue to its original noble shape that it acquired at the beginning of the 19th century.

He added that all the modifications will primarily affect the area around the statue, where modern lighting devices and other devices will be installed that will help the people of Moscow and its guests to enjoy the appearance of the copper statue in the center of Red Square.

He said that the archaeological excavations conducted near the statue resulted in the discovery of parts of the old pavement dating back to the 14th century AD. As for the foundation of the statue, which was built in 1931, archaeologists found inside it fragments of white stones that were used when building the Kremlin in the 15th century AD.

It is noteworthy that the statue of the citizen Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Bujarsky was established in 1818 thanks to public donations. As for the restoration of the statue, it is also carried out thanks to the donations of Russian citizens and Russian banks. The Russian Ministry of Culture also contributed to the financing of the restoration.

It is worth noting that in 1612 the prince, Dmitriy Bogarsky, headed the Russian people’s militia that expelled the Polish occupiers from the Kremlin and Moscow. A wealthy citizen, Kuzma Minin, financed the popular war against the invaders.

Source: TASS