Where is the monument to books?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

For many centuries the book has been perceived by people as a rich source of knowledge, experience, wisdom. This is a kind of bridge connecting different cultures and generations. As a gratitude and demonstration of the recognition of the importance of books in human life, today we can see numerous "literary" monuments-books in many countries of the world. Each carries a certain history and philosophy. Let's get acquainted with the most interesting of them.

USA

In the United States, you can find many monuments dedicated to books. So, in the city of Koshokton, in front of the public library, a thematic monument was erected in 2004. Its author is the sculptor Allan Cottrill. Visually, the monument is a stack of hundreds of volumes, on top of which sits, thinking about something, a boy with an open book. Each monumental folio has a title, and the copy in the boy's hands is left without it. It's doneespecially so that every library visitor can submit their favorite book.

An unusual monument to books is located in front of the building of the University Library of Nebraska-Lincoln. The statue is made in the form of a bicycle, on which 17 books are stacked in piles. This monument was called "The Balancing Books". The names of writers and philosophers (Socrates, Charles Dickens, Marcel Proust, Louis Lamour) are written on the rim of both wheels. Among them is the name of the modern writer Daniela Steele. This monument demonstrates the richness of world culture and gives students an incentive for spiritual development.

American scientist Amelia Weinberg back in 1982 bequeathed all her work and personal books to the Cincinnati Public Library (Ohio). Eight years later, sculptor Michael Fresca decided to commemorate this noble deed in the original monument. It is a pair of stacks of thick books. They are made of baked clay and stylized under the skin. The fountain enlivens the composition. It also carries the symbolic meaning of the inexhaustible flow of knowledge that humanity needs for life.

In Germany

A twenty-meter monument to the books of outstanding German philosophers and writers rises on Bebel Square in Berlin. It was installed in 2006 in front of the famous Humboldt University. Its weight reaches 35 tons. 17 books stacked in a pile are marked with the names of the authors: Hegel, Goethe, Schiller, Marx, the Grimm brothers, Lessing and others. The monument was created in honor of Johannes Gutenberg -inventor of modern printing.

And not far away, all on the same square, there is another monument called "The Drowned Library". The missing books here are rather a symbol of memory, not letting one forget about the brutal burning of more than 12 thousand great works in May 1933 by fascist students. The monument is an empty bookshelf that goes underground, into the void.

In the UK

Unusual in design is a grotesque monument in London. Its composition is made up of a huge book that crushed a man's head, and a tree growing from the book. Such an unusual monument was called "Despite the history." Its author is sculptor Bill Woodrow.

In Spain

An unusually "live", realistic monument in the form of a book is located in Barcelona. It was installed in 1994 by Joan Brossa. The peculiarity of the monument lies in the use of non-traditional materials and the original composition and forms. The monument is a half-open book placed in a huge bowl. It looks like the pages are moving in the wind.

In Poland

In 2008, a book fair was held in Lesk, on the old square. It was then that the city administration opened the first monument to the book in Poland. The bronze alloy depicts a heavy tome adorned with the state emblem. As conceived by the sculptor Andrzej Pityński, the big book symbolizes the weight of the printed word. Tom is held by hands reaching up. This composition is alsotestifies to the enlightenment, development and spiritual height that books carry.

In Israel

A majestic monument to books and writing is installed in Haifa. Its opening date is 2007, and the composition is a huge three-meter book made of bronze. Various symbols and letters literally “fall out” of it. By this, the author emphasizes that the monument symbolizes the continuous development of printing and writing. The monument is located in a picturesque park and is available for viewing to all residents and tourists of the city.

In Turkmenistan

Monuments dedicated to books carry different symbols. Saparmurat Niyazov is considered the father of the Turkmen nation. His book "Rukhnama" ("The Book of the Spirit"), perhaps, today every inhabitant of Turkmenistan can quote. And it is no coincidence that in the main city of the country in Independence Park, a giant monument in the form of a sacred book has been erected. Its height is the size of a two-story house. Every evening, the Rukhnama opens, and a documentary film about the development of the Turkmen nation is shown on the front page with the help of a projector.

In the UAE

And here is another masterpiece of monumentalism, bearing national significance. One of the most conservative in terms of religion is the emirate of Sharjah. In its capital, on the Culture Square, a majestic monument of seven meters in height was erected. It is the holy book of the Quran with open pages. Religious symbolism is supported by shimmering gold Arabic script and a nearby mosque. Book-monumentplaced on a high plinth. For the dark time of the day, original lighting is provided, which visually increases the size of the monument.

In China

China has always been famous for its unbreakable traditions and non-standard view of the world. The monument to books is one of the deep symbolic phenomena that a tourist can meet here. Of particular interest is the huge granite tome. On its cover, Chinese characters and numbers are visible, and a human face appears from them. The meaning of the composition is quite simple: if a baby appears from the womb, then a person as a person is formed thanks to books.

Tourists are also curious about another monument dedicated to the power of knowledge. Its composition is a swing-balancer, on one side sits an adult plump man with one book in his hands, on the other - a fragile girl with a small stack of books. According to the author's intention, the girl outweighs the man. Thus, the main idea of the monument is read: the significance of a person lies in the amount of knowledge, and not in physical weight.

In Russia

Monuments to books in Russia occupy, perhaps, a special place, as they are presented in a rich variety, and each of them has its own history. So, original compositions can be found in Taganrog, Murmansk, Krasnoyarsk, Angarsk, Stavropol, Kogalym. Some are touching and graceful, while others majestically remind us of the geniuses of Russian literature of past centuries.

Underthe classic title "Book - a source of knowledge" is a thematic monument in Omsk, at the entrance to the bookstore on the street. Lenin. The originality of the composition lies in the method of its creation from metal using electric blow welding. The monument is made in the form of an open book. On its pages fairy-tale characters and letters are depicted. Its author is Alexander Kapralov. Unfortunately, the true intention of the artist remained unknown. But for tourists visiting the city, this composition gives unlimited freedom for imagination and "thinking out".

The most popular and impressive, according to tourists, is the monument to the book in St. Petersburg. It is located on Universitetskaya Embankment (St. Petersburg State University) and is a huge open book (3.62.40.9). The monument is made of granite, on its pages you can read the famous lines from Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman". The monument was opened in 2002, its creation is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the city. The authors were the artist E. Solovieva, the architect O. Romanov and the art critic A. Raskin.

Another St. Petersburg monument dedicated to books has an unusual history. It is associated with the name of Konstantin Grot, the founder of the Care for the Blind. The composition represents a girl sitting on a pedestal. Her gaze is fixed on the sky, and her right hand seems to be sliding over the page of an open book. Looking closely, you can find that on the lap of a blind girl is the publication of K. Ushinsky "Children's World".

Quite modest in size and composition, you can find a thematic monument in Khimki. It was installed in 2010 duringthe first Moscow Forum of Culture. The bronze monument depicts an open book on a pedestal. On one page you can see the profile of the Russian poet A. S. Pushkin, on the other - the lines of his poem: "I remember a wonderful moment …". The book is set as if it is floating in the air, and the stone pedestal is decorated with a feather and a lyre. Its very shape resembles a soft sign.

Monument buildings

Monuments to books in the world are more and more distinguished by originality and non-standard forms, colors and materials. The top of such monuments today can be called buildings in the form of books. Here sculpture is closely intertwined with urban architecture. Representatives of this type of monuments can be found in Kansas City (USA), in Moscow, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Grozny, Ashgabat, Paris, etc. As a rule, the facades of public libraries, press and creativity centers, educational and financial institutions are decorated in this style.