It's hard to imagine a modern city without all sorts of monuments and monuments. Street sculptures are usually installed in honor of famous figures of art and culture, politicians or scientists. A separate genre among the monuments is the collective personified images - "Unknown Soldier", "Motherland". And only a few decades ago, monuments began to appear on the streets depicting “mere mortals”, representatives of professions that can hardly be called prestigious. Did you know, for example, that in Russia there is a monument to plumbers, and not just one?
"Stepanych" from Omsk
In 1998, the city of Omsk received a very unusual gift for its next birthday. In its very center, on Lenin Street, a monument to plumbers was erected. The inhabitants of the city very quickly nicknamed him "Stepanych" or "Stepan". The sculpture is an image of a man leaning out of the hatch to the middle of his chest. "Stepanych" leans on his elbows and looks thoughtfully intoside of the roadway (the monument itself is on the sidewalk). The plumber has a helmet on his head and a key near his hands.
Inhabitants of Omsk eventually got used to such an unusual attraction, but it is a pleasure to watch the reaction of tourists who do not expect to see the original sculpture literally under their feet. Today "Stepanych" is considered one of the symbols of Omsk. If you ask where the plumbing monument is located, any resident of the city will tell you the way. The exact address of the attraction: Omsk, Lenina Street, then you just have to take a short walk along the sidewalk.
Which monument to plumber appeared first in Russia?
In fact, there are a lot of monuments to plumbers and workers of related industries in our country. Several street sculptures are fighting for the title of the very first. But still, most often, the monument erected in Yekaterinburg is considered the oldest monument to plumbers. This attraction appeared in 1995 near the central office of Uralenergoserviskomplekt, it was this organization that ordered the manufacture and installation of such an unusual street decoration. Outwardly, the monument in Yekaterinburg is very similar to its counterpart from Omsk. It is also a bust of a hard-hat worker leaning out of a manhole.
The most original sculptures
Most often, plumbers are depicted leaning out of the hatch to the chest or waist. But there are also several unusual and original sculptures in our country dedicated to the workers of water utilities. In Perm, not far from the citybaths, a sculptural composition was installed, consisting of a sculpture of a plumber sitting on a pipe with an adjustable wrench in his hands.
The expression on this man's face is very thoughtful, it seems that in a moment he will return to his difficult work. There is also an unusual monument to a plumber in Ussuriysk. The sculpture is installed near the central building of the water utility. The monument depicts a man in overalls in full growth, it is believed that the prototype of the monument was the real-life plumber Yuri Rubanov in the city.
How many plumbers are immortalized in Russia?
In total, about 20 monuments dedicated to locksmiths and other workers whose professions are somehow connected with water supply have been installed in our country. There is a monument to plumbers in such cities as Chelyabinsk, Volgograd, Moscow, Prokopyevsk, Saransk, Rybinsk, Tyumen and many others. There are many sculptures dedicated to public utilities in Ukraine, today there are such monuments in many other countries.
And yet, despite their prevalence, such sights are still considered unusual. If you come to a city where there is a monument to a plumber, you must take a photo with him. It is also considered a good omen to appease the locksmith - to treat him with vodka and a cigarette. Such an offering, according to urban legends, will save plumbing in your own apartment or house from breakdowns.
