It became known when the restoration of the Arc de Triomphe will be completed in St. Petersburg

The cost of restoring the historical monument is more than 300 million rubles

Currently, 84 artistic and architectural elements are in the workshop, but all restoration work is planned to be completed in the fall of 2024. This was told by the deputy general director of the restoration workshop, Khristina Shumilova, who is engaged in the restoration of an architectural monument in the neoclassical style on the Moscow Gate Square in St. Petersburg.

The Moscow Triumphal Gate is the largest architectural structure in the world, created from cast iron parts: its height is 24 meters, while its length is 36.

On October 16, 1838, the opening of a memorial took place, erected in honor of three events, about which the inscription on the gate, compiled by Nicholas I, says: “To the victorious Russian troops in memory of the exploits in Persia, Turkey and during the pacification of Poland in 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830 , and 1831.” However, in the 1930s, the arch was dismantled due to the expansion of the urban area, and during the Second World War, cast iron parts were even used as defense structures. The gates were returned to their rightful place only in 1961, and forty years later even a general reconstruction of the Moscow Gates took place, after which they were not touched for many years. However, at the end of February 2023, specialists began to restore the Moscow Triumphal Gate:

“We plan to start installing the acroteries in May. Then the work will continue at the beginning of summer, at which time we will just begin installing the winged geniuses and letters,” said Khristina Shumilova.

The main difficulty in working with acroteria (architectural elements in the form of armor, shields, spears, flags and standards), consisting of 45 large and 39 small parts, lies not so much in the restoration itself, but in further assembly.

“For them, we made new frames from stainless material, which should be mounted on the monument, having thought through the strengthening of some components. Before the start of the current restoration, they were made of ferrous metal and were in unsatisfactory condition,” she explains.

Upon completion of the restoration work, specialists will begin assembling the frame, after which the elements will be transported to the Moscow Triumphal Gate. Where, with the help of a large crane, the acroteria will be placed on the monument first, and only then the winged geniuses and letters. The final stage will be the improvement of the area near the monument, which is planned for the fall of 2024.

According to the chairman of the KGIOP Sergei Makarov, the restoration is being carried out at the expense of the St. Petersburg budget. The total amount of financing is 332.5 million rubles.