Monument "Tachanka" in Rostov: history and description. What is a tachanka

The monument "Tachanka" has long been a kind of visiting card of Rostov-on-Don. He meets everyone who enters this city from the south (from Krasnodar). When the tachanka was invented, and what role did it play in history? Read about this in our article.

Tachanka - what is it?

At the end of the XIX century, the military had a qualitatively new type of weapon - a machine gun. Thanks to extremely high efficiency in the battles against infantry and cavalry, it very quickly gained popularity among all leading armies of the world. However, there was a powerful machine gun and one significant drawback: too much weight. And here also the legendary tachanka was useful. It was she who allowed the use of machine guns in maneuverable battles and operations.

The first attempts to install machine guns on mounted waggons were made by the British during their colonial wars. This method was significantly improved in Russia during the Civil War of 1917-1921. Especially deftly fought with tachanka pens Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno from Gulyaypole.

What is a tachanka? It is an open-type spring wagon on which a machine gun is attached. At the same time, the gun is pointed back. The frame of the tachanka was made of wooden beams, fastened together by metal corners, bolts and nuts. As a rule, three horses were harnessed to the tachanka. The crew of the car consisted of three (less than two) people - the driver, the machine gunner and his assistant.

This technical invention was widely used not only during the Civil War. It is known that the tachankas were used in the Polish army of the 1920s and 1930s. In addition, their own analogues (modernized reincarnations) can be considered passenger maneuverable cars, which are now actively exploited by fighters of the terrorist organization IGIL.

Tachanka as a cultural phenomenon

Concerning the origin of the term itself, there are several theories. One of them connects him with the Ukrainian word "netichanka" (this is a light wagon, the axles of which do not touch, or "do not get through" the hull). According to the second version, the word "tachanka" was derived from the word "Tavrichanka" (by simplification). So long been called wooden carts in the steppes of Tavria. By the way, a grandiose monument of "Tachanka" is also installed in Novaya Kakhovka.

Tachanka is widely used in culture, primarily as one of the main symbols of the Civil War of the early twentieth century. A lot of songs and poems have been written about her. So, for example, all residents of Rostov are familiar with the lines from the famous song:

"Oh, a tachanka-a Rostov woman,

Our pride and beauty,

Konarmeyskaya tachanka -

All four wheels! "

She was mentioned more than once in the cinema (feature films Chapaev, Fiery Versts, Nine Lives of Nestor Makhno, Tachanka from the South, etc.).

Monument "Tachanka" (Rostov-on-Don): location and description

On the southern outskirts of Rostov, right at the entrance to the city, is this grandiose monument. The monument of the "Tachanka" was installed exactly on the spot where almost a hundred years ago there were fierce battles between the First Cavalry Army of Budyonny and the Whiteguards of Denikin.

The total height of the sculptural composition is almost 15 meters. It includes a tachanka itself with two Budyonovs in the back of the truck and four horses that are rushing along the broad Kuban steppe.

"Тачканка-ростовчанка" has appeared on the bank of the channel of the river Don in 1977. A whole team of sculptors and architects worked under the guidance of A.A. Sknarina.

The current state and features of the Rostov monument

Today, almost every tourist or guest of the city stops at the "Tachanka". Be sure to drop by here and the newlyweds.

In 2008, the monument in Rostov-on-Don was restored and carefully washed. In addition, all holes and cracks on the surface of the sculptures were sealed.

The main feature of the sculptural composition is that it is hollow inside. All the figures are made of gypsum and are covered with thin copper sheets. Therefore climb on the monument is strongly undesirable - you can easily damage the sculpture and fall through.

Monument "Tachanka" in Kakhovka

It is curious that in the Ukrainian Kakhovka there is an almost identical monument. Only there it is called "Tachanka-Tavrichanka". At first glance, the monument is no different from Rostov. But, if you look more closely, there are differences.

So, Kakhovka "Tachanka" is much larger in size. In addition, it is made of bronze. Accordingly, the weight of the monument is much higher - about 60 tons. In the sculptural composition, the main difference is the presence of a banner in the hand of a machine gunner. And the horses are done a little differently in Kakhovka and Rostov-on-Don.