Monument to Semyon in Murmansk: history, address, photo

How much do we know about our younger brothers? Do we know the possibilities of pets? Take, for example, cats. Scientists have determined that members of the cat family can travel within 600-700 kilometers from the house. But among the purring creatures there are real record-breakers. Lost cats return to their masters in another city or even a country. One such hero was immortalized by Murmansk citizens. Why did they put a monument to Semyon in Murmansk?

Way home

The prototype of the cat from bronze was a real character belonging to the family of Sinishins. A married couple, returning from the south through Moscow, lost an unlucky pet in the metropolis. To search for an animal did not try: Moscow is a big city, and the probability of finding a pet there is zero.

What was the surprise of the owners when, six and a half years later, a tired, hungry, exhausted cat appeared on their doorstep. The animal zamyukalo loudly, and when it was allowed into the house, followed to a bowl of food and, satisfying the hunger, snugly settled on the TV.

Legendary Semyon walked about two thousand kilometers. This is the distance separating Murmansk and Moscow. The event could not go unnoticed, and in 1994 the Murmansk Herald newspaper wrote about the traveler. Later, the cat was shot in a short film.

For a long time this story was considered a legend, but journalists managed to find the owner of the purring Alevtina Mikhailovna Sinishina. The woman told that for many years she and her husband reconciled with the loss of the pet, and Semyon's return was a real surprise for the husband and wife.

The adventures of an amazing animal have not left indifferent correspondents, filmmakers and just indifferent people. Admired by the devotion of the cat to his home, the journalist of the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda presented his book to the couple with an autograph.

Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk: history

The idea of creating a sculpture belongs to the reporter Dmitry Kachalov. The journalist suggested that the authorities acquire a kind of symbol of the city, like the Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg.

The idea was supported, but with the image of the capital of the Arctic Circle it was not immediately decided. Enthusiasts offered to cast in bronze the mythical deity Cthulhu, the boy, adhering to the frozen hill, the reindeer, cooked according to the local recipe, the cod liver. However, most of the townspeople gave their votes to Semyon. Murmansk residents chose the layout of the monument and partially paid for the installation.

The victory in the competition of works of masters was won by the project of Nadezhda Vinyukova from Moscow, on the basis of which the monument to the cat Semyon was cast in Murmansk.

Monument opening

On October 2, 2013, the canvas was solemnly pulled from the sculpture. The event was timed to the City Day. The ceremony was attended by the head of the administration Andrei Sysoev and the mayor of Murmansk, Alexei Veller. At twelve o'clock in the afternoon the townspeople saw sitting on a bench a well-fed cat with a knapsack behind his shoulders. Since then, the monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk is considered open.

Bronze Semen is not like his living brother, it's impossible to keep such weight after a long journey. Yes, and bags with belongings in cats can not be. Nevertheless, the sculpture aroused great interest among the visitors of the event, especially among children.

Unfortunately, the owner of the real cat was not invited to the opening. Perhaps it was because very few people believed in the authenticity of history. But Alevtina Mikhailovna is not offended. Together with her grandson, she took part in the voting, and although she herself preferred the work of another master, the woman does not challenge the selected monument to Semyon's cat in Murmansk.

Description of the sculpture

The monument not so much perpetuates the image of the traveler-cat, how much it symbolizes the loyalty of the pets to the owners. The sculpture of small forms is made of bronze and covered with patina. Weight of bronze seeds is one hundred and twenty kilograms, growth - more than one meter. The animal sits on a bench 1.6 meters long. The shop is decorated with the inscription: "Cat Semen".

The monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk (photo below) is an invitation to sit, think about the eternal, share your problems with a wise life experience with a purr.

Believe

After the discovery of the monument, the inhabitants of Murmansk immediately began to whisper their cherished desires to the bronze traveler. Belief was born at the opening ceremony. The chiefs of the city shared their dreams first, then the children were occupied by the cat. Will it come true, time will tell. Is it really that important? The main thing is that around the bronze cat formed a halo of mystery, as befits urban sculpture.

Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk: where is the

The symbol of the capital of the Arctic Circle is located not far from Semenovskoe Lake. This is an amazing place in which civilization and nature are combined. Around the pond is a park of culture and recreation, where you can eat, ride on a boat, experience the thrill of the attractions.

Since the name of the cat is consonant with the name of the lake, someone might think that the object is named after Semyon. In fact, this is not so. The lake was named after the pomor Sezhen Korzhev, who lives in these parts long before the appearance of the first buildings and piers.

Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk (address: the shore of the Semyonov Lake) was installed in one of the favorite places of rest for the townspeople. The nearby streets are Gagarin, Alexandrov and Heroes-Severomortsev Avenue.

Other cats-travelers

In Murmansk there is a monument to cat Semyon. But the prototype of the hero is not the only animal that has overcome distances. So, in 2012, the inhabitants of Rostov-on-Don lost the Barsik cat in Krasnodon (Ukraine). The animal returned in a month. Murlyka passed a distance of 200 kilometers, crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border.

In England, the cat returned home three weeks later. The pet ran 70 kilometers through the forest. The length of the way home from the purring establishment from Holland was 150 kilometers. Such exploits were repeated by cats in France and the USA. Persian found the owners after their move to Oklahoma. It is noteworthy that earlier the animal was never in this state.

Scientific research

The amazing ability of cats to navigate in space was studied by specialists from Germany and the United States of America. The Germans carried the label in closed boxes around the city, and then released it. The experiment participants easily found the way to their home. Then the scientists complicated the task: the cats were not only taken out of town, but also let the animals through the labyrinth. The results surpassed all expectations: 98% of the subjects successfully coped with the puzzle. And cats did not just get out of the maze, but did it through the exit leading home.

Similar results were received by Americans. In the experiments of the ethologists of the USA, the animals did not see the road, because they were fast asleep, but when they woke up they orientated themselves on the terrain without problems.

The conducted experiments confirm the ability of cats to choose the right road, but do not explain the reasons for this behavior. One of the hypotheses is the presence in the tissues of the purr of iron interacting with the magnetic field of the Earth. Their bodies are like a compass. To confirm the scientific assumption, a magnet was put on the cat, after which the animal had problems with the orientation.

The above cases show how little people know about other creatures. We should be more attentive to our lesser brothers. Perhaps, then the coexistence of living organisms on Earth will become more constructive.