Mink is a representative of the mustelid family with valuable fur. AT wild nature There are 2 species of these fur-bearing animals - European and American. They differ in body size, fur color, as well as the anatomical features of the structure of the skull and teeth.
Minks are perfectly adapted to life near water bodies. They swim well and dive well, they can walk along the bottom of lakes and rivers, clinging to uneven ground with their paws. They benefit people and nature by destroying numerous pests of forestry/agriculture - mouse-like rodents. They are close relatives of ferrets, ermines, weasels.
The American mink (Mustela vison/Neovison vison) is native to North America, the European mink (Mustela lutreola) is a native of Eurasia. Currently, both species of these predators live in Europe. The American mink was brought to the largest mainland in 1928 for the purpose of breeding on fur farms and in reserves. A little later, animals with valuable fur began to be released into the wild. The American species quickly adapted to the conditions of wild nature on the European continent and over time began to displace the European species from its original territories.
Mink appearance
Minks have an elongated body shape, a narrow muzzle with small, but wide ears, almost imperceptible in thick wool. Expressive black eyes resemble beads. The limbs of the animals are short, covered with sparse fur, on the fingers there are pronounced swimming membranes, especially wide on the hind legs.
Mink coat with short and smooth shiny fur. The hairline is so dense that even after being under water it does not get wet. This feature allows the mink to hunt in reservoirs with a water temperature of 10-15 degrees Celsius. The change of seasons does not affect the fur structure. mink skin all year round covered with dense fur with a thick undercoat.
The color is dominated by one color, from reddish to velvety brown shades. In winter, individuals with completely black or gray-brown fur are often found. AT summer period coloring differs slightly. The most dense colors are on the tail and paws of the minks, on the belly the tone is lighter. Often there is a light spot under the lip, less often there are minks with a spot on the chest or belly line.
Interesting fact
In the European mink, the swimming membranes on the paws are better developed, but the American species has thicker fur with a warm, lush undercoat of gray-black shades.
The American mink grows up to 60 centimeters in length (a fluffy tail sometimes reaches 25-30 centimeters) and weighs about 3 kilograms. The European mink is a smaller member of the weasel family. The body length of the animal rarely exceeds 45 centimeters (with a tail length of 12-18 centimeters), weight - 500-800 grams. A typical adult male weighs about 1 kilogram, a female about 600 grams. Male minks are always larger than females.
Habitat mink
Natural American covers almost the entire North America - the forest-tundra and forest zone, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plain. In the course of acclimatization in the early 30s of the last century, the animals were settled in the European part of Russia, on the territory of Belarus and Ukraine, in the Baltic countries. A little later, the animals were brought to the Caucasus, to the southern regions of Siberia, to Kamchatka. Over 10 years of active acclimatization, about 4 thousand American minks have been released to new places. Over time, the American species began to be bred on fur farms in various European countries. Minks often escaping from enclosures have established stable populations in Germany, England, France, and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
The European mink is common in Siberia, the Caucasus and the Far East. Also, the animal is found in Poland, in northern Spain, in the Danube Delta in Romania. Currently, the range consists of separate isolated fragments. There is a European mink at an altitude of no more than 1100 m above sea level. In the steppe zone lives near lakes and streams, lives in river valleys.
Mink near the shore
Lifestyle of the European and American mink
Nature itself has made the mink an ideal hunter. She can eat anyone who is smaller in size, even on the shore, even in the water. The animal has a strongly muscular long and slender body. Despite the short legs, the mink is an excellent swimmer, runs quite fast on land and climbs well (American species). In length, these animals grow up to 40-50 cm, and therefore not only river fish, frogs and small rodents, but also rabbits, and even muskrats become their prey.
Thanks to the streamlined shape of the body, the movable long tail and small webs on the paws, the mink swims excellently (it can stay under water for up to 2 minutes), its favourite hobby- fishing. The eyes of these mustelid predators are small, their eyesight is poor, so they rely more on their sense of smell when hunting. This hunting feeling enables the mink to go fishing in the dark. The predator reacts quickly to moving objects, much less to stationary ones.
Fur-bearing animals settle close to natural reservoirs, since their main prey is found in water. Animals choose sites near the banks of shallow rivers and streams, equip permanent and temporary shelters near non-freezing lakes and swamps with dry banks overgrown with grass or low shrubs. Further than 250 m from the reservoirs, minks rarely leave.
The European species often builds its own multi-chamber dwelling with several passages. The animals line the main chamber of the burrow with dry leaves, grass, moss, and bird feathers. The toilet is arranged next to the shelter.
American minks prefer to occupy deep, winding burrows of other animals; they rarely equip their own housing. Predators protect their territory, if necessary, they will repulse any invader. The main weapon for attack and defense is sharp teeth. Also, in case of danger, minks secrete a secret with a sharp unpleasant odor from the anal glands.
Small predators from the marten family are nocturnal, but sometimes they hunt during the day. Animals show maximum activity in spring (during the rut) and autumn (associated with the resettlement of young animals and the search for more favorable reservoirs for life). Most of the time, minks spend on land, in winter, with the formation of polynyas, they can move along them without appearing on the surface for a long period.
Mink after hunting
Minks lead a solitary lifestyle, prefer quiet secluded places, they try not to get into people's eyes. It is rare to see animals, more often during fishing, in the evening or early in the morning. The traces left will tell about the presence of a mink on the pond. Paw prints are similar to those of a ferret, but in mink they are round and larger. The paths of predators are repeated every day, the mink places are specially marked with scent marks.
The period of active reproduction of minks begins in early spring and can last until May. The first litter of females is given in April.
Moulting in fur animals proceeds gradually, begins in spring and ends in late autumn.
The main enemy of the mink in the wild is the river otter. In places where both species live, it is the otter that has the advantage, since it is larger and swims better. Also dangerous are feral pets. By smell, stray dogs find nesting shelters of minks, they can tear them apart and destroy offspring. Dogs are also dangerous for adult minks.
What does a mink eat?
The food of predators is associated with all elements of the coastal and aquatic environment. The predominance of certain types of food in the diet depends on the time of year, the availability of food and the diversity of local fauna.
Almost all small animals available to them, which are found in or near water bodies. In winter, the main part of the diet is small river fish (tench, gudgeon, perch), frogs and mouse-like rodents. During the snowless period, minks feed on aquatic insects and birds, crayfish. They prefer fresh prey and only during the fasting period, after 3-4 days they can switch to rotten meat or pick up food waste. Since American minks are larger than European ones, they often prey on larger animals, such as muskrats, and on occasion they can crush a squirrel. Every day, these representatives of the weasel family consume about 200 grams of food, feed from 4 to 9 times a day. If there is a lot of food, predators bring the remains to the shelter.
With the onset of cold weather, fur-bearing animals make food supplies in the form of decapitated / bitten water rodents and frogs, perches and minnows, sometimes birds. Minks often replenish their stocks, take care of the freshness of the accumulated food. From plant foods to winter time years, they use tree seeds, cranberries and mountain ash.
If animals live near settlements, they can visit chicken coops.
mink breeding
The mating season for minks begins in early spring and ends in early May. For breeding, males look for nearby females, sometimes they go to more distant territories. Several males can chase one mink at once, but the most aggressive of them gets the right to mate. Notably, American and European minks can mate in the wild. Hybrid embryos begin to develop, but die after a while.
Pregnancy of females lasts 40-55 days, a brood of 3-7 cubs is born (for American minks - up to 10). Babies are born small, almost naked and blind. They grow very quickly, feeding with milk lasts only 2 months. Already at the age of one month, young minks are active, playful, begin to taste the food that their mother brings. Male predators live separately and do not take part in caring for offspring.
By the middle of summer, the babies grow up and leave the hole. In August, the young growth reaches the size of adults, the animals begin to hunt on their own.
With the onset of autumn, the broods disintegrate and the young minks finally leave the parental hole. Fur-bearing animals settle on lakes and rivers, equip their own shelters.
Mink females become sexually mature by 10-12 months, the period of high fecundity is observed up to 3 years, then decreases. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 1.5 years. Life expectancy in the wild is 6-8 years, in captivity, minks can live up to 12 years.
Mink value for humans
The fur of these animals is valued for its versatility, durability and practicality, and the fur of the American mink is valued much higher than that of the European one. This predatory animal has long been one of the main commercial species on the North American continent. In winter, hunters set traps on minks to get their skins. However, over time, fur hunting ceased to satisfy the increased demand for fur and mink became an object of fur farming along with other fur animals.
Nowadays, the main source of valuable fur is fur farms, where minks are bred in captivity, and not natural populations. These animals are actively bred in Scandinavia, Canada and Russia. There are also fur farms in European countries, but the volume of fur production there is small, since minks grown in cold climates produce the most expensive and highest quality fur.
As a result of selection work, specialists obtained different color variations of fur, which are not found in the wild. Today on fur farms you can see white, black, blue, platinum minks. Thanks to the artificial breeding of these animals, a person receives much more valuable furs than from hunting in nature.
Mink in the Red Book
People have hunted mink for a long time because of its beautiful and warm fur. As a result, the distribution area, as well as the number of the European mink, has decreased. Today, catching and shooting of these fur-bearing animals is strictly controlled.
Since 1996, the European mink (Mustela lutreola) has been listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. According to scientists, the number of fur-bearing animals has stabilized, but the population is not growing. In this regard, in the areas inhabited by the European mink, the plowing of land and the destruction of coastal vegetation, as well as hunting for near-water mammals, were prohibited. In addition, in order to preserve the European look in natural conditions, minks are specially bred in captivity, and then released into protected areas. Scientists are trying in every possible way to save the population, but so far the question of the extinction of minks remains open. Today, the total number of these animals is estimated at 500-600 heads.
Among the main reasons for the decline in the population of European minks, biologists name hunting, competition in Europe with an introduced American species, shallowing and pollution of water by sewage, the construction of hydraulic structures, and a reduction in the food supply in typical habitats of fur-bearing animals. Recently, the American mink, an animal with more valuable fur, has become more often a victim of hunters.
The mink is a predatory mammal of the mustelid family, a genus of ferrets. In the wild nature of Russia there are two types of mink - European (Mustela lutreola), and American (Mustela vison). The European mink is native to Eurasia, while the American mink was brought to the continent relatively recently - in 1928 for breeding in reserves and fur farms. Later, the animals began to be released into the wild for adaptation and reproduction. The neighborhood did not benefit the European mink, its numbers began to decline, which is why it was included in the Russian and world Red Books.
distant relatives
Outwardly, these two types of mink are similar, but scientists have found that, although they are relatives, they are distant. The European mink is a close relative of the column, and the American mink is close to martens and sables. This suggests that both mink species originated from different ancestors, but acquired significant similarities under the same habitat conditions.
Some scientists believe that there is no longer a purebred European mink in the wild, in their opinion, the American mink, as a larger and stronger one, displaced the European mink from its original territories. Moreover, such animals as muskrat, martens and ferrets, especially small individuals, also suffered from the aggression of the American.
It is noteworthy that both types of animals can mate with each other, but offspring do not appear, since the embryo dies while still in the womb of the mother. Apparently, the factor that affects the relatives of the animals of the two species is really different, and their “marriages” turn out to be fruitless.
American conqueror
The American mink really has much in common with its European relatives, but it has a larger body - its length reaches 60 cm, weight 2-3 kg, and a fluffy tail up to 30 centimeters.
The American differs from the European mink in that the swimming membranes on its paws are less developed. But it has a thicker fur coat with a lush undercoat of black and gray.
One more distinctive feature American mink is that her lower lip and chin white color, a upper lip the same color as the top of the head.
As the name implies, the main habitat of the American mink is the forests of North America - the USA and Canada. In Europe, the American mink has taken root well in the wild and fur farms in England, Germany, France and Scotland. In Russia, acclimatized in the territory located on both sides of the Ural Mountains, and especially in the Far East.
The American mink was first released into the wild in the early 30s of the 20th century in the Primorsky Territory, in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve. In addition, mink began to be bred at fur farms in Primorsky Krai and other regions of Russia. In general, the adaptation of the animal was successful, and now the mink's habitat is quite wide - it can be found on the banks of all rivers and lakes suitable for life.
The degree of population of the territory depends on the availability of forage and winter regime rivers - mink settles near non-freezing reservoirs.
Hollows and tree roots, and deep burrows dug by other animals are suitable as housing for the American mink. The mink tries to make its home cozy and comfortable, for which it covers the floor in the hole with a litter of dry leaves and grass. It stores a lot of litter so that in winter, in severe frost, it can close the entrances and exits, and regulate the temperature in the nest. The toilet equips in a hole, or not far from it.
In summer, when there are no problems with food, the mink hunts near its home, but in winter, for a successful hunt, it has to go up to 30 km away.
Despite underdeveloped swimming membranes, the American mink swims well, making undulating movements with its tail and body. She dives to a depth of 4-5 meters and can swim up to 30 meters underwater.
On land, a mink can run at speeds up to 20 km per hour, and in water it moves at a speed of 1-1.% km per hour. In winter, when there is a lot of snow, the mink moves under its surface, and creates an extensive network of snow passages.
The American mink feeds on what it can catch - small fish, frogs, crayfish, mice and rats. Large individuals prey on muskrats and other mammals, if possible, the mink will try to steal poultry.
The rut period of the American mink lasts from February to April, babies are born in April-May. An American is a rather prolific mother - she brings up to 10 cubs at a time, but there are exceptions - 5-6 or 16 babies.
Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of one year, although they grow to adult size by 4-5 months. Males become sexually mature at 1.5 years, and grow to the size of an adult animal by 12 months. Under favorable conditions, the life expectancy of the American mink is 10-12 years.
European natives
The European mink is slightly smaller than its American counterparts. The length of her body reaches 30-45 cm, weight is about 1 kg, the tail is 20-25 cm. The paws are short, with interdigital membranes, which are especially wide on the hind legs, where only the terminal phalanges of the fingers remain free. These anatomical features allow the mink to lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle and swim well.
The fur of the European mink is dense, with a thick undercoat that does not get wet in the water. Thanks to these features of the fur, the mink can swim and hunt in water with a temperature of + 10-15 degrees, and even lower.
The fur color of the European is dark brown, the muzzle is completely white, and not just the chin and lower lip, like the American mink.
The habitat of the European mink in Russia extends from Siberia and Far East to the Caucasus, although in last years he has shrunk a lot. In Europe, the animal lives in Poland, Finland, France, Belarus, the Baltic States and the Balkans.
The decline in the European mink population is influenced by factors such as pollution environment, the construction of hydraulic structures, the reduction of the food supply, the emergence and spread of a stronger American mink.
The European mink also settles near water bodies with gently sloping banks overgrown with grass, shrubs and trees. In such conditions, the mink finds both housing and food.
In the steppe zone, the European mink lives only near lakes and in river valleys, and prefers non-freezing water bodies in which you can hunt all year round and, if necessary, hide from enemies.
Quite often, the mink settles next to the beavers in order to use their passages and move easily under the ice and under the snow. Both the American and European minks live solitary lives, occupying patches of varying sizes.
The mink of the animal consists of two chambers, and is equipped with two entrances, which the mink closes in winter with dry leaves, twigs and grass. The mink toilet suits next to the housing.
The mink needs two moves in order to go down to the water one at a time, and on the other - to go to the opposite side - into the forest. The European mink loves coziness and warmth just like the American mink - in winter there is a high-quality bedding made of grass, leaves, moss, and bird feathers in its home in winter. In summer, last year's bedding is thrown out of the hole, for the winter the animal makes a new thing from freshly collected material.
The European mink feeds on small animals and fish whose habitat overlaps with its own. Her diet includes mice, rats, snakes, frogs and small fish.
The European mink is a good swimmer, so it does not remain without food even in winter, when diving deep into the water you can get perches, tenches, squints or minnows.
Minks mate at the end of winter, after the ice on the rivers begins to open. The female attracts several males who compete with each other, and at the same time they fight and shout loudly and even whistle. In addition, a mink can mate with a ferret, resulting in a cross-breed, which is called a mink-cuff.
When the rut period passes, females and males disperse and live separately. The female bears cubs for 1.5-2 months, as a rule, there are fewer of them than the American, in one litter there are only 4-5 babies.
Norchats are born in April-May, at first the mother does not leave them, but then goes hunting. Already in August, the children grow to adult sizes, and taught by their mother to get their own food, they begin to live separately. By this time, they no longer receive mother's milk, and switch to meat and fish.
Animals at home
Both European and American minks are adapted to domestic conditions and to keeping in fur farms. As in the wild, the mink is neat and tidy, it is easy to train her to the toilet, and she is not picky about food. A mink eats no more than 200 grams of feed per day - it can be fish or small rodents.
On fur farms, minks of various colors are bred and grown - black, black with silver, white, sapphire, blue, and so on. Breeders are constantly working on breeding animals with high-quality and unique in appearance, valuable fur.
Small predatory animal listed in the Red Book. It is characterized by shiny thick chestnut-colored fur. The body is elongated, flattened and very flexible. The nose is not sharp, there is a white spot on the chin. The paws are short, and between the fingers of the membrane. The size of the animal is about 30-40 cm and weighs 800 grams. The long tail is one third of the body length.
Before European mink could be found from the Ural Mountains to Spain. On the this moment the bulk of the population is concentrated in the Caucasus and Western Siberia.
European mink lifestyle
The animal has excellent vision and sense of smell. It responds well to moving objects and much worse to stationary ones.
The animal lives along the banks of rivers and lakes. In rare cases, it can settle no more than two hundred meters from water bodies. Prefers freshwater streams. Burrows equips under bushes or in the roots of trees.
It can often occupy the holes of the muskrat or water rat. The length of the mink dwelling is about 3 meters, it consists of several nests and nesting chambers. Their animal is lined with grass and leaves. He spends most of his time in a hole, which is why he got his name.
The mink is active all year round, does not hibernate, but during severe frosts it may not leave the hole for a long time. The animal leads a predominantly solitary lifestyle, guarding its possessions. The habitat area of one mink can be more than 10 hectares. She marks the boundaries with a liquid that is secreted from the anal glands.
AT winter period the animal wanders, trying to keep to unfrozen reservoirs. Mink swims very well. Most often it goes hunting at night, in rare cases it can go out in search of prey in the daytime. It can travel long distances in search of food.
What does the European mink eat?
She needs no more than 200 grams of food per day. This animal is very thrifty, can lay food near the water.
The mink consumes all small animals living in and near water bodies. Basically it is a small fish, frogs, water rats. Willingly eats field mice. May attack a muskrat or destroy a bird's nest.
If there are settlements nearby, then the mink can eat poultry or food waste. In winter, it can be refreshed with cranberries or mountain ash berries and tree seeds.
European mink breeding
The mating season of the mink begins in mid-spring. At this time, males are looking for females living nearby. Many males can claim one female, the most aggressive of them gets the right to mate.
Pregnancy lasts one and a half months. At one time, a mink can bring 4 cubs. Babies are born naked and blind. They cannot withstand the cold, so the female rarely nests and keeps them warm. At first, they look more like black ferrets, but within two months they acquire a mink color. The mother feeds the children for two months. After that, he begins to take them out to hunt.
At the age of three months, minks become independent and go looking for a habitat.
State of the European mink population
The enemy of the mink in the wild is the otter. She is bigger and swims better. Therefore, in water bodies where both species live, the otter is more likely to survive.
Mink benefits nature and man. By hunting rodents, she regulates their numbers.
This furry animal often becomes a victim of hunters because of its valuable fur. The mink is well domesticated. Many keep it in apartments as a pet. They are also grown on special farms.
Due to a sharp decrease in the number of animals in 1996, it was listed in the Red Book. According to studies, it was possible to stop the decline in the number of representatives of this species, but the population has not yet increased. Recently, hunters have stopped hunting the European mink, exterminating its relative, the American mink, which has more valuable fur.
European mink suffers greatly from the person. Hunting, pollution of water bodies, shallowing of rivers due to which the animal cannot get food, loss of habitats - all these factors adversely affect the state of the population.
In addition, the American mink is a strong competitor to the European mink. She settled widely on the left bank of the Don. There are cases when the American mink purposefully destroyed his fellow.
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February 19 (March 3) marks the 150th anniversary of the signing by Emperor Alexander II of the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants leaving serfdom.
March 1 (13) - 130 years since the death of Alexander II at the hands of a terrorist.
Let's look at the current state of the St. Petersburg monuments to the Emperor-Liberator
On Suvorovsky
This monument was unveiled on May 31, 2003 in front of the building of the former Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff at 32b Suvorovsky Prospekt. It is a gift from Ukraine for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and an exact copy of the statue created by the sculptor Mark Antokolsky (1843-1902).
The newspaper "Kyivlyanin" dated November 23, 1910. reported: "Yesterday, November 22, the Kyiv mayor received a notification from Baron V.G. Ginzburg that he intends to donate to the city of Kyiv a statue of Emperor Alexander II, the model of which was made famous sculptor Antokolsky. This statue will be made of bronze and will be cast in Paris in a few days, after which it will be sent to Kyiv. Baron Ginzburg expresses his desire that the statue of Emperor Alexander II be installed in the hall of the public city library"(now - the Parliamentary Library in Kyiv).
The original statue was erected in 1910. in the lobby of the city public library, and now resides in the courtyard of the Kyiv Museum of Russian Art. 
This is the only one of the 3 monuments to Alexander II in Kyiv that has survived to this day. The plaster author's version of the sculpture, made in the late 1890s, is in the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Near the Central Bank
The monument to Emperor Alexander II on Lomonosov Street near the Main Directorate of the Central Bank for St. Petersburg was opened on June 1, 2005. The red ribbon was cut by the then head of the Russian Central Bank Viktor Gerashchenko. Alexander II is considered the founder of the State Bank Russian Empire(1860), from which the current Central Bank of the Russian Federation traces its history 
The bronze bust of the Emperor, according to available information, was cast before the revolution and is a copy of the work of the sculptor Matvey Chizhov (1838-1916), the original of which is also in the State Russian Museum. The plaque on the pedestal bears the inscription: "... The State Commercial Bank, in accordance with the Charter approved by Us, to give a new structure and the name of the State Bank ...".
Project Architect - Corresponding Member Russian Academy artist from St. Petersburg Vyacheslav Bukhaev.
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The choice of the place is explained by the fact that only the financial assistance of the Central Bank in the installation of the monument made it possible to complete it.
In the courtyard of the University
The bronze composition by the sculptor Pavel Shevchenko was installed in the courtyard of the Faculty of Philology of St. Petersburg State University on March 1, 2008. 
According to the author, it recreates a tragic moment - a terrorist act. The semantic center of the composition is a copy of the death mask of the martyr king. Next to the figure of Alexander II, there is a cross, a wing of the Guardian Angel, as if turning away from him, and a torn coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
The building of the Faculty of Philology was erected by decree of Alexander II, who also transferred to the University the neighboring Colleges - the current administrative building. During the reign of the tsar-reformer, the charter of the Imperial University was adopted.
You can see what the whole monument looks like.
I really don't like this statue. I consider the idea blasphemous, and the execution and place of installation - not corresponding to the scale of the personality and the historical significance of the Sovereign.
Ruin
On the Fontanka Embankment, 132, there is a dilapidated pedestal covered with snow 
This is all that remains of the monument to Alexander II, opened here in 1892. Sculptor - N.A. Lavretsky, architect - P.A. Samsonov. 
In house 132 there was the Alexander Hospital for laborers in memory of February 19, 1861. It was opened in 1866. at the personal expense of the Emperor. The hospital building was built in 1864-66. according to the project of arch. I.V.Shtroma.
The bronze bust of the Emperor was mounted on a figured stand and a high stepped pedestal made of blocks of colored granite. He was depicted in a hussar uniform, with a ribbon and an aiguillette, in shoulder straps, with the St. George Cross, orders and stars. Inscriptions on the pedestal: on the front side: "To Emperor Alexander II. Founder of the hospital"; on the side faces: "The hospital was founded in memory of February 19, 1861, built by the City Public Administration in 1892."
The monument was destroyed in 1931. For a long time, the leader of the world proletariat flaunted on its pedestal. Then he disappeared, but the inscription appeared - "The Invisible Man". With this name, the object entered the urban folklore. 
According to the newspaper "My District"
over the reconstruction of the monument since 1996. sculptor Stanislav Golovanov works. 
However, for 15 years, the 2 million rubles required for the manufacture of the bust were never found. I would very much like to reach out to the city authorities in this anniversary year. Although I do not believe in such a possibility.
Now let's go through the nearest suburbs of St. Petersburg.
This is how the monument to the Tsar-Liberator in the village of Murino, opened in 1911, looked like. next to the chapel of St. blgv. Prince Alexander Nevsky 
it modern look chapels. The tree has grown, and the snow-covered mound on the left is, apparently, the remains of the monument's pedestal. 
Disappeared
In the same 1911 busts of Emperor Alexander II were opened:
- in Pargolovo, also in front of the chapel. Under Soviet rule, both the monument and the chapel were destroyed. 
AT Old Village, destroyed 
In Ropsha, destroyed.
On the granite pedestal of the monument to Alexander II, which stands in the square in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, all the main merits of this emperor to his contemporaries and descendants are listed. Alexander II entered the history of Russia as a ruler who abolished serfdom and ended a long war in the Caucasus. He also carried out several reforms in the country, including military and judicial, and helped the fraternal Slavic peoples to free themselves from the yoke Ottoman Empire.
It is noteworthy that a monument to him was erected in the place where before the revolution there was a monument to his son and successor Alexander III. This monument by Alexander Opekushin was demolished by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
The place for the installation of the monument to Alexander II was not determined the first time. It was assumed that the monument would stand in the Alexander Garden, and at the Kremlin's Kutafya Tower. However, the size of the monument (the height of the statue is 6 meters and the height of the pedestal is 3 meters) forced the developers to look for a new place to place it. Eventually bronze Alexander II ended up in a public garden at the intersection of Volkhonka, Vsekhsvyatsky passage and Prechistenskaya embankment. His figure is turned to face the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The emperor is depicted in a military uniform with a mantle thrown over his shoulders.
The sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov, the architect Igor Voskresensky and the artist Sergei Sharov presented the ruler like this. The initiative to install the monument came from members of the political party "Union of Right Forces", the government of the capital also took part in the creation of the monument. Work on the creation of the monument was carried out for five years. His Grand opening took place on June 7, 2005.