Wileński epizod pomnika Michała Mikołajewicza Murawjowa "Wieszatiela" (1898-1915)

ENMikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov was Governor-General of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire in the years 1863-1865. His task was to suppress the January Uprising in Lithuania and to restore “Russian order”. He so dutifully fulfilled this mission that, because of his methods, the Poles gave him the nickname of “The Hangman”. Although this figure aroused controversy during his lifetime, contemporary Russian elites decided to build a monument to him in Wilno. The idea arose in 1889 and was implemented over a period of more than ten years. A state-wide fund-raising campaign was organized, a construction committee was formed, and a design for the statue was selected. Not all, however, supported the undertaking, which resulted in a series of manifestations of opposition. The Polish citizens of Wilno, school-pupils, and even Warsaw University students protested. A few days before the unveiling of the monument, proclamations were made directed at the workers on the monument recalling Muravyov’s bloody acts and his cruelty. Warning was given that the statue would be blown up. Ultimately, the unveiling ceremony, which took place between 8 and 10 November 1898, passed without incident. This was achieved by police actions - buildings were searched, secret agents were brought in from St Petersburg, and citizens were monitored. The monument was not to be a permanent part of the city’s appearance. In 1915 - that is, barely seventeen years later - Muravyov’s statue was evacuated when the German Army entered Wilno. This article focuses on the above events, presenting the atmosphere of that time in the former capital of Lithuania, and also demonstrating the contemporary social divisions relating to the very idea of erecting a monument to “The Hangman”. [From the publication]