Pugachev's Stone

The events from September 1773 to January 1775 represent one of the largest peasant uprisings led by Yemelyan Pugachev.

The memorial stone of Yemelyan Pugachev was installed in Penza on January 10, 1982, at the site where merchant A. Koznov’s house once stood. According to legend, Yemelyan Pugachev stayed in this house in 1774. The monument was created by sculptors E. Iodynis and L. Skorobogatova.

The stone depicts the scene of Yemelyan Pugachev entering the city at the head of his army in 1774 during the retreat from Kazan. Notably, according to some sources, the people greeted Pugachev with bread and salt. This scene is captured on the memorial stone. The nobles, led by voivode A. Vsevolzhsky (only 12 people in total), who tried to resist, were killed. This vividly characterizes the attitude of the majority of the population toward serfdom.