"White General" monument

recreation of the lost treasure

With the support of the Pleven Panorama Museum “The Epic of Pleven 1877”, our sculptor Kristina Andreeva has reconstructed the image of the monument known as the “White General” - one of the most symbolic monuments of pre-revolutionary Moscow, dismantled in 1918. The project is the result of months of research and artistic work, drawing on archival materials, historical publications, and surviving visual evidence from the period.

The “White General” monument was dedicated to Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev, an outstanding Russian military commander and lieutenant general, and one of the central figures of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. In Bulgarian history, Skobelev occupies a special place: for the Bulgarian people, he became a symbol of determination, personal courage, and selfless service to the cause of liberation from Ottoman rule. It is no coincidence that he entered popular memory under the name “the White General”—after the white uniform and white horse on which he often appeared in battle.

Erected in Moscow in the early 20th century, the monument was conceived as a complex multi-figure composition. At its center stood Skobelev on horseback, towering above the soldiers positioned at the base of the monument. These figures represented the soldiers of the Russian army who fought in the Balkans - men of different backgrounds united by a common cause and a shared sacrifice. Following the revolutionary events of 1917–1918, the monument was dismantled, and its artistic image was largely lost.

Within the scope of the current project, it has been possible to reconstruct not only the image of Lieutenant General Skobelev himself, but also the core sculptural composition of the monument. The work was carried out with the utmost respect for historical accuracy and for the original artistic intent of the monument. Pre-revolutionary photographs, contemporary descriptions, and historical studies were used, alongside expert consultation and support from specialists of the Pleven Panorama Museum.

The next phase of the project is even more ambitious. Our goal is to study additional archival materials, documents, and original historical artifacts -equipment, uniforms, and weapons from the second half of the 19th century—in order to recreate the images of the remaining warrior figures that once stood at the foot of the monument. This is not merely an artistic reconstruction, but an attempt to restore historical truth in form and material with the greatest possible fidelity.

This project is neither a political statement nor an attempt to reinterpret history. It is a tribute to shared memory and shared destiny, shaped by the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. For Bulgaria, it is a remembrance of liberation from Ottoman domination; for Russia, it is a remembrance of the soldiers and officers who gave their lives on foreign soil for the freedom of another nation.

The reconstruction of the “White General” is a reminder that history can be physically destroyed, yet preserved and returned through culture, art, and responsible engagement with the past. This is the purpose and mission of the project: to honor the memory of Bulgaria’s defenders and to pass it on to future generations through the timeless and universal language of sculpture.

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