Editing Red Square (section)

=== Monument to Minin and Pozharsky ===
{{main|Monument to Minin and Pozharsky}}
[[File:Moscow 05-2017 img07 Monument to Minin and Pozharsky.jpg|thumb|Monument to Minin and Pozharsky]]
The monument to the two Russian national heroes Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitri Poszharsky, erected between 1812 and 1818, stands directly in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral. Just like the Kazan Cathedral donated by the latter at the time in the northern part of the square, this monument also commemorates the liberation of Moscow from the Polish–Lithuanian occupation troops in 1612, to which the popular army led by Minin and Poszharsky made a decisive contribution.

The bronze monument, which weighs 20 tons, and was financed entirely from donations at the time, was designed by the sculptor [[Ivan Martos]]. After almost 15 years of planning and construction, it was unveiled in a festive ceremony in February 1818. Since at the time, it had been five years since Russia successfully [[French invasion of Russia|stopped the French invasion]] led by [[Napoleon]], and the reconstruction of Moscow had just been completed, the monument was celebrated when it was erected as a symbol of the invincibility of Russia and the heroism of its sons. Originally, however, the sculpture did not stand in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral, but in front of today's GUM department store at the level of the main entrance. It was only moved to its current location in 1930, to make more space for military parades and large-scale demonstrations.