Victory Park is located in the west of Moscow, between Kutuzovsky Prospect and the branch of the Moscow Railway of the Kyiv direction.
During the walk we will see the Triumphal Gate, Poklonnaya Hill with a flower clock, the Temple of St. George the Victorious, as well as the multi-meter stele Victory Monument.
And if we turn back, we will see the arch of the Triumphal Gate, located on Kutuzovsky Prospekt.
We will definitely return to it, but first we will go to Victory Park.
Now it is difficult to imagine the capital without the memorial complex on Poklonnaya Hill, but it appeared relatively recently, in 1995, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Victory. Before this, Victory Park, founded in 1958, was one of the many garden and park areas of the city.
Poklonnaya Mountain is part of the Tatarovskaya Upland, which also includes the Krylatsky Hills and the heights of the Filevsky Forest Park. Previously, Poklonnaya Hill was much higher and larger in area; it offered a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. Travelers stopped here to look at the city and worship its churches, which is where the name of the mountain came from. Guests of the city were solemnly welcomed here. Knowing this fact, it was on Poklonnaya Hill that Napoleon Bonaparte waited for the keys to Moscow in 1812.
In 1966, most of Poklonnaya Hill was razed. All that remains of it is a small hill located in the eastern part of Victory Park, directly at the exit from the metro.
The hill is decorated with a flower clock - the only one in Moscow. They were built in 2001 and were listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world. But due to the fact that the technical elements of the clock system are constantly exposed to conditions of high humidity and pollution, they do not always work; at times they are just a large flower garden.
At the top of the hill you can see a small wooden cross. It was installed in 1991 in honor of all Orthodox soldiers who took part in the Great Patriotic War, preceding the construction of the Church of St. George the Victorious, erected in 1995.
It is not necessary to climb the hill itself, since there are no steps or any other devices; you will have to climb directly on the grass, and if in winter, then on the snow. But if you are confident in your abilities, then you can rise. From the top of the mountain there is a good view of the city.
The “Years of War” alley is decorated with a fountain complex of the same name. It consists of 15 bowls, each with 15 jets, thus forming the number 255 - the number of weeks the war lasted. At night, the fountains are illuminated, the illumination is made in red tones, for which the fountains are sometimes even called “bloody fountains.”
On the left side of the fountains there is a sculptural ensemble consisting of 15 columns dedicated to the fronts and other units of the Soviet army.
From a distance, the sculptures look the same: a column mounted on a granite pedestal, the top adorned with a five-pointed star and military banners.
And at the base of each of the columns there is a bas-relief dedicated to one of the divisions.
This is in turn: Home front workers; Partisans and underground fighters; Black Sea, Baltic and Northern fleets; 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 1st Ukrainian Fronts; 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts; 1st Baltic Front; Leningrad Front.
From the alley “Years of War” we turn left to the Church of St. George the Victorious. It, like most of the monuments included in the memorial complex, was erected in 1995, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Victory.
The facade of the Temple is decorated with bas-reliefs with the faces of the Savior, the Virgin Mary and St. George.
Near the entrance to the Temple, we will see a sculpture depicting a wounded soldier. This is the Monument to Missing Soldiers without Grave. It was brought as a gift to Moscow by the Republic of Ukraine.
From the Temple you can return to the main alley of the park, or, if we have already seen everything there, go straight up to the Victory Monument. The staircase starts immediately from the monument to the missing.
The architectural complex, including the Victory Monument and the majestic building of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, makes an indelible impression. The stela is one of the tallest monuments in Moscow, its height is 142 meters. The top is crowned with a sculpture of the goddess of victory Nike.
And at its base there is a monument to St. George the Victorious slaying the dragon - a symbol of the victory of good over evil, taken from Orthodoxy.
If we digress a little from the military theme and look around, we will see that from the hill on which the monument is located there is a magnificent view of the city. On the left are the high-rise buildings of the Moscow City Business Center.
On the right is one of the famous Stalinist skyscrapers - the Main Building of Moscow State University on Vorobyovy Gory.
Between the Monument and the entrance to the museum the Eternal Flame burns.
It appeared in Victory Park relatively recently, much later than the construction of the sculptural ensemble of Poklonnaya Gora. In December 2009, the Eternal Flame from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was moved here. Engineering and technical communications were being repaired in the Alexander Garden, and since the Eternal Flame should not go out for a minute, it was decided to temporarily move it. And in April 2010, on the eve of the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Victory, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Eternal Flame entered the Victory Park memorial on a permanent basis, becoming the third in the capital after the lights in the Alexander Garden and at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery.
Having passed the Eternal Flame, we approach the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. Inspecting the museum’s exhibits can take a whole day, so we won’t go inside today, leaving the visit to the museum for another day. Having seen the artillery pieces from the times of the Great Patriotic War located at the entrance, we will head into the passage between the columns of the building.
Let's go to the right wing of the building. Here is located the Front Dog Monument, erected in memory of the four-legged soldiers who helped soldiers during the war. The dogs served in the medical troops (distributing medicines, and sometimes pulling the wounded out of the battlefields), guard duty, found explosives, and helped scouts. Demolition dogs, hung with explosives, threw themselves under enemy tanks. About 350 units of military equipment were destroyed in this way.
Behind the trees we will see another monument. Even from a distance it makes a depressing impression.
As we come closer, we will be convinced that our emotions are correct. This sculptural composition is called “Tragedy of Nations”, it is dedicated to all the victims of Nazi concentration camps.
In the center are sculptures of emaciated people without clothes, and to the right and left are books, children's toys, clothes, shoes and other household items, scattered in a chaotic manner.
On the right side of the composition there is a granite slab, on which is engraved the inscription “Let the memory of them be sacred, may it be preserved for centuries.”
And if we come closer and pass through the narrow passage between the fragments of the monument, we will see that there are many such slabs. The same words are written on them in different languages - Ukrainian, Tatar, Armenian, Hebrew, etc., symbolizing the multinationality of the victims of fascism.
Next to the “Tragedy of Nations” there is another memorial sign, a small granite plaque with a bronze bas-relief located directly on the ground, called “Spirit of the Elbe”. It is dedicated to the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe River in April 1945.
Passing by the rear facade, in the distance we will see another monument, located with its back to us.
We will definitely come to it, but later. If we go there now, we may get off the route and miss other equally important attractions.
Entrance to the territory is paid, however, the price is purely symbolic (70 rubles). You can also walk along the exhibition fence; it is made of metal rods, through which most of the exhibits can be viewed without entering the museum territory, but moving along the fence.
The first part of the exhibition, located at the main entrance, presents a reconstruction of the battle from the beginning of the war, when the Soviet army defended its own territories. On one side of the conventional front line there are tanks, artillery installations of the Nazi army,
on the other - Soviet technology.
The front line is represented by trenches, anti-tank hedgehogs and other defensive structures. You can go down into the trench to look at the exhibition from the bottom up, as soldiers had to do sitting in the trenches.
Artillery pieces:
Railway equipment:
And even aviation.
The collection features not only small fighters, but also more powerful winged aircraft.
From a distance, the territory fenced off from outsiders looks like a scrap metal dump, but when we get closer, we see that these are parts of military equipment found on battlefields, from which exhibits are assembled. After all, there is not a single dummy in the exhibition; all the equipment presented actually took part in the battles of the Great Patriotic War.
After going through the main part of the exhibition, we will find ourselves in a small forest. A model of a partisan camp has been set up here: dugouts, a watchtower and other wooden structures.
The next part of the exhibition is dedicated to the navy: there are ship engines, guns, and a submarine wheelhouse:
And even entire parts of ships:
At the exit from the exhibition area there is a collection of military equipment from one of the main German allies - Japan.
From the exhibition area you can clearly see the oriental-style building with crescent moons on the domes. This is a memorial mosque in honor of Muslim soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War.
Once outside the exhibition gates, we will find ourselves at a crossroads, from which four roads diverge in different directions. In the center there is a small monument made in the style of a Catholic chapel.
The association, created during the Second World War to confront Nazi Germany and its satellites (primarily Italy and Japan), by 1945 consisted of 53 states. Some actually took part in the hostilities, others helped with food and weapons. The greatest contribution to the victory was, of course, made by the USSR, and from other countries it is customary to single out the armies of the USA, Great Britain and France. Therefore, against the background of a granite stele topped with a gilded UN symbol, there are four figures of soldiers in the uniform of the armies of these particular countries.
Let's return from the monument back to the intersection. Standing with our back to the WWII Museum and facing the exhibition of military equipment, let's turn left, deep into the park. After walking a few tens of meters, we will see another sculptural composition.
In its center is a sculpture of Soviet soldiers Egorov and Kantaria hoisting the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. The pedestal under the sculpture is also made in the spirit of the walls of the destroyed Reichstag; it is painted with the names of various cities of the Soviet Union: Yerevan, Dushanbe, Tbilisi, Tashkent, etc. On the sides of the pedestal there are two bronze bas-reliefs. One depicts the triumph of Soviet soldiers against the backdrop of the same Reichstag:
On the other - the Victory Parade on Red Square in 1945 with the burning of fascist regalia.
And on the granite slab behind the monument are the words: “We were together in the fight against fascism!”
This sculptural composition appeared in Victory Park in 2010. The impetus for its creation was the notorious events in Georgia a year earlier, when a similar monument was destroyed in the city of Kutaisi.
The monument is intended to symbolize that only thanks to the unity and cohesion of people of different nationalities and concessions, our country won this Great Victory. Its creation is a call to the fact that even today fraternal peoples should live in peace.
From the monument we can see a construction site surrounded by a fence behind the trees. There is nothing interesting here yet, but this phenomenon is temporary. Here, the construction of the chapel of the Armenian Apostolic Church in honor of the Armenian soldiers who participated in the Great Patriotic War is in full swing.
Let's return to the intersection again and follow the remaining of the four roads, which leads to Kutuzovsky Prospekt (it can already be seen in the distance). Walking along it, we will come to an unusual building with a triangular dome decorated with a six-pointed Star of David. This is a Jewish memorial synagogue, also erected in memory of the Great Patriotic War.
If we remember all the religious objects that we saw on our way, we can state that almost all the main religions of the peoples who participated in the Great Patriotic War are represented in Victory Park: the Orthodox Church of St. George the Victorious, an Islamic mosque, a Catholic chapel and a Jewish synagogue.
At the exit from the park there is a sculpture depicting a Soviet soldier. If you look closely, you can see even from afar that the shape on it is much more modern than that one. What they wore during the Great Patriotic War. The monument is dedicated to the internationalist soldiers who died in Afghanistan.
The monument was erected in 2004, and five years later another one appeared next to it: a BMD-1 self-propelled gun (Airborne Combat Vehicle) was installed right on the park alley.
A commemorative plaque on the armor states that two anniversaries took place in 2009: the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, as well as the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.F. Margelov, a Soviet military leader considered the founding father of modern airborne troops. There is even a widespread joke among the paratroopers themselves that the abbreviation “VDV” does not mean “Airborne Forces”, but “Uncle Vasya’s Troops” - in honor of Vasily Margelov.
Leaving the territory of Victory Park, we will find ourselves on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. However, let’s first turn not to the right, towards the metro, but to the left. After walking a couple of tens of meters, we will see another monument located on a small hill. The composition consists of three figures of warriors from different eras: an ancient Russian hero, a grenadier from the Patriotic War of 1812 and a soldier of the Soviet army.
The monument is called “Heroes of the Russian Land” and symbolizes the connection of times and the inevitability of victory in the war, if this war is of a liberation nature.
At this point our walk is almost over, but we were quite far from the metro. If you are not tired and the weather permits, you can go back to the park and just take a walk along one of the alleys running parallel to Kutuzovsky Prospekt. Or you can take any public transport running along the avenue and get to the Park Pobedy metro station, from where we started our walk.
Here it is worth paying attention to the monument that at the beginning of the journey we saw only from afar - the Triumphal Gate. The arch, located directly above Kutuzovsky Prospect (cars drive between its columns) was installed in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The tradition of installing triumphal gates has existed since ancient times. In 1814, such gates, then still wooden, were installed at the Tverskaya Zastava. It was along the Tver road that Russian troops entered the city, returning from Europe after the victory over Napoleon. In 1834 they were replaced by stone ones.
In 1936, during the execution of the General Plan for the reconstruction of the center of Moscow, the Triumphal Gate was dismantled, its components were placed in the Museum of Architecture, located on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery. According to the plan, upon completion of the reconstruction of Tverskaya Zastava Square, the gate was planned to be returned to its original location. However, for a number of reasons this was not done, and the monument remained in storage for half a century. Only in 1966 it was decided to install it on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, not far from the Battle of Borodino Panorama Museum. So, by 1968, the Triumphal Gate appeared on Kutuzovsky Prospekt.
In 2012, during the anniversary celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the gate underwent a major reconstruction, so today it looks great.
This concludes our walk.
Basic moments
Victory Park is not only a memorial complex, but also a great place for recreation for citizens and guests of the capital. There are many attractions for children; those who wish can take part in a sightseeing tour carried out on a road train. An autodrome and a Virtual Cinema are open to visitors of the complex. Skateboarders and rollerbladers hone their skills on Poklonnaya Hill, and there are separate paths for cyclists in the park. Vacationers can rent electric vehicles, roller skates, scooters, bicycles, as well as cozy cafes and restaurants. Poklonnaya Hill constantly hosts thematic events and festivals, sporting competitions, and concerts.
The complex is located in the west of the capital, between Kutuzovsky Prospekt and Minskaya Street.
Story
Between the Setun and Filka rivers there is a gentle hill. Since ancient times, travelers traveling to Moscow along the Smolensk road had a tradition of stopping on this hill near the Russian capital and bowing to the city and its churches. Here, honors were given to eminent guests - ambassadors of foreign states, high-ranking dignitaries, and princes. These rituals gave the name to Poklonnaya Hill.
The first mentions of this place, memorable for Russians, are reflected in historical documents of the 16th century. From the chronicles it is known that in those distant times, flooded meadows stretched around the hill, belonging to the village of Trinity-Golenichevo.
Poklonnaya Hill is closely connected with the history of the country. At the beginning of the 16th century, envoys of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey were met in these places, and a century later, Polish invaders, marching on the Russian capital, set up their camp on the mountain. In 1812, the self-confident Napoleon waited in vain here for Muscovites with the keys to the city, and in the 40s of the last century, soldiers went to the front along the Smolensk road, so Poklonnaya Hill became a symbol of Russia’s victory over foreign aggressors.
Dioramas in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War
The creation of a memorial complex on the mountain was planned back in the mid-40s of the 20th century. But in the post-war years, all the forces of the state were devoted to restoring the economy, so construction was postponed for a long time. Only at the end of the 50s was a memorial sign made of granite installed on the mountain, indicating that a memorial would be built here in honor of the victory of the Soviet people. The first trees of the future park were planted around the sign.
The complex was opened on May 9, 1995, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
The architectural ensemble has become a truly public construction project - funds for its construction were collected by residents of the capital with the participation of the state and government of Moscow.
Main alleyMemorial Complex
All memorial and iconic buildings of Poklonnaya Gora are located in the eastern part of Victory Park on an area of 135 hectares.
Poklonnaya Gora greets its guests coming from the nearest metro station “Park Pobedy” with the Triumphal Arch. Initially, the structure was located on Tverskaya Zastava Square and was made of wood. The arch was erected by grateful Muscovites in 1814 for the solemn meeting of the victorious soldiers and in honor of the victory of the Russian people over Napoleon. In the 30s of the 19th century, the Triumphal Gate was completely reconstructed. The Arch was moved to Poklonnaya Hill in the 60s of the last century.
The center of the memorial complex is the round Victory Square, on which the Victory Monument is installed - an obelisk in the form of a bayonet, rising to 141.8 meters. The architects designed this height because the Great Patriotic War lasted exactly 1,418 days, and every meter of the monument reminds of a tragic and difficult time. One hundred and twenty-two meters from the ground, on the obelisk there is a 25-ton bronze statue of Nike, the goddess of Victory, and figures of angels glorifying Russian weapons. At the base of the stele there is a sculpture of St. George the Victorious, striking a serpent with a spear, which personifies evil and aggression. The obelisk is decorated with expressive bas-reliefs on a military theme and the names of hero cities, embossed in gold.
Museum on Poklonnaya HillFrom the beginning of the central alley to the Victory Monument there are granite slabs symbolizing the years of war. On the other side, there are 15 bronze memorial steles in honor of 10 fronts of the Second World War, 3 fleets - Baltic, Northern and Black Sea, as well as partisans and home front workers. The obelisks are located in the same sequence in which military formations were located at the Victory Parade on June 22, 1945.
The park contains a grand complex of fountains with 5 hydrocascades, each of which produces 45 vertical jets. The total number of water flows symbolizes the duration of the war - 225 weeks. The bright scarlet illumination of the fountains in the evening makes this place especially dramatic, evoking associations with the blood shed by the defenders of the country.
"Tragedy of Nations"
Fountains are also located along the main alley of Victory Park; there are exactly 1,418 of them - a fountain for every day of the war. The central alley is called “Years of War”. All other alleys of the park are dedicated to military themes or participants in battles: tank crews, pilots, signalmen, defenders of Moscow, young heroes, war and labor veterans. There is also the Alley of Newlyweds, where newlyweds cement their union in a place sacred to Russians.
Victory Square is surrounded in a semicircle by another fountain group, symbolizing the joy of the winners.
Of great interest is the exhibition of military equipment and engineering and fortification structures, located in the open-air park: torpedo boats, submarine cabins, various caliber artillery installations, guns, howitzers, sea mines, German combat aircraft. In total, more than 300 samples are presented at the exhibition.
Mig-29 aircraftIn Victory Park you can admire the world's largest flower clock, whose dial reaches 10 meters in diameter. The length of the hour hand is 3.5 meters, the minute hand is 4.5 meters. Almost 8,000 flowers are planted on the clock.
On Victory Square there is the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, representing 50 collections with 50,000 items. Among the exhibits: weapons and military equipment from the Second World War, personal belongings of outstanding military leaders and ordinary participants in battles, trophies, letters from the defenders of the Motherland, front-line household items, a rare collection of occupation banknotes, awards, and uniforms. The museum also houses the Victory Banner, hoisted over the Reichstag on April 30, 1945.
In the Hall of Glory there is a 10-meter sculpture of the victorious Soldier, and the names of 11,763 Heroes of the Soviet Union are carved on the marble walls.
The Memory Hall contains Books of Memory - 385 volumes, where all the dead and missing are mentioned. Data about each of them can also be found from an electronic analogue. One of the main relics of the exhibition is a table from the Yalta Conference in 1945, at which Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill communicated.
In the museum, visitors examine dioramas: “Siege of Leningrad”, “Kursk Bulge”, “Storm of Berlin”, “Counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow in December 1941”, “Crossing the Dnieper. 1943", "Union of fronts. Stalingrad."
In front of the museum burns the Eternal Flame, lit in April 2010, on the eve of the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Victory.
Three temples of different religions were built on Poklonnaya Hill, symbolizing the multinationality of the country’s defenders.
The construction of the Church of St. George the Victorious began in 1993, and two years later the cathedral was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II. Its main shrine is a particle of the relics of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, a gift from the Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodorus. The temple reminds of the main commander of the Great Patriotic War - Georgy Zhukov, whose heavenly patron was St. George. A Sunday school is opened within the walls of the sanctuary. The chapel of the Archangel Michael is also located here.
The memorial mosque, erected in honor of Muslim soldiers, was opened in 1997. Red Army soldiers from the predominantly Muslim regions of the country: Bashkiria, Tatarstan, the Caucasus and Central Asia played a major role in bringing victory closer. The mosque hosts classes and lectures, Friday sermons and night prayers during Ramadan. For believers, the premises have a room for ablutions and a library of religious literature.
The synagogue, dedicated to the history of the Jewish people and the Holocaust, was opened in 1998. The religious building houses an exhibition telling about the tragic fate of Jews during the Great Patriotic War. At the exhibition you can get acquainted with exhibits from the times of Tsarist Russia, as well as watch educational films and photographs. Russian President Boris Yeltsin was present at the opening of the synagogue.
The chapel in honor of the Spanish volunteers who fought on the Soviet fronts was built on Poklonnaya Hill in 2003.
As a sign of respect for all religions, it is planned to build a Catholic temple, an Armenian chapel and a Buddhist stupa on Poklonnaya Hill.
Victory Park is also decorated with the following sculptural compositions:
- Monument to all victims of the fascist genocide “Tragedy of Nations”;
- Monument to the Spaniards who fell in the Great Patriotic War;
- Monument to the heroes of the First World War;
- Monument to the soldiers of the countries participating in the anti-Hitler coalition (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan took part in its opening);
- Monument to a front-line dog;
- Monument “Spirit of the Elbe”, dedicated to the meeting of the Allied forces on the Elbe;
- Monument to the “Defenders of the Russian Land”;
- Monument to the Missing;
- Monument to "Internationalist Warriors".
The monument “We were together in the fight against fascism” was unveiled on December 21, 2010. The sculptural composition depicts Meliton Kantaria and Mikhail Egorov hoisting the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.
Poklonnaya Hill has long become a traditional meeting place for WWII veterans.
Monument to "Defenders of the Russian Land"
Victory Park is not only a memorial complex, but also a great place for recreation for citizens and guests of the capital. Families with children come here, for whom there are many attractions. Those interested can take part in a sightseeing tour carried out on a road train. An autodrome and a Virtual Cinema are open to visitors of the complex. Skateboarders and rollerbladers hone their skills on Poklonnaya Hill, and there are separate paths for cyclists in the park. Vacationers can rent electric vehicles, roller skates, scooters, bicycles, as well as cozy cafes and restaurants.
The depth of the Park Pobedy metro station, named after the park of the same name, is 84 meters, which is a record for Moscow.
Near Poklonnaya Gora there is the Kutuzov Izba, in which the famous Russian commander conferred with his generals on the eve of the Battle of Borodino. The hut was restored for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino and a veterans’ museum was created in it. The furnishings in the room have been preserved - a Russian stove, wooden benches, an icon of the Smolensk Mother of God and a table with a model of a military map of those times. Nearby is the grave of 300 participants in the legendary battle, as well as the Battle of Borodino panorama museum. The central exhibit of the museum is a 115-meter painting by artist F.A. Rubo reenacting one of the battle fragments.
The mass of the Victory Monument is 1000 tons. During the construction of the monument, a problem arose - due to the large weight of the figure of the goddess Nike, the entire composition could collapse due to strong winds and vibration. To increase the stability of the monument, vibration dampers are installed on it, the largest of which weighs 10 tons and is located behind the back of the goddess. Also, to balance the sculptural composition, a special bunker was built in the hill below it, preventing the monument from tilting in one direction or another. The bunker contains a room in which the condition of the monument is constantly monitored.
Helpful information
Address of Poklonnaya Gora: St. Brothers Fonchenko, 10.
Directions to the metro stations "Slavyanskaya", "Park Pobedy" and "Kutuzovskaya"; by buses No. 157, 205.91 - to the Poklonnaya Gora stop.
Entrance to the territory of Poklonnaya Gora is free.
Opening hours of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War: Tuesday-Sunday - from 10.00 to 19.00, Thursday - from 10.00 to 20.00. The museum is closed on Mondays; the last Thursday of the month is a sanitary day. Tickets cost 250 rubles for adults, 200 rubles for pensioners and students, children under 18 years old are admitted free.
The museum hosts interactive military-themed games for children.
The Muslim mosque is open daily from 10 am to 9 pm.
When planning to visit Poklonnaya Gora, take warm clothes with you - it can be quite windy here even on hot summer days.
A few stops from Poklonnaya Gora along the metro line are such recreational areas of the capital as Filyovsky Park and Alexander Garden.
Festive fireworks in Victory ParkPoklonnaya Hill - previously you could see the whole of Moscow and its surroundings from it. This was at a time when the city was not yet so big. They say that the name “Poklonnaya Gora” came from the fact that many, when traveling to Moscow, looked at the city from here and bowed to it. Many significant events are associated with Poklonnaya Gora. Here Napoleon waited for the keys to the city in 1812, but never got it), in 1612 Hetman Zholkiewski stayed here, a delegation arrived from Moscow who wanted to place the Polish prince Vladislav on the royal throne, Russian troops left for the front in during the Great Patriotic War.
Previously, Poklonnaya Hill was truly a mountain from which Moscow was visible in full view. Now it is a small hill, from which you can only see numerous high-rise buildings scattered around, and Victory Park, which was founded near Poklonnaya Gora in 1958 along with a memorial complex built in honor of our victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Poklonnaya Gora and Victory Park are located at the metro station of the same name - Victory Park. Accordingly, getting here is very easy.
History of the creation of Victory Park
In 1958, on the occasion of the Soviet Army Day, a symbolic sign “A monument to the Victory of the people of the USSR in the Second World War of 1941-1945 will be built here” was erected on the territory of the future park. The city authorities have allocated a huge area for development: 135 hectares. Trees were planted and a park was laid out. In the 70-80s they raised money for construction. Residents chipped in a penny, and as a result they “scraped together” 194 million rubles. It was enough to begin with, but later the state helped. The grand opening of the Park, dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, took place on May 9, 1995.
Victory Park includes many objects of architectural and historical value. The Victory Monument is an obelisk made of especially strong steel, which rises almost 142 meters - more precisely, 141.8 m. The symbolism of this figure is that exactly how many days - 1418 - the war lasted. The obelisk weighs a thousand tons and is covered with bronze bas-reliefs on top. The bronze figure of the goddess Nike, installed at the highest point, symbolizes victory.
There are a lot of fountains in the park. Their exact number is also symbolic - 1418. In the evening, when it gets dark, the fountains are illuminated. It is red. For this, people called them “bloody”.
The Museum of the Great Patriotic War is the central object of Victory Park. It consists of a military-historical exhibition, which depicts the chronicle of the war years, and an artistic exhibition. The main attraction of the museum is the dioramas (six compositions), each of which is dedicated to one of the most important battles of the Great War. Audiovisual complexes show wartime newsreels, rare archival materials and memorable photographs. The museum is equipped with an automatic search system “Book of Memory”, which helps to find information about missing persons. I haven’t been to this museum yet, I’ll try to catch up.
The museum's exhibition continues in Victory Park itself. A grandiose exhibition of military equipment unfolded right in the open air. More than 300 samples of tanks, aircraft, self-propelled guns, etc., German combat vehicles and equipment of other countries that participated in the war are presented here. I was here once, on May 9th, I’ll post a photo report soon.
Church of St. George the Victorious in Victory Park
The Church of St. George the Victorious is considered a real shrine of Victory Park. It was laid in close proximity to the memorial on May 9, 1994. The construction was carried out with municipal funds, and the author was the architect Polyansky. The consecration of the Temple took place on May 6, 1995 by Alexei II, His Holiness the Moscow Patriarch.
Memorial Mosque in Victory Park
Not far from the Temple is the Memorial Mosque. The decision to build it was made in October 1992. In March 1995, the foundation stone was installed. The opening of the mosque took place on the day of the 850th anniversary of Moscow, September 6, 1997. The mosque is a tribute to the memory of Muslims who died as a result of military operations of 1941-1945.
The Holocaust Memorial Synagogue and Museum is another part of the architectural complex. The opening of this site took place in September 1998 as a memory of the six million Jews who died as a result of repression by the Nazi invaders. This is the only museum of its kind in Russia, the exhibitions of which tell about the contribution of Jews to Russian culture.
In memory of the volunteers from Spain who died during the war, the government decided to build a Catholic chapel, reminiscent of the unparalleled courage of these brave soldiers.
At the intersection of Kutuzovsky Prospekt and Minskaya Street, a monument to the “Defenders of the Russian Land” was erected. It represents three Russian warriors from different times - a hero from Ancient Rus', a guardsman from the War of 1812 and a soldier who fought during the Second World War. They are installed on a granite pedestal.
The monument “Tragedy of Nations” was erected in 1997, its author is Zurab Tsereteli. The sculpture commemorates the victims of the fascist genocide. A seemingly endless line of prisoners, united by shaved heads and pained eyes, tells people about the shootings and executions committed by the Nazis.
In 2004, a monument to internationalist soldiers was unveiled on Poklonnaya Hill. Its construction was carried out at the expense of Afghan veteran organizations. This is a 4-meter bronze figure of a soldier standing on a cliff and looking into the distance.
In spring, tulips bloom in the park. All flower beds are planted with them. Very beautiful.
Not a single holiday bypasses Victory Park. Concerts, folk festivals, etc. are often held here.
Poklonnaya Gora (disambiguation)- Poklonnaya Gora: Poklonnaya Gora (Moscow) Poklonnaya Gora (St. Petersburg) List of meanings of a word or phrase with links to the corresponding ... Wikipedia
Poklonnaya Gora- This term has other meanings, see Poklonnaya Gora (meanings). Historical area in Moscow Poklonnaya Gora ... Wikipedia
Poklonnaya Gora- Memorial of Victory in the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill. Moscow. Poklonnaya Mountain is a gentle, two-peaked hill in the interfluve and, in the west of Moscow, stretched along. The eastern peak (height up to 166.6 m), separated from the western (171.5 m) deep... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)
Poklonnaya Street- Moscow General informationMoscowRussia Country Russia City Moscow District CJSC ... Wikipedia
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Victory Park (Moscow)- This term has other meanings, see Victory Park. Memorial Park Victory Park ... Wikipedia
Dubrovka (Moscow)- This term has other meanings, see Dubrovka. Historical district in Moscow Dubrovka History First mention XIV century As part of Moscow with ... Wikipedia
Cherkizovo (Moscow)- This term has other meanings, see Cherkizovo. Historical district in Moscow Cherkizovo History Date of foundation 16th century First mention... Wikipedia
