Monument to the heroes of the First World War on Poklonnaya Hill. The Victory Monument is the tallest monument in Russia. Poklonnaya Gora is a monument to the First World War.
A monument to the heroes of the First World War was unveiled on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. The ceremony was attended by President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill, representatives of other religious denominations, politicians, members of military history clubs, and townspeople. A company of honor guard marched in front of the monument, and soldiers in World War I uniforms stood near the monument.
Exactly a century ago, Russia was forced to enter the First World War, and today we are unveiling a monument to its heroes - Russian soldiers and officers,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening ceremony. “Their exploits, their sacrifice for the good of Russia fell into oblivion for many years. And the First World War itself, which is called the Great World War all over the world, was erased from Russian history and was simply called imperialist. Now we are reviving the historical truth about the First World War, and countless examples of personal courage and military art, the true patriotism of Russian soldiers and officers are opening up to us. For many centuries, Russia has advocated strong and trusting relations between states. This was the case on the eve of the First World War, when Russia wanted to bloodlessly resolve the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. But Russia was not heard, and it had to answer the call, protecting the fraternal Slavic people, protecting itself and its citizens from the eternal threat. However, the victory was stolen by those who called for the defeat of their army, sowed discord within Russia, and strived for power, betraying national interests. Today we are restoring the connection of times, the continuity of our history, and the First World War and its commanders occupy a worthy place in our hearts. As our people say, better late than never. 
Vladimir Putin noted that it was no coincidence that the monument took its place on Poklonnaya Hill, a memorial complex dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. After all, some veterans of the First World War also fought in the Second, setting an example for young soldiers.
The war reminds us of what aggression and selfishness, the exorbitant ambitions of state leaders and political elites that take precedence over common sense, lead to. And instead of preserving the most prosperous continent in the world - Europe - they are plunging it into chaos. It would be good to remember this today. What a terrible price comes from the unwillingness to hear each other, the trampling of other people's rights and freedoms, legitimate interests in favor of one's own interests and ambitions. It would be nice to learn to look and count at least one step ahead. It is high time for humanity to understand and accept one most important truth: violence begets violence, and the path to peace and prosperity is formed by good will and dialogue. And in memory of the lessons of past wars, about who started them and why,” the head of state said at the ceremony. 
The idea to erect a monument in honor of the 100th anniversary of the entry of the Russian Empire into the First World War belongs to the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO). The design competition was won by sculptor Andrey Kovalchuk. The monument consists of two parts - a soldier on a high pedestal, on which the St. George Cross is depicted, and infantry going on the attack against the backdrop of the Russian tricolor.
The monument was created with public money, and foreign patrons also made their contribution. Thus, in France, on the initiative of the chairman of the Society for the Memory of the Imperial Guard, Prince Alexander Trubetskoy, a charity concert-action “Symphony of Peace” was held, as a result of which €22 thousand was collected.
Charity events were held in Moscow to support the construction of the monument. Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov showed the play “The White Guard” based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, the Bolshoi Theater gave the opera “Tosca” by Puccini. The Moscow Philharmonic hosted concerts by Yuri Bashmet, Boris Berezovsky and the New Russia Symphony Orchestra. Moscow State Conservatory named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky organized a charity concert “For the Heroes of the First World War,” in which the laureates of the “Nutcracker” competition for young musicians and pianist Ekaterina Mechetina took part. 74 million rubles were allocated from the Moscow Mayor's reserve fund. 
The total cost of work to create the memorial was about 180 million rubles.
There are almost no monuments dedicated to the First World War in Russia, Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society, told Izvestia. - The First World War was forgotten by the Soviet Union for ideological reasons. What exactly is there to remember? The way we betrayed our national interests by giving Germany a gigantic territory? The Bolsheviks simply bought off part of the country from the Germans in order to maintain their power. The Soviet government knocked Russia out of the war just before victory, thereby meaningless the gigantic efforts of the people and the millions of sacrifices that were made at the front. In World War I, our country lost to the losing side.
In May, a monument dedicated to the heroes of the “forgotten war” was unveiled in Kaliningrad. Another monument will open in August in Pskov.
During the anniversary year, monuments to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War will be opened in Tula, Lipetsk, and memorial signs will appear in Saransk, Stavropol, Arkhangelsk and the Leningrad region. All monuments are created through private donations.
The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Culture intend to carry out educational work so that citizens better know the history of the First World War.
Little was said and written about the First World War, the gap needs to be filled. A military historical society appeared. It is within our power to quickly eliminate this gap in knowledge. We are preparing a large work on the history of the First World War based on the archives of the Ministry of Defense. We plan to erect monuments to the heroes of the First World War,” said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. 
In the last couple of years, Moscow has been a city of the “front line”: the entire center has been dug up, hundreds of streets, squares, and avenues are being improved and shoveled. Everything is paved with tiles and small “Sobyanin” architectural forms. In short, now is not the time for equestrian obelisks. Money is sawn in simpler forms. But even during this difficult time for the capital, several equestrian monuments appeared in Moscow. I wrote about the monument to Rokossovsky in the last issue. Here I’ll tell you about new ones.
Monument to the Heroes of the First World War.
To my shame, I, a Muscovite, have never been able to go to Poklonka since its installation in 2014. I watched on TV as the President and his entire camarilla opened this monument. I didn’t like the monument right away, it was... in the spirit of Sovagitprop. The monument was always shown from the front, but who would have thought that on the back side of the monument there were equestrian sculptures of Cossacks. Having seen a photo on the Internet (again, I’m ashamed), I finally got out (2 years later) to photograph the subject of our reviews.
A monument opened in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill on August 1, 2014 in honor of the centenary of the First World War. Authors of the monument - sculptors A. Kovalchuk, P. Lyubimov, V. Yusupov, architects M. Corsi, S. Shlenkina.
The decision to erect a monument to the heroes of the First World War in Moscow was made in April 2013. The initiator of the installation of the monument and the organizer of the competition was the Russian Military Historical Society. It was decided to install the monument on Poklonnaya Hill between the Triumphal Arch and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War.
The competition began on April 15 and took place in several stages. 32 contestants took part in the first stage. On July 12, the second stage of the competition began, in which 15 works took part. Online voting was held on the competition website until August 16, in which about 200 thousand users took part. An exhibition of the finalist projects was held at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. On September 18, the jury announced the winner of the competition. It turned out to be a project by sculptor Andrei Kovalchuk (which I’m not at all surprised by). According to the results of online voting, this project entered the top five, gaining about 6% of the votes. The Russian Military Historical Society collected donations for the construction of the monument. They collected 97 million rubles. Another 74 million were allocated by the Moscow authorities.
Monument to St. George the Victorious.
The monument itself, in general, is not new; this sculpture was in the storerooms of the Studio of Military Artists named after. M.B. Grekova and was in front of the entrance to it. I already wrote about this.
But in the very center of Moscow in Potapovsky Lane, on the day of military glory, November 7, 2016, the Square of Commanders was opened and the sculpture was moved there. In addition to busts of various military leaders and other sculptures, a monument to St. George the Victorious by the sculptor was also moved there Alexandra Taratynova.
I don’t know what prompted the Moscow authorities to move it to the center of Moscow, and even to a “nook” sandwiched on all sides in Potapovsky Lane, except perhaps the proximity of the office of the Russian Military Historical Society, which is supervised by the current Minister of Culture Medynsky. But the whole idea and epic nature of this amazing work was completely lost here, just like all the other sculptures and busts stuck here without pattern and logic. Alas, Sobyanism-Medynism is ironing our capital and not only it.
And one more....
Monument to St. George the Victorious Archangel Michael (memorial to Kalashnikov).
“Monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov” is a monument by sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov, dedicated to the creator of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov. Located in the park at the intersection of Sadovaya-Karetnaya and Dolgorukovskaya streets in Moscow.
Soviet and Russian designer of small arms, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, Hero of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Mikhail Kalashnikov, primarily known for his Kalashnikov assault rifle, died on December 23, 2013 in Izhevsk at the age of 95.
As indicated on the website of the Kalashnikov concern, “the Kalashnikov assault rifle, produced by the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant of the State Corporation Russian Technologies, participated in all armed conflicts of the second half of the last century. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Kalashnikov assault rifle still remains the most popular small arms in the world. There are more than 100 million AK units in 55 states. In Egypt, a monument was erected to him, in Afghanistan the silhouette of a weapon is embroidered on carpets, and in some African countries newborn boys are called Kalash.
In December 2014, the management of the Rostec state corporation, together with the Russian Military Historical Society, decided to erect a monument to Kalashnikov in Moscow. Initially, the monument was planned to be located at the intersection of Sadovaya-Karetnaya and Krasnoproletarskaya streets in Moscow, but then the installation site was moved closer to the park next to Dolgorukovskaya Street, which the Russian Military Historical Society proposed to name Kalashnikov.
The monument represents the figure of Mikhail Kalashnikov with a machine gun in his hands, which he holds, as journalists noted, “like a mother of a baby.” As the author of the monument, Salavat Shcherbakov, said, “many people wanted Kalashnikov to be unarmed, but we made it so that the author looks at his machine gun as a work of art, for example, as a Stradivarius violin.” The statue, 5 meters high, stands on a 2-meter pedestal, since according to Shcherbakov, Kalashnikov is “the main figure here” and “a man of great modesty,” he “was close to the people and he himself was flesh of the people.”
On the background - sculptural composition with the figure of Archangel Michael a, striking a dragon with a spear as the personification of “certain forces of evil” and driving it into the underworld against the backdrop of the silhouette of the globe. At the same time, the winged Archangel Michael sits on a winged horse, remaining similar to St. George the Victorious with a spear. The composition also includes attributes of the design bureau - a drawing board, compasses, as well as drawings and many models of the machine gun.
proof
Monument to Prince Dmitry Donskoy.
On September 27, 2013 (!!!) a monument to the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy was unveiled on the territory of the First Moscow Cadet Corps. This action would have remained unnoticed by the general public if not for my interest in this topic. Well, there is a beautiful monument behind the fence, checkpoint and other obstacles. So it will remain in obscurity.
photo from the net
An equestrian sculpture of Dmitry Donskoy was created Vyacheslav and Andrey Klykov. Representatives of the famous dynasty depicted the Grand Duke on horseback, personifying his exploits and achievements during his reign. In addition to the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, this ruler opposed the Golden Horde, liberated and united the Russian lands, and also built a white-stone Kremlin in Moscow. The height of the monument is more than 6 meters. This project was implemented thanks to the support of Anatoly Nikolaevich Kuznetsov, a member of the Board of Trustees of the First Moscow Cadet Corps.
The prince was canonized in 1988. The monument to the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. Located next to the main entrance to the cadet corps, the equestrian sculpture recalls the glorious history of Rus' and the exploits of our ancestors, thanks to which today we have something to be proud of.
To be continued....
In the list of the tallest monuments in the world, the Victory Monument is in second place, after the Washington Monument. The height of the monument to the first US President, George Washington, reaches 169 meters, and before the construction of the Eiffel Tower (324 m), it was the tallest building on Earth.
It is noteworthy that the completion of the construction of the two tallest structures on the planet (until recently) occurred at the end of the 19th century. The Americans erected the monument for just over 40 years, and by 1885 the majestic giant was finally completed. The enterprising French took just over 2 years to build their main attraction, and by the spring of 1889 the beautiful iron tower began to bring fabulous profits to its investors.
It is impossible not to mention another gigantic monument, which was also erected at the same time. In 1886, on Liberty Island, about 3 km southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan Island, the torch of the Statue of Liberty, which was 93 meters high, “lit up.” It is noteworthy that the frame and pedestal of this monument were made according to the designs of the brilliant engineer Gustave Eiffel.
The word itself monument came to us from Latin (monumentum “memory; monument”, from the chapter monere “to remind”). It has been customary since ancient times to build monuments or monuments (which are essentially the same thing) in honor of some great person or significant event. But most of the monuments on the planet are strangely connected with peace and war, with life and death. The Statue of Liberty was built to commemorate the centenary of American independence. Eiffel Tower for the centenary of the French Revolution.
By the way, did you know that instead of the main French attraction on the Champ de Mars, a project was being considered for a “giant guillotine”, which was supposed to be reminiscent of the Great French Revolution? As is known from history textbooks, during the years of the revolution a giant guillotine was installed on the “Place de la Concorde”, replacing the statue of the king, and to the jubilation of the crowd in the square, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded, later Danton and Robespierre...
In Russia, the highest monument, symbolizing life and death, the terrible years of war and unconditional victory, the valor and heroism of fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and the entire Soviet people, is the Victory Monument on Poklonnaya Hill. The tallest monument in Russia, included in the “Russian Book of Records,” was erected only in 1995, and not in the planned post-war period...
The monument and Victory Park began to be designed even before the end of the war. But in the post-war peacetime, the priority task was to restore the destroyed country in the shortest possible time. In addition, the USSR faced a new threat in the form of America armed with nuclear weapons. In addition, a sharp struggle has developed between the two powers in the space industry. In addition to external threats, there were problems within the country - the death of Stalin, who left no successor, and the struggle for power in the party did not fade away for many years...
Finally, in 1957, the location for the future memorial was finally determined - Poklonnaya Gora. Why exactly on Poklonnaya Hill?
For centuries, the main route from Europe to the ancient capital of Russia passed along Poklonnaya Hill. Orthodox Christians stopped at this place and, according to tradition, “bowed” to the temples and monasteries of Moscow. At this place M.I. Kutuzov decided the fate of the city. Here Napoleon waited in vain for the keys to Moscow. From here in 1941, Soviet troops left to the west along the Mozhaisk Highway.
In 1958, an open all-Union competition was held for the best design of the memorial, but its results were not implemented. However, on February 23, 1958, a memorial granite sign was erected on Poklonnaya Hill with the inscription:
Foundation stone on Poklonnaya Hill. Family archive.“A monument to the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will be built here.”
In 1961, trees were planted around the stone with the inscription and a park was laid out, which was named after Victory. For many years, the park fulfilled its natural purpose - here Muscovites played sports and walked with their children. Only in the early 1980s did excavation work, laying communications and roads begin. The construction site was called “Udarnaya Komsomolskaya” for some time, based on the number of volunteers and students announced.
In modern sources, the construction of the Victory Memorial is attributed exclusively to the merits of the Moscow mayor's office and the then mayor Yu. Luzhkov, and one very curious fact is extremely rarely and not always mentioned: in the 1970-1980s, funds were collected for the construction of the monumental monument from volunteer cleanups and personal contributions from citizens 194 million rubles. And naturally, such an impressive amount was not enough. The project was frozen for more than 10 years.
In 1992, the Moscow government started talking about long-term construction, and 3 years later, on May 9, 1995, the year of the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory, the Memorial complex was officially opened. Since then, it has continued its development and the most recent object of the Memorial was the monument to the Heroes of the First World War, opened in 2014.
Victory Monument
The Victory Monument on Poklonnaya Hill is the tallest monument in Russia. Photo source: Wikipedia The obelisk was originally supposed to look like a monument, where soldiers rose on a high pedestal under the victorious Red Banner with the image of Lenin. But due to the death of the author of the project, architect A.T. Polyansky, this creatively complex plan remained only on paper. And over time, the image of Lenin ceased to represent the history of the victors. And this cannot but rejoice. Fortunately, the sober minds of modern architects and sculptors immortalized the victory of the Soviet people , and not leaders and revolutionary figures...
So, the project was headed by the famous monumental sculptor, at that time vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, Zurab Tsereteli. He is the author of the main Victory Monument.
The height of the Obelisk is 141.8 meters - according to the number of days of the war (1418).
Its shape is in the form of a triangular bayonet. The “Bayonet” stele, weighing 1000 tons, is made of especially strong steel and lined with stone. It was built in record time - in just 9 months!
Most of the monument is covered with bronze bas-reliefs, with the most important battles: the Battle of Stalingrad and Kursk, as well as the Belarusian operation, and all the cities where fierce battles took place up to Berlin.
Bas-relief of the victory monument. Source: loveopium.ru At a height of 104 meters, a 25-ton bronze sculptural group is attached to the stele, which includes the goddess of victory Nike, bearing a crown, and two cupids trumpeting victory.
Nika with cupids. Obelisk of Victory. Author: Evgeniy Chesnokov To maintain the balance of the statue, special counterweights were placed at its “legs”.
The statue of the goddess Nike increased the instability of the monument and its windage, so when constructing the foundation it was also necessary to pour an additional 2,000 cubic meters of concrete. To service the stele, an elevator was installed (it was ordered in Sweden), which rises to 87 meters.
Inside the hill on which the Monument stands, there are service premises in which a station for monitoring the condition of the structure, control rooms, equipment for lighting and ventilation, signaling devices, etc. are equipped.
At the foot of the obelisk there is a statue of St. George the Victorious, the defender of Moscow, slaying a snake, a symbol of evil, with his spear. In this case - fascism.
George the Victorious Victory Park. The monument to the heroes of the First World War was unveiled in Moscow in the most significant place of the capital - on Poklonnaya Hill between the Museum of the Great Patriotic War and the Arc de Triomphe. The celebration took place on August 1, 2014 in memory of the centenary of the beginning of this tragedy - the First World War. The decision to install such a monument in Moscow at the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society was made in April 2013. The authors were sculptors A. Kovalchuk, People's Artist of Russia, P. Lyubimov and V. Yusupov, who won the right to realize their concept on a competitive basis. The Russian Military Historical Society was collecting funds for the construction of the monument.
The memorial consists of two, compositionally and ideologically arranged parts-elements. On a high round column in classical antique style stands a Russian soldier cast in bronze. This, according to A. Kovalchuk, is a collective image. The soldier is not young - he has probably been through more than one war. He honestly fulfilled his duty and was brave, as evidenced by the St. George's crosses adorning the hero's chest. He has a simple face - slightly tired, with the stamp of a wise attitude towards the horrors of war and losses experienced. A neatly folded roll of an overcoat and a three-line rifle are thrown over the shoulder of the stately figure of a warrior. The image of the St. George's Cross, covered with gold leaf, stands out in relief on the column.
The second part of the monument is on a low cone-shaped pedestal slightly behind the soldier. This is a multi-figure composition depicting the Russian flag with a relief coat of arms and the people. There are warriors on a granite uneven ledge. Separately, a little ahead, against the background of the flag, is the figure of an officer with a raised sword. Compositionally (by turning the head and shoulders) it is facing a dense group of armed warriors going on the attack. There is one recognizable soldier in this group. This is the Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov, who was the first to be awarded the St. George Cross in the First World War. Further - already in high relief in the next ledge of the rock - a two-figure element. This is a wounded young soldier and a nurse supporting him. The woman's appearance resembles Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. Even further, in the next stone fold, repeating the bend of the flag, the image of battle scenes becomes relief.
The monument is designed for all-round visibility - it stands in a large free space. Therefore, there is also an image on the back of the flag. This is the cavalry going on the attack. Both people and animals are in a dynamic dynamic here.
As Andrei Kovalchuk emphasized in an interview, he wanted to cover the topic of defending the Motherland in many ways. This is a monument not only to a soldier, but rather to the entire people of a great power.
Monument to the Heroes of the First World War is a monument opened in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill on August 1, 2014 in honor of the centenary of the First World War. The authors of the monument are sculptors A. Kovalchuk, P. Lyubimov, V. Yusupov, architects M. Corsi, S. Shlenkina.
The decision to erect a monument to the heroes of the First World War in Moscow was made in April 2013. The initiator of the installation of the monument and the organizer of the competition was the Russian Military Historical Society. It was decided to install the monument on Poklonnaya Hill between the Triumphal Arch and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. The competition began on April 15 and took place in several stages. 32 contestants took part in the first stage. On July 12, the second stage of the competition began, in which 15 works took part. Online voting was held on the competition website until August 16, in which about 200 thousand users took part. An exhibition of the finalist projects was held at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. On September 18, the jury announced the winner of the competition. It turned out to be a project by sculptor Andrei Kovalchuk. According to the results of online voting, this project entered the top five, gaining about 6% of the votes. The Russian Military Historical Society collected donations for the construction of the monument. They collected 97 million rubles. Another 74 million were allocated by the Moscow authorities.
Opening
On August 1, 2014, the opening ceremony of the monument took place. This was one of the main events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Russia's entry into the First World War. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony. Among the guests were Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and Patriarch Kirill. At the opening of the monument, the President gave a speech. “Exactly a century ago, Russia was forced to enter the First World War. And today we are opening a memorial to its heroes - Russian soldiers and officers. We open on Poklonnaya Hill, which preserves the grateful memory of the military glory of the Russian army. About everyone who, at different stages of the history of the Russian state, defended its independence, dignity and freedom,” said Vladimir Putin.
Description
According to sculptor Andrei Kovalchuk, the monument consists “of two elements: a Russian soldier who went through the war, honestly fulfilled his duty and became a Knight of St. George, and a multi-figure composition representing the flag of Russia.” At the opening of the monument, the sculptor spoke about his idea: “The main soldier is definitely a collective image, and when creating him, I deliberately did not make a young man, but wanted to show a little deeper, to reveal this theme of defending the Motherland. And here is a Russian soldier, the 20th century, this is the Russo-Japanese War, the First World War, the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War, and this person could actually go through all these wars. And these people are real heroes, heroes to whom today we pay tribute, because for many years, many decades, we did not have a single monument in our country...
