Nike and St.George adorn the obelisk which at 141.8 m represents 10cm for each day of the War
Housed within the walls of the structure that frames the 141.8m obelisk in Victory Park is Центральный музей Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг (The Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945). The various displays, dioramas, photographs and artifacts found within its walls chronicle Russia's role in the world conflict that Russians know as "The Great Patriotic War".
The imposing Soviet era building boasts marble-lined floors, grand salons and austere yet utilitarian spaces to showcase the history and artifacts that form the legacy of the past.
Thankfully, I had Mr. U by my side to translate the more in-depth texts and guide me through the historical events of Russia's history.
The dioramas were expertly executed. It was difficult to tell what was painted and what was an actual artifact/object.
Battle of Moscow
Siege of Leningrad
Battle of Kursk
Forcing of the Dniepr
Berlin
Berlin
The Hall of Glory houses the "Soldier of Victory" and the walls are inscribed with the names of the 11,800 recipients of the Hero of the Soviet Union distinction.
Spread throughout the museum were examples of the propaganda spread during the Great Patriotic War. Here are two that struck me in particular.
Hand puppets of Hitler and Mussolini -Spitting Image precursors, I suppose!
Various artifacts taken from the camps were on display -some I had never seen before with my own eyes and others that I had.
Zyklon B
Extracted Teeth
Uniforms, medals, flags and paraphernalia of the defeated Nazi forces were kept as an historical record.
Soviet soldiers holding the colours of defeated enemy units
Flags, Iron Crosses, patches
Two enormous marble scrolls mounted on opposite walls separated by a grand staircase recounted the battle plans by the Nazis on Moscow and the retaliatory plans by the Russians on Berlin.
"Hitlerian Plan of War Against the CCCP -Plan Barbarossa"
central staircase embellishments
"Decisive role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Fascist Germany"
Throughout the museum there were many artifacts on display from uniforms to weaponry to historical records of defining events in Russia's history.
detail of sculptures of victims of communist rule installed as a group Artist: Evgeny Chubarov
The Fallen Monument Park (formerly called the Park of the Fallen Heroes) is located on the grounds of the Krymsky Val building that houses the Tretyakov Modern Art Gallery and the Central House of Artists. Established in 1992 by the city of Moscow, it boasts over 700 sculptures arranged in themed sections -Pushkin Square, Oriental Gardens, Portrait Row, Fallen Monuments- to name a few.
The park as seen today grew up around the remains of the discarded
socialist realism statues of unidentified workers, peasants and Soviet
leaders removed from their pedestals in 1991 when the Soviet Union
collapsed.
It was a perfect afternoon for a walk in the park, with the sun coming out to play after a long morning of rain had washed away some of the pukh floating through the air. The tranquility of the park was occasionally broken up by the sounds of other visitors exchanging thoughts and opinions about the sculptures in German, English, Russian. Mr. U and I shared the same thought, "UGH...tourists", and rolled our eyes in mock disdain.
I guess Moscow has become "home" after just over 10 months.
Peace on Earth
Tretyakov Modern Art Gallery and the Central House of Artists
Peter the Great on the Moscow river as seen from the gardens photo: Mr. U
Great minds of the 20thC
Adam and Eve
A gentleman enjoying the park, he is not a sculpture...there are many spaces to reflect quietly.
Love is in the air
Wolf in sheep's clothing
Ghandi
I'm the king of the world...
OK...yes, I know...you're REALLY looking for the Soviet sculptures. You skimmed through the other photos to get here, didn't you? C'mon, admit it.
Without further ado, here they are. I hope the images meet your expectations. Although nothing compares to the experience of standing in the shadows cast by the sculptures, feeling how small and insignificant you are beside these Soviet giants.
Stalin, defaced
Lenin photo: Mr.U
Marx photo: Mr.U
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Photo: Mr. U
Interesting trivia
The opening animation sequence of James Bond’s Goldeneye is based on images of the fallen monuments. Look closely and you’ll see Lenin, Stalin and a deconstruction of the large Soviet emblem throughout the sequence.
