Monument to Zhukov. Monuments in Moscow. Monument to Marshal Zhukov

During the Great Patriotic War, Russia brought up many great generals. To pay tribute and recognition, many of them established monuments in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. One of the popularly recognized generals is Georgy Zhukov - the Marshal of the Soviet Union and four times Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the gentleman of the two Orders of Victory. In the postwar years he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, for two years served as First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The legendary commander died in 1974, on June 18. According to the decision of the country's leaders, Zhukov - as an outstanding state and military figure - was buried near the Kremlin wall on Red Square. And on the centenary of George Konstantinovich, the Order and Zhukov Medal were established .

Nobody is forgotten ...

Heroes leave, but the memory of them is eternal. The Military Command Academy of Air Defense in Tver is named after the commander. His name is also worn by avenues and streets in many settlements of the former USSR. Sculptural compositions in honor of the marshal are installed in Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Kursk, Kharkov and other cities. Moscow was no exception. The monument to Zhukov, however, appeared relatively recently in the capital - in 1995, although the idea of its creation arose even in the times of the Soviet Union.

History

The Ministry of Culture of the USSR organized a competition for the best sketch of the future statue. It was won by the sculptor of monumental art, who had previously performed a monument to Marshal Zhukov (in the village of Strelkovka - in the homeland of the commander), Victor Dumanyan. The composition was to be staged on the Smolenskaya Square, but giving recommendations on the location of monuments in Moscow. The Architecture and Design Department decided that the best place to install such a sculptural composition as the monument to Zhukov was Manege Square. However, the overhauling restructuring brought its corrections to the work. The monument was forgotten for a long time ...

Monument to Marshal Zhukov

Have resumed work already in the new country under the new power. On May 9, 1994, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the installation of a monument on the Manege Square. However, then again the changes followed. During the meeting of Yeltsin with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, it was decided that such a structure should be decorated with the most important square of the country - the Red Square. The monument to Zhukov was now decided to be installed in close proximity to the Historical Museum and other rescuers of the Fatherland - Pozharsky and Minin. The work on the composition was entrusted to the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov (photo below), and he supported the correctness of this decision. According to Klykov, the choice of any other place to install the monument would be an outrage over the memory of the commander.

And yet the monument to Zhukov was put on Manezh Square, near the entrance to the historical museum. The fact is that the Red Square is an object of culture and history of world significance, included in the list of UNESCO and under protection, and this organization has forbidden to make any additions or changes on its territory.

Description of the sculpture

The monument is made in the style of socialist realism. Georgy Zhukov sits on horseback, and that hoof tramples the standards of Nazi Germany. In this you can trace the parallel with George the Victorious, fearlessly overcoming the snake. The commander is pictured somewhat upstaged in the stirrups and welcoming his comrades-in-arms. Vyacheslav Klykov said that he aspired in this composition to depict one of the most solemn episodes in the life of the marshal - the moment when he accepted the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945. The monument to Zhukov is a bronze sculpture mounted on a granite massive pedestal. The weight of the monument reaches 100 tons.

Interesting fact

It is noteworthy that Stalin ordered George Konstantinovich to take the parade on a white horse. This is a unique case in the entire Soviet history of equestrian parades. Suitable for Zhukov white horse in the Manege of the Ministry of Defense could not be found, and found him only in the cavalry regiment of the USSR State Security Committee. It was a stallion bearing the idol's name. By the way, Georgy Konstantinovich was an excellent cavalryman, but in the mornings he still came to the Manege for training.

Monument to Zhukov: criticism

The place that was taken for the monument turned out to be not very successful: firstly, the sculpture is too close to the service entrance of the museum, and secondly, it is located on the north side of the building and is therefore very darkened. To see the monument to Zhukov in details it is possible only in the daytime, because in the evening and at night the composition looks just black. In the artistic circles, the monument was also subjected to many critical remarks. Architects and sculptors not only perceived the aesthetics and proportions of the monument negatively, they also condemned the embodied image of the marshal, and the very idea.

Author's opinion

Despite many unflattering reviews, Klykov continued to insist that the composition was built professionally and correctly, and the image of the commander was correctly conveyed. Pulling the reins, Zhukov brought the Victory to the walls of the Kremlin. As the author says, the moment of acceptance of the Parade is depicted, when the marshal is at the zenith of glory and grandeur. With this idea, the rhythmic step of the horse also agrees. However, the connoisseurs of riding and he caused some confusion. In the fire of general discontent, they poured oil, saying that the horses do not put their feet so. Nevertheless, as already noted, Klykov did not find any shortcomings in his work. When composing the composition, he was guided by his own memories of that memorable Victory Parade and in the image of Zhukov strove to embody the theme of holiness, placing the commander on a par with Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.

Perpetuation of memory

Of course, the monument to Zhukov in Moscow is not the only monument dedicated to the marshal. Where is the memory of this great man still immortalized?

• Outside the USSR, the first sculptural composition in honor of Georgiy Konstantinovich was established in 1979 in Mongolia, in Ulan Bator, to the fortieth anniversary of the victory at Khalkhin-Gol, next to the first museum of the military leader in the world. The street where the museum is located is also named after Zhukov.
• In the USSR, the first monument to the marshal was staked in Stary Oskol in 1988 (laid in 1973) in the microdistrict, also called the "Zhukov microdistrict".
• In Moscow, the monument on the Manezhnaya Square is also not the only sculpture in honor of Georgy Konstantinovich. The monument was installed in the square on Marshal Zhukov Avenue, and at the northern entrance hall of the two-hall metro station "Kashirskaya".
• In St. Petersburg, the monument to Zhukov since 1995 stands in the Moscow Victory Park.
• The sculpture of the commander was also installed in Armavir on the street of the same name.
• In 1995, a monument to the marshal was staged in Omsk.
• A year earlier, in 1994, in the city of Irbit, in the Sverdlovsk region, a monument to Zhukov was opened. The sculpture was made in full growth on a marble pedestal in memory of the time when Georgy Konstantinovich was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Irbit district and the town of Irbit.
• On May 8, 2007 in Minsk (Belarus) the Marshal's Memory Square was opened, and Zhukov's bust was installed in it.
• In the city of Uralsk (Kazakhstan), the bust of the commander flaunts right in front of the administrative building of the military unit.
• In 2005, a monument to Georgi Konstantinovich was installed in Irkutsk, which is timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.