Monuments of Smolensk. History, description, location

Smolensk is a city with a tragic fate that has repeatedly risen to the path of invaders, who sought to enslave the Russian people. Especially the Smolensk region was particularly affected by the Second World War, during which the number of victims among civilians in the city and the region amounted to more than 546 thousand people.

Today, those who gave their lives for the freedom of the Motherland are reminded of the numerous monuments of Smolensk. They are created at different times, but they are united by the desire to express gratitude to the heroes, many of whom remained to lie in their native land and did not see a happy Victory Day.

Monument to soldiers-liberators

May 8, 2015 in the city was solemnly opened a new monument. Thus, the monuments of Smolensk have been replenished with one more, which differs from the previous ones in that it shows the continuity of generations. To this end, the author of the monument - Igor Chumakov - placed the faces of the three defenders of the city of different epochs in appropriate uniforms in front of the high stela. It is a Smolensk warrior from the times of the siege of the city by the troops of King Sigismund the Third, a soldier of the Russian army who fought for Smolensk during the Patriotic War of 1812, and a Red Army man with a submachine gun in his hands.

Monument "The Sorrowful Mother" (Smolensk)

On the south-western outskirts of the city is a picturesque park Readovka. It was defeated in the place where in the summer and autumn of 1942 the Nazis executed more than 3 thousand people. They were mainly underground fighters and guerrillas, but there were also many civilians who were arrested on suspicion of sympathy with the "enemies of the Reich". After the liberation of the city, the bodies of the executed patriots were transferred to a common grave, and the monument "The Sorrowing Mother" was erected above it. Smolensk thereby acquired one of the most interesting monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. He represents a wall above human growth, which depicts the moment of execution of heroes. Before this panel is installed a sculpture of the mother in a scarf with a face expressing boundless sorrow. The author of the monument is the People's Artist of the RSFSR AG Sergeev, who dedicated his creation to two years.

Monument to Terkin in Smolensk

Many Smolenskers admit that their favorite monument in their hometown is a sculptural composition depicting two conversing front-line soldiers, one of whom holds the accordion. It is dedicated to the poet Alexander Tvardovsky and the literary hero he created - the famous soldier Vasily Terkin. The monument was installed in 1995, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory, and its author is also the sculptor A. Sergeev. Tourists coming to Smolensk, call this monument very colorful and try to be photographed on its background. In addition, young people who first hear about Vasily Terkin, after a walk in the square on Victory Square, often get acquainted with the immortal work of Tvardovsky. But it is recognized as one of the best works written during the Second World War.

"The Scorched Flower"

Talking about the monuments of war (Smolensk), we can not fail to mention the most moving of them. This modest sculptural composition is dedicated to children prisoners of fascist concentration camps. It is a set of slender children's bodies, squeezed into a large ball, which is installed on a long thin "stalk". At the base of the monument there are two stone "leaflets" with the names of concentration camps, where fascist monsters kept young prisoners in custody. The monument appeared in Smolensk ten years ago, it is installed in the park of the Pioneers. The initiator of its creation was a regional organization of former juvenile prisoners of Nazi concentration camps, many of whose members spent their childhood behind barbed wire.

Alley of Glory

In 1974, monuments of Smolensk were replenished with another memorial complex. They became the Alley of Heroes. It is located at the foot of the fortress wall, and there you can bow to the graves of Soviet soldiers. In memory of each of them are installed granite slabs and marble plaques of black color with the dates of birth and death, the name of the soldier and his rank.

Other monuments of WWII

In general, the territory near the walls of Smolensk Kremlin is considered a memorial. And this is not surprising, since there are many monuments of Smolensk. For example, at the Thunder Tower you can see a commemorative sign in honor of the liberation of the city from the Nazi occupiers. Its authors are the sculptor GI Samodelkin and the architect Yu. A. Shatalov. The monument depicts artillerymen changing the firing position and installed a granite slab with an inscription announcing that in 1943 the Smolensk region was liberated by troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts.

Another monument to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War is located at the entrance to the city from the side of Pechersk. It is a tank mounted on a hill. At the foot of the memorial there is a granite board, in the center of which there is a bas-relief depicting the Order of the Patriotic War. On both sides of it inscriptions are engraved indicating that the monument is dedicated to the Smolensk that perished in the war and the soldiers who liberated the city from the enemies.

Memorial of prisoners of concentration camp N 126

On Z. Kosmodemyanskaya street there is a monument to Soviet citizens who died in concentration camp No. 126. This fascist prison was the largest in the city, and over two years of its existence more than 45,000 Soviet people died there from overwork. The memorial, dedicated to their memory, was opened in 1975. Its authors were the architects E. Antonov and G. Soosar. The monument consists of several rows of concrete tombstones, which can be accessed through the entrance in the form of three massive inverted concrete hollow trapezoids, which are painted in a dark red color. They have windows with bars, through which you can look inside. In such a way, the authors of the memorial complex decided to designate barracks, where they contained prisoners. In addition, the territory of the complex is a mound, to the top of which leads a wide staircase, and completes the composition of a massive bronze wreath.

Now you know which monuments of Victory in Smolensk you can visit, if you go on an excursion to this ancient city, which rightly bears the title of Hero City.