The idea to organize a museum that would “tell” about the heroic deed of the Ukrainian people in the Second World War was approved at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR on June 12, 1942, that is, long before the end of the war. At that time, the territory of Ukraine was still occupied by the Nazis, so they decided to temporarily place the exposition in the Lenin Museum in Moscow.
But it so happened that the National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. began its work in Kiev only on May 9, 1981. Together with him, the monument "Motherland" - one of
the highest monuments in the world - was "opened"
. In Ukraine, sculptures above this have not yet been created, and it is unlikely that someone will have such a desire and an opportunity.
Almost any place on the left bank of the Dnieper in the city allows you to see a "woman with a sword." 102 meters of stainless iron and stone - the height of the monument "Motherland". For comparison, the world-famous
Statue of Liberty in American New York has a "growth" of only 93 meters. The very figure of a woman of the Kiev monument, however, reaches a height of only 62 meters, but the pedestal on which the monument "Motherland" is installed is another 40 meters.
This colossus weighs 450 tons, and the structure on which the pedestal stands has a diameter of 34 meters and a depth of 17.8 meters. It is at the base of the monument that the museum itself is located. It is estimated that every year the
memorial complex is visited by approximately 750 thousand people of Kiev and visitors.
Monument "Motherland" inside has two elevators. The first - vertical - rises to the very head of the pedestal, the second moves at an angle of 75 degrees. Previously, visitors could admire the wonderful views of the city from two viewing platforms at once, one of which is located on the monument’s sword, the second in the shield. The height of the latter is 92 meters. The rise of excursions to the observation deck was allowed in 2002, but, unfortunately, in 2003, due to an accident, access to them was again prohibited for a long time. It was only in 2010 that a viewing platform was opened for visitors in a shield, which was previously equipped with a grating for safety. Today, all excursionists pass face control to get there. Elderly people, pregnant women, children under 12 years old are not allowed on the observation deck. The reason is that part of the path needs to climb up the vertical ladder.
As mentioned above, the monument "Motherland" is part of the
memorial complex, which covers an area of more than 10 hectares. In addition to it, the complex includes a square and an alley of hero cities, compositional sculptures "Transfer of weapons" and "Forcing the Dnieper", military equipment available for all to see, a bowl with the
Eternal Flame and other attractions. And near the expositions “Alien War” and “Valor of Afghanistan”, veterans gather every year on Victory Day.
As the designers assure, "Motherland" is a monument that will stand for at least 150 years. It can withstand huge dynamic and seismological loads. And to counter strong gusts of wind, a pendulum weighing 9 tons is installed inside a 16-meter sword!
“Motherland” is a “calling card” of Kiev, which will “tell” about many generations about the courageous feat of the Ukrainian people in the Second World War.