In the Soviet Union, everyone knew Alyosha, who does not give flowers to young girls, but they give him flowers. This happened primarily due to the famous song by E. Kolmanovsky to the verses of K. Vanshenkin. Now is another time and other songs. Unfortunately, the memory of the exploits of Soviet soldiers is erased in the consciousness of modern society both in Europe and in the post-Soviet space. Nevertheless, the words "Alyosha", "Bulgaria", "monument" were firmly entwined into a single image in the minds of the inhabitants of eastern Europe.
History of creation
Monuments to unknown soldiers are scattered throughout Europe . This is understandable - how many Soviet soldiers died during the liberation of Eastern Europe from the Nazis. In those early years, Soviet troops met bread and salt throughout the entire space from the Balkans to the Baltic. A few years later, the inhabitants of the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv had a decision to capture in stone the image of a soldier-liberator. In the future, this idea resulted in a monument to Alyosha. Then, in 1948, a public committee was created to develop a model of the monument, and there was a symbolic laying of foundations for the future pedestal in the city center. In the competitive selection, the choice fell on the model of Vasil Radoslavov under the name "Red Hero". Before the implementation of the project, I had to wait 9 years. In 1957, on the eve of the celebration of the October Revolution, the grand opening of the memorial complex took place .
Description
From all over the city of Plovdiv you can see a huge figure of a Russian soldier who lowered the famous Shpagin submachine gun to the ground, with which he walked from Stalingrad to Berlin. On a pedestal of 6 meters, a stone hero 11 meters tall peers into the distance to the east, to where the house is, where the family is waiting. The pedestal itself is decorated with bas-reliefs. One of them was created by Georgy Kots and is called "The Soviet Army Beats the Enemy", the other shows the meeting of the Bulgarian people of the army of liberators, its author is Alexander Zankov. To put flowers at the foot of the monument, you need to climb a hundred steps. Bunardzhik Hill, now called the Liberators Hill, on which stands the monument to Alyosha, has become one of the main attractions of the ancient city of Plovdiv (Philippopol).
Russian Alyosha
And why is the monument in Bulgaria around the world known as "Alyosha"? Where did this name come from? There are several versions of the appearance of the prototype for this stone idol. One way or another, everything leads to Alyosha Skurlatov, a young signalman - a hero, whose photograph was preserved in the archives of one of the inhabitants of the city of Plovdiv. There was a legend about the Russian hero who, on the day of the liberation of the city, planted two local girls on his shoulders and danced tirelessly with them. Old-timers talk about this, the story is passed down from generation to generation. This fellow was associated precisely with Alexei Skurlatov. Only after 20 years the fighter himself learned that the famous monument to the soldier Alyosha is a copy of him. In 1982, A. Skurlatov visited Bulgaria and received the title of
honorary citizen of the city of Plovdiv.
Alyosha captured in the song
The monument "Alyosha" (photo is given in the article) makes a strong impression on the audience, shocking with its grandeur, colossal and spiritual simplicity at the same time. The Soviet composer E. Kolmanovsky, who visited Plovdiv in 1962, admired the memorial and the attitude of ordinary people in Bulgaria towards it. Sharing his impressions of the trip to Moscow with his friend, poet K. Vanshenkin, the musician told the story of the creation of the monument. And then the words appeared, and then the melody of the famous song "Alyosha". This work gained great popularity in Bulgaria and, of course, in the Soviet Union thanks to the Bulgarian duet - Rita Nikolova and Georgi Kordov.
Struggle for existence
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, an entire era ended. Everywhere they talked about the shortcomings of the communist regime and immediately blackened everything that was. And there were a lot of things! This is the friendship of peoples, and economic cooperation, and, most importantly, a common victory over fascism. Over the past twenty years, many memorial sites in Europe have been subjected to acts of vandalism. And although officially the governments of the countries adopted a resolution to prevent the desecration of monuments dedicated to the victory over fascism, this does not stop individual social forces. There are ongoing discussions about the dismantling or transfer to the outskirts of memory memorials. This fate did not pass over the monument to Alesha in Bulgaria. Photos of a stone Russian soldier were increasingly appearing in the press, but with headlines screaming about the demolition initiative. Three times they wanted to remove him from the pedestal, but every time the public rebelled against and defended not just the monument, but the people's memory and gratitude itself.
Monument to Alyosha today
The last time the question was raised about the dismantling of Alyosha, the public organized a watch near the monument, and war veterans promised to commit an act of self-immolation in the event of its demolition. Several court hearings have been held. The result was the recognition by the Supreme Court that the monument to Alyosha has the status of the Monument of the Second World War, which means it is inviolable. Today it is one of the favorite places for tourists to visit in Plovdiv, according to tradition, newlyweds come and lay flowers. In 2007, a commemorative stamp was issued to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the installation of the memorial in Bulgaria. The monument to Alesha along with Shipka and other monuments is a sign of centuries-old friendship and cooperation of the Bulgarian and Russian peoples.