The Chizhov bridgehead in Voronezh is a famous memorial complex. It is dedicated to the events of World War II. Directly to the Voronezh soldiers who defended the city from Nazi invaders.
The appearance of the monument
The Chizhov bridgehead in Voronezh was inaugurated on the eve of Victory Day in 1975. Then they were just about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops. The monument was erected near the Vogresovsky bridge on the territory of the former urban settlement, which was called Chizhovka.
However, all the work at the Chizhovsky bridgehead memorial complex in Voronezh was finally completed only 10 years later. By the 40th anniversary of the Victory in World War II, the construction of the memorial was completed.
He was erected in the Leninsky district of the city. The authors of the main project were sculptors-spouses Tolmachev and architect Selyutin.
What is a memorial?
The Chizhovsky bridgehead in Voronezh is a memorial complex that consists of a mass grave and the Hall of Memory, on the walls of which the names of all the defenders of Voronezh during the war were knocked out. There is also a high podium, on which there is a sculptural group of three soldiers. They are covered with leaf bronze. Soldiers give fireworks to their fallen comrades. The wind symbolically develops raincoats behind them.
The condition of the memorial is closely monitored by the authorities. Not so long ago, the repair of the memorial structure took place. The government of the Leninsky district of Voronezh certified the monument of history and culture, which is listed in documents as the mass grave No. 1.
Heating systems were repaired here, and the facing of the pedestal of the monument was updated with marble slabs. And also included all subsequent work on the repair and improvement of the memorial building in the municipal program, just dedicated to the preservation and development of culture and art in Voronezh. As part of this project, funds were regularly allocated to maintain the memorial in good condition. Therefore, today in Voronezh, excursions, as a rule, do not pass by this memorial.
Defense of Voronezh
Historically, the Chizhov bridgehead was located on the right bank of the city suburbs. The outcome of the battle for Voronezh in 1942 was decided precisely in these places. Units of the Soviet army stood here, as they say, to the last, not letting the enemy go forward. As a result, they managed to hold out until the city was completely liberated and recapture Voronezh from the Nazi invaders. Despite the fact that the enemy forces significantly exceeded the strength and armament of the Red Army.
Especially distinguished in the battle for Voronezh in 1942, a militia detachment. It consisted entirely of local residents, for whom it was especially important and crucial to hold out in battles for their hometown.
The battles for Chizhovka hit the pages of the history of the Great Patriotic War as an example of the heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers and officers.
Soviet troops recaptured the bridgehead in August 1942. Since then, in fact, the battle for this key position has not stopped round the clock for 204 days. Until the complete liberation of the city, which took place on January 25, 1943. Since then, this date is annually celebrated in the regional center as the city’s new birthday. Indeed, if the city had not been liberated then, it is not known what modern Voronezh would be like.
Moreover, it was precisely in the Chizhovka region that the German fascist troops suffered a crushing blow in early January. It was from here that the real liberation of Voronezh began. The so-called Voronezh-Kastoren offensive operation, which culminated in the success of the Soviet Army.
Mass grave
It is known that in this mass grave in the Chizhovka region the bodies of more than 10 thousand participants in those bloody events rest. However, most names are still unknown. At the moment, only 3,545 people buried in the mass grave have been reliably able to determine the names and military ranks.
718 names are listed in the official book of the eternal memory of the memorial complex in Voronezh "Chizhov bridgehead". On the territory of the Voronezh region this is the largest burial place of the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, it is here that commemorative events dedicated to the heroes of that war take place annually.
Heroes of the Chizhov bridgehead
In the battles for Voronezh, many Soviet soldiers and officers distinguished themselves. But history has preserved the names of only some of them.
If you come to the monuments of Voronezh, visit the Chizhov bridgehead, then they will tell you about the feat of the deputy commander of the battalion Georgy Lyulin, who by 1943 rose to the rank of senior lieutenant. His act, according to modern historians, played a significant role in the outcome of this battle.
At the decisive moment of the battle, Lyulin picked up the red flag and launched an attack under a hail of fragments and enemy bullets. It was his act that made the battalion take over, which seized the building of the brick factory, hoisting the red banner above it, which was in Lyulin’s hands. The hero himself in this battle died tragically.
He was buried here, at the site of his last battle. In the courtyard of the Voronezh brick factory. The soldiers and officers of the 333rd regiment, in which Lulin served, sent a letter to the local authorities with a request to perpetuate the memory of the hero, calling him one of the streets in the area of Chizhovka. And so they did. You can visit this street today.
Fierce fighting
It was in these places that the most fierce battles took place in the Voronezh direction. If you go on a trip to Voronezh, they will tell you that the confrontation between Soviet and German troops often came to hand-to-hand fights. Huge losses were on each side.
Historians who studied archival documents of that period found that in just three separate days of fighting, the 40th Army lost more than 17 thousand people wounded, killed and missing. Among them were fighters, political workers and commanders. All who participated in these difficult battles.
The current state of the memorial
It is worth recognizing that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the memorial complex was in a deplorable state for a long period of time. Funds for its overhaul and maintenance after 1991 were practically not allocated.
Radically, the situation began to change in 2012. By that time, the state of the memorial was simply critical. The huge marble slabs that framed the mass grave could collapse at any moment. Three million rubles were urgently needed for restoration work.
Only in such a stalemate situation did the money be found, and the reconstruction of the memorial complex began.
Since 2009, another commemorative sign has appeared nearby in this place. In honor of Dmitry Donskoy, a stone was laid in the foundation at this site of the temple.