To the west of the center of Moscow there is a gentle hill. It is located between two rivers called Filka and Setun. This is Poklonnaya Gora. Once it was located far from Moscow, from its top a panorama of the whole city, as well as its surroundings, was visible. Travelers stayed here quite often. They admired Moscow and worshiped its churches. From here comes the name of the mountain.
Sight
Today, Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow is a memorial park that has perpetuated the memory of those who died in World War II. It is considered one of the main attractions of the capital. Its location is between Minskaya Street and Kutuzovsky Prospekt.
Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow is a popular holiday destination, while not only residents love it, but also guests of the capital.
History
Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow was first mentioned in chronicles dating back to the 16th century. This hill is located on the Smolensk road. In 1812, at the indicated place, Napoleon was waiting for the moment when the keys to the city would be brought to him. During the war years with the German invaders, soldiers went to the front along the Smolensk road.
The idea of creating a memorial appeared back in 1942. Poklonnaya Gora was chosen as a suitable place (see the photo "Moscow, Victory Park" below). However, it was very difficult to carry out the plan during the period of hostilities and in the first post-war years.
Only in 1958 did a commemorative sign appear on the hill with an inscription that a Victory monument would stand at the indicated location. Then the park was laid. It was called Victory Park. Part of the funds needed for the construction of the ensemble was collected as a result of the subbotniks. The missing money was allocated by the state and government of the capital. The opening of the memorial complex, located on Poklonnaya Hill, took place on 05/09/1995. It marked the fiftieth anniversary of the victory over fascism.
Buildings and Monuments
Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow is currently a memorial complex, spread over an area of one hundred thirty-five hectares. It also houses the Victory Monument and the Great Patriotic War Museum, as well as three churches that were built in memory of those killed in the period from 1941 to 1945.
Victors Square is the main attraction of the Poklonnaya Gora memorial. Victory Park is decorated with an obelisk with a height of 141.8 m. It is installed in the very center of Victors Square and decorated with bas-reliefs with the names of hero cities. The height of the obelisk reminds everyone of the 1,418 long days and nights of the war of 1941-1945. At a height of one hundred twenty-two meters, the obelisk is adorned with the twenty-five-ton figure of Nicky, the goddess of Victory. At the foot of the monument, a sculpture was built of St. George the Victorious, killing with his spear a serpent, which is a symbol of evil. Both statues are creations of Z. Tsereteli, made especially for such a memorial as Poklonnaya Gora.
Victory Park is also decorated with such monuments:
- “Defenders of the Russian land”, the sculptor of which was A. Bichugov.
- “To all the fallen”, made by sculptor V. Znoba.
Another iconic building on Poklonnaya Hill was the Eternal Flame. It was lit on the eve of the sixty-fifth anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany. The grand opening took place on April 30, 2010. A torch with a flame that was lit from the Eternal Flame located near the Kremlin wall was solemnly delivered to an armored personnel carrier accompanied by an escort of motorcyclists.
Between the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War and Victory Square, there is a main avenue called "Years of War". It includes five terraces, which symbolize 5 war years. Over water surfaces, which are also five, 1,418 fountains were built. Each of them symbolizes one day of war.
Winners Square in the form of a half-ring is framed by another group of fountains. Its purpose is to symbolize the joy of the victorious people.
Temples
Poklonnaya Gora is a place of tolerance. In the neighborhood there are three temples belonging to different faiths. This is the Memorial Mosque, the Temple of Remembrance and the Temple of St. George the Victorious. In 2003, the chapel was opened on Poklonnaya Hill.
It was erected in memory of the Spanish volunteers who died during the Great Patriotic War. In the near future it is planned to erect an Armenian chapel, a Buddhist stupa and a Catholic church on Poklonnaya Hill.
Memorial mosque
This building appeared on Poklonnaya Hill in 1997. Its construction was dedicated to the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow. The mosque has a madrassah and a community. The architecture of the building combines the features of various Muslim schools.
Temple of Remembrance in Victory Park
The memorial synagogue, which was opened in 1998, is the only museum of Jewish history in Russia. The temple of memory offers its visitors a vast exposition. Her materials introduce the history of Jews from the time of their settlement in Russia. The exposition reflects the contribution of this people to the culture of the country, its participation in economic development and the protection of borders in tsarist times. The materials exhibited in the Temple of Remembrance also relate to the tragic pages of Jewish history, when before the October Revolution there were more than four hundred different provisions and laws that limited the labor, rights, education, culture and religious traditions of this people. The main part of the exposition tells visitors about the Holocaust and the struggle of the Jewish people on the fronts of the war against the German invaders and in partisan detachments.
Church of St. George
This building was laid in 1993 by Alexy II - His Holiness Patriarch. In May 1995 the temple was consecrated.
The architect of this building is A. Polyansky, the authors of the bas-reliefs made of bronze are Z. Tsereteli and Z. Anzhaparidze. The iconostasis is written by A. Chashkin, and the mosaic icons are the work of E. Klyucharyov. Some elements of modernism have been added to the original Russian style of construction.
The shrine of the Temple is a particle of the relics of St. George the Victorious. It was donated by the Jerusalem patriarch Diodorus in 1998. A Sunday children's school was opened at the church, which is attended by children from a boarding school of a neuropsychiatric direction, among others.
Museum
The Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War was built on Victors Square. It was established back in 1986. At the same time, a regulation was issued establishing its dominant status over all museums of the military-historical profile of the USSR, and the main directions of activity in the field of scientific work were determined.
In 1992, the museum included six dioramas, halls of fame, memory, historical exposition. There is an art gallery and a cinema hall where you can view documentary chronicles. There is a room in this building for veterans to meet.
Somewhat later, in 1993-1994, historical and art expositions appeared at the museum, which were temporary at that time. Subsequently, they became the basis of stationary exhibitions.
Travelers seek to visit one of the main attractions of Russia, which is Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow. The museum on Victors Square stores a priceless relic - the Victory Banner. It was erected in Berlin above the Reichstag building on 04/30/1945. There are paintings and artworks, sculptures and posters, as well as graphics from the time of the war. The library funds of the museum store more than fifty thousand publications, including very rare books.
An open area is an exhibition of military military equipment, not only domestic but also foreign. Here you can see the fortifications of the war.
Holidays on Poklonnaya Hill
If you go around the building of the Great Patriotic War Museum, then the gaze will open the second half of Victory Park. Here you can relax from the many visitors and the noise of transport. Both children and adults find entertainment to their liking. They like to come here as a whole family to visit various attractions and ride on a swing. In the summer, you can sit in the cafe, rent roller skates or a bicycle.
Poklonnaya Gora is transforming on May 9. Here, traditionally celebrating Victory Day, there are veterans. They can remember the old days, listen to concert performances dedicated to the great triumph, and watch colorful parades. In the evening, in honor of Victory Day, a salute certainly thunders. Poklonnaya Gora this day attracts not only residents of the capital, but also its many guests.
How to get to this attraction, which Moscow is rightfully proud of? Poklonnaya Gora (the metro may well deliver you here, you need to go to the Victory Park station) allows you to get to it in various ways. Buses also go here along routes No. 157 and 205. The stop is called Poklonnaya Gora. Victory Park can be reached by train in the Kiev direction of the railway to the Moscow-Sortirovochnaya station. If you go by car, you should move along the odd side of Kutuzovsky Prospekt to the site located between the streets of Minsk and General Ermolov.