What is the name of the monument to the unknown soldier. One for all

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

at the Kremlin wall in Moscow.

I know it's not my fault
The fact that others did not come from the war.
The fact that they are - who is older, who is younger,
Remained there. And it's not about the same
That I could and could not save them.
It's not about that. But still, still…
(A. T. Tvardovsky, 1966)

The memory of the heroism of Soviet soldiers during the Great Patriotic War immortalized by many memorial structures, including the graves of the Unknown Soldier in a number of cities across the country.
In Moscow, the memorial "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" was built in the Alexander Garden near the Kremlin wall.
In December 1966, on the days of the 25th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow, in the Alexander Garden from a mass grave located 41 kilometers from Moscow, in places of bloody battles, he was solemnly buried under Kremlin wall Ashes of the Unknown Soldier.
On the grave was lit Eternal flame glory.

Fire erupts from the middle of a bronze star placed in the center of a mirror-polished black labrador square, framed by a platform of red granite.
The torch was delivered from Leningrad, where it was lit from the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars. " Your name it is not known, your feat is immortal, ”is inscribed on the granite slab of the tombstone.

Next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on a low granite pedestal along the Kremlin wall, blocks of dark red stone are placed in a row, under them in urns is stored Holy Land hero cities - Leningrad, Kyiv, Minsk, Volgograd, Sevastopol, Odessa, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Brest Fortress, Tula and Smolensk.

On each block there is the name of the city and a chased image of the Gold Star medal. The tombstone of the grave-monument is crowned with a voluminous bronze composition - a soldier's helmet and a laurel branch lying on a battle banner.

At the Eternal Flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a permanent post of the guard of honor from the Presidential Regiment was installed - post No. 1 of Russia.
The "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" memorial in Moscow is a place for laying wreaths on holidays, it is visited by numerous delegations, including heads of foreign states and governments arriving in Moscow on official visits.

It seems that the monument to the Unknown Soldier has always been near the walls of the Kremlin. Who will remember now what was at the site of the memorial, at the place where people silently stop and remember to whom they owe their lives. Who now remembers how the eternal flame ended up in the Alexander Garden? On the Day of the Unknown Soldier, we publish facts from the history of the creation of the memorial.

It was decided to create a memorial of national importance - a monument to the Unknown Soldier - on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the defeat German troops near Moscow.

At one time, Brezhnev did not approve of the installation of a memorial in the Alexander Garden. After all, a monument with a long history already stood on this site - a monument to revolutionary thinkers and figures in the struggle for the liberation of the working people. In 1918, at the initiative of Lenin, the obelisk was converted into it in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

It was difficult to decide who exactly to bury near the walls of the Kremlin. The choice fell on the remains of a warrior from a mass grave, just discovered in those days near Moscow. A uniform without insignia and with a belt confirmed that the soldier was not a deserter. The soldier also could not be a prisoner, since the Germans did not reach this place. No documents were found with the soldier, which means that his ashes were really “unknown”.

On December 2, 1966, the soldier's remains were placed in a coffin wrapped in an orange and black ribbon. And the next day at 11:45 a.m., the coffin was placed on an open car, which moved along the Leningrad highway to the Alexander Garden.

That morning, the entire Gorky Street (now Tverskaya), along which the cortege was moving towards Manezhnaya Square, was filled with people. On December 3, 1966, under an artillery salvo, the ashes of the Unknown Soldier were solemnly buried.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial was opened a year later, on May 8, 1967. The monument is a tombstone covered with a bronze battle banner. On the banner are a soldier's helmet and a laurel branch, also made of bronze. The Eternal Flame of Glory burns in the center of the memorial.

The eternal flame was delivered on an armored personnel carrier from the military memorial on the Field of Mars in Leningrad. Leonid Brezhnev lit it on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, taking the torch from the hands of the Hero Soviet Union Alexey Maresyev.

Next to the fire is the inscription: "Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal."

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - nationwide memorial military glory located in under the walls of the Kremlin.

The memorial is dedicated to those who died in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, as well as to hero cities and cities of military glory. In its center is a niche with the inscription "Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal", in the middle of which there is a bronze five-pointed star: in its center the Eternal Flame of Glory burns - a constantly burning fire, symbolizing eternal memory about those killed in the Great Patriotic War. Behind the Eternal Flame there is a tombstone with a bronze sculptural composition depicting a soldier's helmet and a laurel branch, lying on the Soviet battle banner, which seems to cover the grave. A Guard of Honor is posted at the grave and the Eternal Flame.

On the left side of the memorial there is a wall made of crimson quartzite with the inscription "1941 To those who fell for the Motherland 1945", on the right side there is an alley with dark red porphyry pedestals, inside of which capsules with earth from hero cities are immured. Each pedestal bears the name of a hero-city, as well as a chased image of the Gold Star medal. In total, 12 pedestals were installed in honor of 11 cities of heroes and the Brest Fortress (hero-fortress):

Leningrad;

Stalingrad;

Sevastopol;

Novorossiysk;

Brest Fortress;

Murmansk;

Smolensk.

To the right of the alley of hero cities, there is a red granite stele in honor of the cities of military glory. In appearance, the stele is similar to the pedestals of the hero cities, but surpasses them in size; the names of 45 cities of military glory are written on a 10-meter slab: Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Vladikavkaz, Malgobek, Rzhev, Yelnya, Yelets, Voronezh, Luga, Polyarny, Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse, Velikie Luki, Veliky Novgorod, Dmitrov, Vyazma, Kronstadt, Naro-Fominsk, Pskov, Kozelsk, Arkhangelsk, Volokolamsk, Bryansk, Nalchik, Vyborg, Kalach-on-Don, Vladivostok, Tikhvin, Tver, Anapa, Kolpino, Stary Oskol, Kovrov, Lomonosov, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Taganrog , Maloyaroslavets, Mozhaisk, Khabarovsk, Staraya Russa, Grozny, Gatchina, Petrozavodsk, Feodosia.

Guard of honor at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Guard of Honor Post at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall, also known as Post No. 1, is Russia's main guard post.

The post was established in 1924: initially, guards stood at the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin on Red Square, but in 1993 the guard was abolished. In 1997, it was restored to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The guard of honor at the Eternal Flame emphasizes the significance of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, as well as the memorial dedicated to the soldiers who fell in it. Sentinels keep order at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and are armed with mock-ups of Simonov's self-loading carbines; in case of a threat, they have the right to use physical force, as well as defend themselves with a butt and stab with a bayonet. Usually sentries stand without any movement, if they need to recover, a third soldier approaches them, who performs the necessary actions. The military personnel of the special guard company are subject to increased requirements for physical training, discipline and growth.

The ceremony of changing the Guard of Honor, which takes place hourly from 08:00 to 20:00, has become a popular ritual among tourists and citizens: many people come to the memorial just to see how it happens. When changing the guard, sentries move synchronously and symmetrically, raising legs straight at the knee from the hip, the coordination of their actions is brought to the ideal.

History of the memorial

The history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall began on December 3, 1966, when, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the ashes of the Unknown Soldier from the mass grave on the 41st kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway (at the entrance to Zelenograd) were transferred and solemnly buried in Alexander garden. The coffin with the remains, entwined with a black and orange ribbon, was lowered into the grave under an artillery salvo, and on May 8, 1967, they opened it at the burial site. memorial ensemble"Tomb of the Unknown Soldier", designed by architects Dmitry Burdin, Vladimir Klimov, Yuri Rabaev and sculptor Nikolai Tomsky.

The eternal flame was lit by Leonid Brezhnev, who accepted the torch from Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Maresyev. The flame on an armored personnel carrier was delivered to Moscow from Leningrad, from the fire on the Field of Mars.

In 1997, Post No. 1 of the Guard of Honor was organized at the Eternal Flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was previously located at the Mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin, but was abolished in its original place in 1993. Since then, a ritual of changing the guard of honor has been held at the memorial.

With the establishment honorary title"City of Military Glory" in 2006, the idea arose to reconstruct the monument, adding to it a stele with the names of cities of military glory. On November 17, 2009, the monument was given the status of the National Memorial of Military Glory, which is a particularly valuable object. cultural heritage Russian Federation. The reconstruction of the memorial lasted from December 2009 to May 2010, its grand opening took place on May 8, 2010: new element- a memorial sign in honor of the cities of military glory. For the period of reconstruction, the Eternal Flame with military honors was moved to, then returned back.

Initially, the names of 40 cities were written on the stele in honor of the cities of military glory, later 5 more were added. In total, it provides space for 48 cities.

Over the years of its history, the memorial has become one of the most famous sights of Moscow, which attracts tourists from different cities of Russia and foreign countries, as well as citizens and newlyweds. On the days of memory dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, wreath-laying ceremonies are held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in which statesmen, heads and delegations of foreign states, veterans and pupils educational institutions Ministry of Defense.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in the Alexander Garden, between the Corner Arsenal and Middle Arsenal towers of the Kremlin. It can be reached on foot from metro stations. "Okhotny Ryad" And "Lenin's Library" Sokolnicheskaya line, as well as "Alexander Garden" Filevskaya.

Second World War for our country is still the most tragic and great event in our history. The memory of those who died during these years is immortalized in many monuments and monuments, which are located in all cities of Russia. A lot of unidentified soldiers were buried during the war. To honor their feat, a monument to the Unknown Soldier is erected on such graves. There is such a memorial in Moscow - in the Alexander Garden near

The meaning of such monuments

All over the world, monuments to those who died in the war are erected so that people remember what the soldiers gave their lives for. The graves of soldiers are often unmarked, and before they did not come to honor their memory. But after one of the most bloody wars- World War I - a tradition was formed to perpetuate the memory of such soldiers in monuments. Usually they are installed at the burial site. So the descendants express their gratitude and respect to the soldiers who died in battle. The first monument to the Unknown Soldier was erected in 1920. Something similar was created in Russia at the same time, however, this memorial symbolized the memory of the heroes who died for the revolution.

History of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier

In the Soviet Union, large-scale celebrations of the victory in the Great Patriotic War began only in 1965. At that time, our capital, like many other cities, was given the status of a hero city, and May 9 became a national holiday. On the eve of the anniversary great battle for Moscow, the government of the country thought about how to create a monument that could perpetuate the feat of the defenders of the city. It was supposed to be a memorial of national importance. Therefore, they settled on erecting a monument unknown soldier.

Moscow was an ideal place for this, because thousands of soldiers died in the battles for the city, and a lot of them were not identified. A competition was announced for the creation of the monument. The project of the architect V. A. Klimov was recognized as the best. He believed that it should be necessarily located in the park so that a person could sit next to him and think. The best place for him was chosen near the Kremlin wall - a symbol of Russia's invincibility. And in 1966, work began on the monument. It was created by architects V.A. Klimov, D. I. Burdin, and Yu. R. Rabaev. To create the inscription on the monument attracted the most famous writers and poets. The words of S. Mikhalkov were recognized as the best: "Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal." Grand opening monument was held on the eve of Victory Day in 1967. In subsequent years, it was repeatedly supplemented with new elements and restored. To this day, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier remains in the Great Patriotic War.

How was the burial of the ashes of a warrior

Before the creation of the memorial, they thought for a long time who to bury in the grave under the monument. After all, it must be an unidentified warrior who died in the battles for Moscow. And in 1966, forty kilometers from the city, in Zelenograd, a mass grave was discovered. A soldier was chosen in it, who was wearing a well-preserved uniform. Specialists guaranteed that he was not a deserter, otherwise he would not have been wearing a belt. This warrior could not have been a prisoner either, since there was no fascist occupation in this place. On December 2, the soldier was transferred to a coffin entwined with a St. George ribbon. A soldier's time was placed on the lid. Until the morning, young soldiers and veterans of the war stood next to him in the guard of honor. On the morning of December 3, the coffin was taken to Moscow along the Leningrad Highway as part of a funeral procession. In front of the Alexander Garden, the coffin was transferred to an artillery carriage. The whole procession was accompanied by a guard of honor, alongside, to the sounds of a funeral march, war veterans walked and carried unfurled battle banners.

How the monument was created

After the burial of the ashes of the unknown soldier - a month later - they began to create the memorial itself. At that time it did not look like it does now, then the composition was supplemented several times. At first, the memorial was, with the words of S. Mikhalkov, a tombstone over the grave and a bronze star with the Eternal Flame. A granite wall was made next to the monument, on which the names of all hero cities are immortalized. The opening of the monument took place in a solemn atmosphere: the national anthem was played and fireworks thundered. The Eternal Flame was also lit, which was brought from Leningrad. The memorial was supplemented in 1975 with a bronze composition - a soldier's helmet on an unfolded banner.

What is the monument now

Modern youth may not even answer what kind of monument it is and what its significance is. But this war still remains the Great Patriotic War for most people, and until now the monument to the unknown soldier is the place where wreaths are laid in holidays, it is visited by foreign delegations. There are always people around him who came to honor the memory of the dead. Since 1997, Post No. 1 has been located next to the monument. The soldiers of the Presidential Regiment replace each other every hour. In 2009, the reconstruction of the complex began. At this time, the Eternal Flame was moved to Poklonnaya Hill, and after the opening of the renovated monument in 2010, it was returned back. During the restoration, a ten-meter stele was added to the memorial, perpetuating the memory of

Description of the monument to the unknown soldier

The memorial is located in the Alexander Garden under the Kremlin wall. Every person who comes to Moscow considers it his duty to visit the monument to the unknown soldier. His photo can be found in all books devoted to the Great Patriotic War, in newspapers and on the Internet. But it's still better to see it in reality. The composition is made of brilliant red granite and black labradorite. On the tombstone is a bronze soldier's helmet lying on an unfolded banner. In the center of a square of mirror-polished black stone is a bronze star. Eternal flame bursts out of it. On the right lies a low stele 10 meters long, on which the names of cities of military glory are engraved. And the memory of the cities of heroes is immortalized on a granite alley from

This memorial is known all over the world and is now one of the sights of Moscow. People come here not only on Victory Day, but simply to honor the memory of the fallen and pay tribute to the feat of the defenders of the Motherland.

He was buried in the globe of the earth,

And he was just a soldier

In total, friends, a simple soldier,

Without titles and awards.

The earth is like a mausoleum to him -

For a million centuries

AND Milky Ways dusty

Around him from the sides.

Clouds sleep on the red slopes,

Snowstorms are sweeping,

Heavy thunder rumbles

The winds are taking off.

The battle is long over...

By the hands of all friends

The guy is put in the globe of the earth,

It's like being in a mausoleum...

This poem was written by front-line poet Sergei Orlov in June 1944, many years before the tomb of the Unknown Soldier appeared in Moscow. However, the poet was able to express main point and the meaning of what has become one of the greatest shrines of our Fatherland, personifying the memory of the fallen on the path to Victory.

Military trick of Nikolai Egorychev

The idea of ​​the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier first appeared in France after the end of the First World War, where they decided to honor the memory of all the fallen heroes of the Fatherland in this way. In the Soviet Union, a similar idea appeared 20 years after the Great Patriotic War, when May 9 was declared a day off, and state celebrations in honor of Victory Day became regular.

In December 1966, Moscow was preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the battle under the walls of the capital. At the First Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee Nikolay Egorychev the idea of ​​creating a monument to ordinary soldiers who fell in the battle for Moscow appeared. Gradually, the head of the capital came to the conclusion that the monument should be dedicated not only to the heroes of the battle for Moscow, but also to all those who fell during the Great Patriotic War.

It was then that Yegorychev remembered the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris. While he was thinking about the possibility of creating an analogue of this memorial in Moscow, he was approached by the head of the government, Alexei Kosygin. As it turned out, Kosygin was worried about the same question. He asked why there is a similar memorial in Poland, but not in the USSR?

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Enlisting the support Kosygin, Yegorychev turned to the specialists who created the first sketches of the monument.

The final "go-ahead" was to be given by the leader of the country, Leonid Brezhnev. However, he did not like the original project. He considered that the Alexander Garden was not suitable for such a memorial, and suggested finding another place.

The problem was also that where the Eternal Flame is now located, there was an obelisk dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, which then became a monument to revolutionary thinkers. To carry out the project, the obelisk had to be moved.

Egorychev turned out to be a decisive person - he carried out the transfer of the obelisk with his own power. Then, seeing that Brezhnev was not making a decision on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he went for a tactical maneuver. Before the solemn meeting in the Kremlin on November 6, 1966, dedicated to the anniversary of October revolution, he placed all the sketches and models of the monument in the rest room of the Politburo members. When the members of the Politburo got acquainted with the project and approved it, Yegorychev actually put Brezhnev in a position where he could no longer refuse to give the go-ahead. As a result, the project of the Moscow tomb of the Unknown Soldier was approved.

The hero was found near Zelenograd

But there was one more the most important question- where to look for the remains of a fighter who was forever to become the Unknown Soldier?

Fate decided everything for Yegorychev. At that moment, during construction in Zelenograd near Moscow, workers stumbled upon a mass grave of soldiers who died in battles near Moscow.

Transfer of the ashes of the unknown soldier, Moscow, December 3, 1966. Photographer Boris Vdovenko, Commons.wikimedia.org

The requirements were strict, excluding any possibility of chance. The grave, chosen in order to take the ashes from it, was in a place where the Germans did not reach, which means that the soldiers definitely did not die in captivity. On one of the fighters, the uniform with the insignia of a private was well preserved - the Unknown Soldier was supposed to be a simple fighter. Another subtle point - the deceased should not have been a deserter or a person who committed another military crime, and was shot for him. But before the execution, the belt was removed from the criminal, and on the fighter from the grave near Zelenograd the belt was in place.

The chosen soldier had no documents and nothing that could indicate his identity - he fell like an unknown hero. Now he became the Unknown Soldier for the whole big country.

On December 2, 1966, at 2:30 p.m., the remains of a soldier were placed in a coffin, which had a military guard that changed every two hours. On December 3, at 11:45 a.m., the coffin was placed on a gun carriage, after which the procession headed for Moscow.

Thousands of Muscovites, who lined up along the streets along which the procession moved, saw off the Unknown Soldier on his last journey.

A funeral meeting was held on Manezhnaya Square, after which party leaders and Marshal Rokossovsky carried the coffin in their arms to the burial place. Under artillery salvos, the Unknown Soldier found peace in the Alexander Garden.

One for all

The architectural ensemble "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier", designed by architects Dmitry Burdin, Vladimir Klimov, Yuri Rabaev and sculptor Nicholas of Tomsk, was opened on May 8, 1967. The author of the famous epitaph "Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal" Sergei Mikhalkov.

On the opening day of the memorial, a fire was delivered to Moscow on an armored personnel carrier, lit in Leningrad from the memorial on the Field of Mars. He took over the solemn and mourning relay race of the torch, who handed it over to the head of the USSR Leonid Brezhnev. The Soviet General Secretary, himself a veteran of the war, lit the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

On December 12, 1997, by decree of the President of Russia, the guard of honor number 1 was installed at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The eternal flame at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier was extinguished only once, in 2009, when the memorial was being reconstructed. At this time, the Eternal Flame was moved to Poklonnaya Hill, to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. On February 23, 2010, after the reconstruction was completed, the Eternal Flame returned to its rightful place.

An unknown soldier will never have a first and last name. For all those whose loved ones fell on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, for all those who never found out where their brothers, fathers, grandfathers laid down their lives, the Unknown Soldier will forever remain that very dear person who sacrificed his life for the future of his descendants, for the future of their homeland.

He gave his life, he lost his name, but became native to everyone who lives and will live in our vast country.

Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal.