Monumental sculpture Motherland. “The Motherland is calling!” – the greatest monument to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War
In a decisive impulse, a woman stands on the mound with a sword in her hands. Her unusually expressive, strong-willed face and turned torso, hair blowing in the wind create a feeling of significant strength. The ends of the scarf blown by the wind make her look like a bird. In a silent cry, she calls on the sons of her country to follow her, to go into battle and fight the enemy to the death, to stand to the end. She - the Motherland - is the most extraordinary and majestic sculpture Mamayev Kurgan.
Being part of the ensemble “to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” in Volgograd, the sculpture “Motherland Calls” deservedly occupies a place in it central place thanks to its impressive dimensions - 85 meters, and no less significant weight - 8 tons. The sword in her hand has a size of 33 meters, but the weight exceeds the mass of the sculpture and is 14 tons, which involuntarily suggests the thought: did the author want to show that no matter how hard it is, you still need to strive for victory.
An artificial fourteen-meter embankment was created especially for this monument, which became the highest point in the vicinity of the city. The remains of soldiers who died in the battle for Stalingrad were buried in this hill. A serpentine path leads to the monument, along which there are 35 tombstones of distinguished soldiers. The walls of the monument, 25-30 cm thick, are firmly fastened inside with rigid cables. What is noteworthy is that the figure itself is not attached to the foundation; it simply stands on a two-meter slab.
An interesting fact is that the monument to the Motherland could look completely different. Anyone who sent their own drawing or sketch could become the creator of the monument. The selection was carried out very carefully and took ten years.
The author of the monument was E.V. Vuchetich, who earned unquestionable authority by making portraits of almost everyone Soviet military leaders, starting with Zhukov. At that time, he had already built such monuments as “The Victorious Warrior,” located in Treptower Park in Berlin, and “Let’s Beat Swords into Plowshares,” which found its place in New York. Each of these works touches on the theme of the sword.
Project of the monument “The Motherland is Calling!” During construction it underwent enormous changes. From the original idea in the form of a woman with a banner and a fighter who bowed his knee in front of her, it turned into the image of the “Motherland” that we can see today. The idea of building a ceremonial pedestal on which the sculpture would stand also changed. But the most significant change was the increase in size - from 36 meters, the figure increased in height to 85 meters.
Let's Beat Swords into Plowshares, New York All these working sketches have been preserved, and we can view them in the author’s house-museum. This house was a workshop for Vuchetich, it was also his dacha, located in the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow.
Changes took place even after the monument was opened and has been attracting visitors for several years. They touched upon remaking the sword. The sword swung violently in the sculpture's hand. As it turned out, he was flat against the wind. The solution to this problem was holes made in the sword. Later, the sword blade itself was made of lighter steel.
50 powerful spotlights were made so that we could view the statue both during the day and at night. The workers worked beyond the norm, realizing that they were doing an important job. By the opening of the monument on October 15, 1967, each spotlight took its place next to the monument.
The prototype of the monument to the main Mother of the USSR was a resident of Volgograd, Valentina Izotova. With her appearance, she was more suitable for the image of the Motherland than the Moscow model who came to pose.
For two years she posed for the sculptor. The work for her turned out to be very serious and difficult, because it is not easy to stand with your arms outstretched for hours, in one of which there was a stick as a supposed sword.
All her life, Valentina was proud of the fact that she became the image for such a great monument.
At the time of completion of construction, the statue “The Motherland Calls!” turned out to be the highest in the world, which is reflected in the Guinness Book of Records. Today it has moved up to 11th place in the list of the tallest monuments.
The statue deviates from its original position every year, which in 1986 became the basis for significant strengthening of the structure. In 2010, the cracks that had formed over such a long period were eliminated, and the angle of permissible inclination of the statue was adjusted.
Thousands of Russians and foreigners come from year to year to Mamayev Kurgan to bow, express their gratitude, and honor the memory of the Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Stalingrad. And every day our “Motherland” greets guests - a symbol of the will and fearlessness of all those who fought against Nazi Germany!
Inna Antonova
Anastasia Savinykh
The Great Patriotic War will forever remain in the hearts of absolutely every person. War is a terrible event, pain and tears. In memory of these terrible events V different corners countries erect monuments, this is gratitude and eternal memory to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers - the soldiers who gave us life. There are monuments to the Motherland in many parts of not only our country, but throughout globe. Thus, the Motherland can be found in Belarus, Germany, Spain, Latvia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. In total, you can count about twenty-five monuments to the Motherland. Of these, thirteen are located in Russian cities.
Motherland in the cities of Russia
The Motherland Memorial in St. Petersburg is probably one of the most famous among all monuments to the Motherland. It is located on Piskarevsky memorial cemetery. This is the most large cemetery, it covers an area of twenty-eight hectares and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The memorial is a tribute to the residents besieged Leningrad who were not strong enough to survive this scary time hunger, cold and bombing, in these “900 days of nightmare, hell.” Approximately half a million city residents are buried at Piskarevskoye Cemetery. The memorial was opened in May 1960. Motherland holds a torn laurel wreath in her hands.Memorial Motherland in the city of Budennovsk. The city residents themselves collected money for the monument. It was built from granite and opened in 1967. Dedicated to the Budennovtsy (at that time the Kumkum residents) who died or went missing during the Great Patriotic War.
Motherland in Volgograd. The memorial was opened, just like in the city of Budennovsk, in 1967. It is located on Mamayev Kurgan. The monument is made of concrete, with metal structures at the base. The height of the Motherland is fifty-three meters, in her hand she holds a sword, its length is thirty-three meters. If you add up these numbers, it turns out that the height of the entire monument is eighty-six meters. It must be said that the Motherland in Volgograd is one of the seven wonders of the world.
The monument to the Motherland in Kaliningrad was erected on the site of an ordinary public garden. Represents exact copy of a woman depicted on a poster “The Motherland is Calling!” dating back to World War II.
Monument to the Motherland in Vyshesteblievskaya village Krasnodar region represents a woman left hand lies on her right shoulder. The monument is dedicated to Komsomol members whom the traitor handed over to the Nazis.
Motherland on Victory Square in Kaluga. The memorial is dedicated to the city residents who died during the war years. The complex is installed on the site where there was previously a pond. In 1966, an obelisk appeared on the square, and only in 1973 did the Motherland appear at the very top of the obelisk. In her hands she holds a ribbon symbolizing the thread of the Oka River and the artificial satellite of the Earth. Thus, the architect combined the victory over Nazi Germany and the exploration of outer space in the monument.
There is also a Motherland in Tatarstan in Naberezhnye Chelny. The monument was erected in 1975. Motherland in this memorial complex somewhat different from the monuments of the Motherland in other cities. Here she appears in the form of a Phoenix bird beginning to take off.
In the village of Kubenskoye Vologda region the monument to the Motherland stands on the site next to rural library. The Motherland appears to residents in the form of a woman wrapped in a blanket. It stands on a pedestal, in the center there is a star, a copy of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. Behind the Motherland you can see a fresco depicting a soldier and a woman in a blue scarf, and next to them there is bread and a glass.
Motherland in Nizhny Novgorod installed in 1965 on site mass grave Soviet soldiers. This memorial is located at the Red Etna cemetery. In the hands raised to the sky, the Motherland holds a wreath.
Motherland in the city of Pavlovsk Voronezh region. This monument is an ensemble. The motherland with her hands raised to the sky, she seems to be asking for peace, but at the same time she brings it herself, she also brings happiness. On the other side of the Motherland there is a figure of a soldier on bended knee. It must be said that during the Great Patriotic War the city of Pavlovsk was a leading city on the front line.
Monument to the Motherland in Penza. The full name of the monument is “Monument of Military and Labor Glory.” It is dedicated to the residents of the Penza region, residents who fought for victory and worked for life despite all the pain of the war. He is for labor and military exploits. The monument was opened in 1975. The Motherland appeared in the image of a mother holding a child on her left shoulder. The child has an eternal flame in his hands.
The memorial is located in the center of the Camp Garden in the city of Tomsk. The motherland holds a weapon in her hands, she hands it to her son. The memorial was erected in 1979.
Motherland in Saratov region in the village of Starye Burasy is located on the square in the center of the village, next to the Motherland there is a monument to Stalin I.V.
This large number monuments, memorials to the Motherland, undoubtedly caused by the great pain of the whole country, the grief of the whole world for the terrible days of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War. War is always pain, it is fear, it is losses and tears. The most important thing is that every person remembers and keeps in his heart the memory of these terrible days. And then there will be peace in our lives!
The Motherland Monument is a gorgeous monument located in the city of Volgograd. The monument represents a woman with a sword raised in the air, encouraging everyone to rise up against the enemy. The monument is an interpretation famous image the ancient goddess of victory Nike. The statue is also the center of the ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”. ( 11 photos)
1. All the best architects of that time were involved in the construction of such a grandiose monument, because the statue had to meet stringent requirements and, first of all, had to become dear to millions of people. The chief design engineer was Evgeniy Viktorovich Vuchetich, who at that time already had considerable experience in the construction of the country’s assets, albeit of lesser importance. The second creator of the statue was N.V. Nikitin, who later became the creator of the famous.
2. Upon completion of construction, both were awarded Lenin Prize, and the main creator Vuchetich was awarded gold star Hero of Socialist Labor. Construction of the monument began in May 1959 and lasted 8 years until 1967. Grand opening took place on October 15, 1967. At the time of completion of construction, the monument was the tallest in the world. The height of the monument is 87 meters, and the height of the woman is 52 meters. The sculpture is created from pre-stressed reinforced concrete (at that time it was widely used, but not in vain).
3. The entire sculpture stands on only a two-meter slab, which in turn rests on a relatively small foundation 16 meters deep. The statue stands like a piece on a chessboard, and does not wobble; we must pay tribute to the engineers of that time, after all, they knew how to build for centuries. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the statue is only 25-30 centimeters, and inside the monument consists of small windows, and the rigidity of the tower is supported by constantly tense iron ropes. The structure of the sculpture can be compared to the structure of bones in birds.
4. The total weight of the structure is 7,900 tons. Monument to the Motherland has become real business card Volgograd. The monument is surrounded by an artificially created walk of fame; specifically, 200 granite steps lead to the monument along the walk, which is exactly how long it lasted Battle of Stalingrad. In this photo you see that the statue was made with an open mouth. When Vuchetich was asked why the monument’s mouth was open, because it was not beautiful, he said the following in response: “And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother! ".
5. The statue rises above the city and symbolizes it both day and night; at night the Motherland is illuminated. IN dark time days, the Motherland can be seen for tens of kilometers around. Since 2008, the Motherland monument has become one of the seven wonders of Russia.
6. On at the moment In the list of the tallest buildings in the world, the Motherland takes an honorable 11th place. During its existence, the statue has become an integral part of Volgograd residents, and the inhabitants of Russia in general. But unfortunately, you and I are in danger of losing such a grandiose monument.
7. The fact is that because of groundwater under the statue, the Motherland is gradually tilting, examinations were carried out and scientists came to the conclusion that if the tilt of the statue increases by at least another 3 cm, the tower will inevitably collapse.
8. You will be interested to know that when developing the flag and coat of arms of the Volgograd region, the silhouette of the Motherland monument became the basis of the image.
9. For a long time It remained a mystery from which woman the sketch was taken to create such a monument. Now in Volgograd there lives an 83-year-old woman who once, back in 1958, posed for the great architect. Valentina Ivanovna Izotova never liked to dwell on this topic, and her profession is “model” in Soviet years to put it mildly, she was not held in high esteem.
10. Our heroine was working as a waitress when the sculptor Lev Maistrenko approached her and offered to pose, since Valentina Ivanovna was raising two daughters, of course she always needed money, so she agreed. And besides, the girl was rewarded by nature with a good “Soviet” appearance. Valentina Ivanovna was then 26 years old, now she not only regrets the act of her youth, but even, on the contrary, is proud that her figure has become so famous.
Monument “The Motherland Calls!” on Mamayev Kurgan became the most recognizable symbol of the Great Victory. For those born in the 70s, it’s hard to imagine how older people perceive this grandiose monument. After all, for us, forty-year-olds, it has always been there. And for them it became a real miracle.
The very pose of the Motherland is unusual for a statue of this size. Arms outstretched to the sides, a sword, the hem of the clothes - it is not so easy to arrange everything in such a way that the statue is stable. For this purpose, engineer Nikolai Nikitin, known for his grandiose projects, one of which was the Ostankino Tower. The architect faced a difficult task - a console, that is, a part hanging in the air without support, is always difficult. And here there were several of them at once: outstretched arms and skirts, symbolizing wings. It was impossible to attach real feathered wings to a Soviet monument - after all, it was a kingdom of fierce atheism. But hinting at them was not at all forbidden: effectively and associatively.
Initially, the Council of Ministers approved a completely different project. On the majestic pedestal there should have been a kneeling soldier and his mother blessing him. There is an unconfirmed version that the author was a young and promising sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. The project was not only approved: funds were allocated for its construction, and even the foundation was poured when another sculptor, Yevgeny Vuchetich, managed to persuade Khrushchev himself to stop construction and realize his idea. It was necessary to have truly diabolical pressure in order to curtail such a construction project at the implementation stage.
How he managed to stop what he started is unknown. Perhaps Khrushchev was convinced by the idea of creating a statue higher than the American Statue of Liberty? But if we were talking only about size, it would be enough to simply increase the already approved monument. How about doing the same thing as the Americans, but bigger, more powerful? Challenge leadership in something they already have? Puts the size to shame main symbol The USA in an era when it was planned, but not always possible, to “catch up and overtake”?
So, let’s assume that the construction of the first project on Mamayev Kurgan was curtailed due to the fact that Vuchetich played on Nikita Khrushchev’s desire to catch up and overtake America. But it is unlikely that we will now find direct evidence in favor of this version. Be that as it may, after completion of construction, the Motherland became the tallest statue in the world (without a pedestal).
Many versions were voiced regarding who posed for the image of the Motherland. It is known that the sculptor worked with several young gymnasts who stood for a long time with their arms outstretched. The memoirs of one of them, Antonina Peshkova, say that the sculptor chose poses from albums according to ancient art. Art critic Vera Vuchetich, the sculptor’s wife, also had to take part in this. It is believed that the Motherland has her face. The portrait resemblance is really noticeable. But there is another lady, to whom the Volgograd sculpture resembles no less.
The Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th-20th centuries in Moscow houses a small exhibit called “La Marseillaise”. This is a bronze sketch for central figure one of the bas-reliefs on Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It is curious that the figure was originally called “The Genius of the Motherland.” Author - French sculptor Francois Rude. The portrait resemblance is obvious.
But let's return to France. Marianna is well known to us since school. This image personifies France liberated from the monarchy and the famous slogan “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” The most famous in the vastness former USSR image of Marianne - “Freedom on the Barricades” by Delacroix. An armed lady with a bare breast and a Phrygian cap leads progressive humanity to the barricades. Next to her is a teenage boy, the only one who is not interested in her bare bust. They look like Venus and Cupid. All the other participants do not take their eyes off Freedom, one falls at her feet, dying. Freedom itself does not even look in his direction; the main thing for her is to reach her goal. She seems to be offering to step over the corpses of their fallen comrades, so that death itself cannot break their resolve in battle. And the dying man understands that in a second he will be trampled by his own comrades. The pose of the barefoot Marianna is very reminiscent of the pose of the Volgograd Motherland - a step forward, her right hand thrown up, a weapon in her hands, and in front of her are symbolic images of warriors, fallen and living.
But Marianne Delacroix is a symbol of the revolution, and the Volgograd monument is a symbol of Victory. Why was it necessary to merge these two allegories together? Maybe romance October Revolution began to fade before the memories of the relatively recently ended war, and was there a need to strengthen the image of the first in the minds of Soviet citizens? Or maybe everything was very simple - the materialists had a zeroed consciousness, from which all symbolic images necessary to maintain a healthy psyche. Soviet people were not supposed to have either God or the devil. It wasn’t supposed to - but the soul was reaching out for at least something, since angels and demons were abolished.
But this grandiose monument has another, not so sophisticated secret, which is rarely remembered. The fact is that Mamayev Kurgan is the central part of a huge symbolic triptych. Its right and left parts are the famous soldier from Treptower Park in Berlin and less famous ensemble in the Urals.
The composition begins in Magnitogorsk, with the double sculpture “Rear to Front”. A worker hands a newly forged sword to a soldier. The outcome of the victory is not clear, because the blade is not directed up or down, but is located strictly parallel to the ground, and they hold it not at the level of the body, but raised high above their head, as a sign that this struggle is more important than life itself. The authors of the monument are Lev Golovnitsky and Yakov Belopolsky, co-author of the Berlin soldier. For what reason this majestic couple did not gain all-Union fame remains a mystery. Apparently, there were some reasons for this that were unclear to contemporaries.
A sword forged on the home front, raised at Stalingrad, and dropped in Berlin. A curious detail: a soldier in Treptower Park tramples a destroyed swastika, just like the Statue of Liberty tramples the shackles of slavery.
The desire to romanticize one of the most important symbols Russian history twentieth century is quite understandable. But the reality usually turns out to be much more prosaic. By the sixties, the long-awaited type of new Soviet man. He was well-read, friendly and smiling. And most importantly, he was brought up in the spirit of materialism, that is, he believed only in what he saw with his own eyes and laughed at the ancient Greeks who did not see the difference between the Olympian gods and their marble images.
But the consciousness of Soviet people remained hungry and required saturation. And most of all, it was given to him by images reminiscent of ancient world. A large amount of popular science literature was published, in which ancient legends were presented to the reader in a Soviet adapted edition. Greek myths were especially popular.
Nike of Samothrace | wikipedia.org
IN Soviet era in most Volgograd photographs we see the Motherland taken from the central alley, towards which she stands half-turned, turning her face away from those who are in a hurry to rise to her. From this position, the monument looks like an elegant antique statue. But as soon as you look at the strong-willed face with sharp features and screaming mouth, you become frankly uncomfortable.
The Motherland from Volgograd is not associated with Russia as strongly as Freedom is associated with the USA. It remained a symbol of Victory, achieved at the cost of superhuman efforts of ordinary Soviet citizens who created something truly impossible. The fact that its very appearance became possible thanks to the call to catch up and overtake America has already been forgotten.
Narine Eyramdzhyants
Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” — the compositional center of the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. One of the tallest statues in the world.
Above the Square of Sorrow rises a huge hill, which is crowned by the main monument - the Motherland. This is a mound about 14 meters high, in which the remains of 34,505 soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad - are buried. A serpentine path leads to the top of the hill to the Motherland, along which there are 35 granite tombstones of Heroes Soviet Union, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad. From the foot of the mound to its top, the serpentine consists of exactly 200 granite steps 15 cm high and 35 cm wide - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Mamayev Kurgan in the winter of 1945. In the foreground is a broken German RaK 40 cannon.
The end point of the path is the monument “The Motherland is calling!”, the compositional center of the ensemble, highest point mound. Its dimensions are enormous - the height of the figure is 52 meters, and total height of the Motherland - 85 meters(along with the sword). For comparison, the height famous statue Freedom without a pedestal is only 45 meters. At the time of construction, the Motherland was the tallest statue in the country and in the world. Later, the Kiev Motherland with a height of 102 meters appeared. Today, the tallest statue in the world is the 120-meter Buddha statue, built in 1995 and located in Japan, in the city of Chuchura. Total weight Motherland - 8 thousand tons. IN right hand she holds a steel sword that is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons. Compared to the height of a person, the sculpture is increased 30 times. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the Motherland is only 25-30 centimeters. It was cast layer by layer using special formwork made from plaster materials. Inside, the rigidity of the frame is supported by a system of more than a hundred cables. The monument is not attached to the foundation and is held by gravity. Motherland stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. To enhance the effect of the monument being located at the very peak point of the mound, an artificial embankment 14 meters high was made.
Stalingrad, Mamayev Kurgan. In the foreground is the Renault UE Chenillette, a light French armored personnel carrier that was in service with the Wehrmacht.
As soon as the cannonade died down in Stalingrad, the grateful country began to think about what the monument to the creators of this war should look like. great victory. Drawings and sketches were sent not only by professionals, but also by people of completely different professions. Some sent them to the Academy of Arts, others to State Committee defense, someone personally to Comrade Stalin. Moreover, everyone saw the future monument as grandiose, of unprecedented size, to match the significance of the victory itself.
The All-Union competition was announced immediately after the war. All prominent Soviet architects and architects took part. The results were summed up ten years later. Although few doubted that the laureate would win Stalin Prize Evgeniy Vuchetich. By that time, he had already created a memorial in Berlin's Treptow Park and enjoyed the trust of the top officials of the state. On January 23, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to begin construction of the monument-ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan. In May 1959, construction began to boil.
In his work, Vuchetich addressed the theme of the sword three times - the sword is raised by the Motherland on the Mamayev Kurgan, calling for the expulsion of the conquerors; cuts with a sword fascist swastika The victorious warrior in Berlin's Treptower Park; the worker forges the sword onto the plow in the composition “Let’s beat swords into ploughshares,” expressing the desire of the people goodwill fight for disarmament in the name of peace on the planet. This sculpture was donated by Vuchetech to the United Nations and was installed in front of the headquarters in New York, and a copy of it was given to the Volgograd gas equipment plant, in whose workshops the Motherland was born). This sword was born in Magnitogorsk (during the war, every third shell and every second tank was made of Magnitogorsk metal), where the monument to the Rear Front was erected.
During the construction of the monument Motherland in already finished project many changes have been made. Few people know that initially on the top of the Mamaev Kurgan there was supposed to be a sculpture of the Motherland with a red banner and a kneeling soldier on a pedestal (according to some versions, the author of this project was Ernst Neizvestny). According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to the monument. But subsequently Vuchetich changed the basic idea of the monument. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the country faced more than 2 years of bloody battles and Victory was still far away. Vuchetich left the Motherland alone, now she called her sons to begin the victorious expulsion of the enemy.
He also removed the pompous pedestal of the Motherland, which practically repeated the one on which his victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. Instead of monumental stairs (which, by the way, were already built), a serpentine path appeared near the Motherland. The Motherland itself has “grown” relative to its original size - its height has reached 36 meters. But this option was not final either. Soon after finishing work on the foundation of the main monument, Vuchetich (on Khrushchev’s instructions) increases the size of the Motherland to 52 meters. Because of this, the builders had to urgently “load” the foundation, for which 150 thousand tons of earth were placed in the embankment.
In the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow, at Vuchetich’s dacha, where his workshop was located and today the architect’s house-museum, you can see working sketches: a reduced model of the Motherland, as well as a life-size model of the statue’s head.
In a sharp, swift impulse, a woman stood up on the mound. With a sword in her hands, she calls on her sons to defend the Fatherland. Her right leg is slightly laid back, her torso and head are vigorously turned to the left. The face is stern and strong-willed. Knitted eyebrows, wide open, screaming mouth, blown by gusts of wind short hair, strong hands, form-fitting long dress, the ends of the scarf blown by gusts of wind - all this creates a feeling of strength, expression and an irresistible desire to move forward. Against the background of the sky, she is like a bird soaring in the sky.
The sculpture of the Motherland looks great from all sides at any time of the year: in the summer, when the mound is covered with a continuous grass carpet, and winter evening- light, illuminated by spotlights. The majestic statue, protruding against the background of the dark blue sky, seems to grow out of the mound, merging with its snowy cover.
The work of the sculptor E.V. Vuchetich and engineer N.V. Nikitin represents a multi-meter figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling its sons to fight the enemy. IN artistic sense the statue represents modern interpretation the image of the ancient goddess of victory Nike, who calls on her sons and daughters to repel the enemy and continue the further offensive.
Construction of the monument began in May 1959 and was completed on October 15, 1967. The sculpture at the time of its creation was the tallest sculpture in the world. Restoration work on the Main monument of the monument-ensemble was carried out twice: in 1972 and 1986, in particular in 1972 the sword was replaced.
The prototype of the sculpture was Valentina Izotova (according to other sources, Anastasia Antonovna Peshkova, a graduate of the Barnaul Pedagogical School in 1953).
68-year-old Valentina Izotova was the model for the creation of the famous Russian Motherland memorial. For almost 40 years she did not talk about the fact that she participated in its creation.
Could I refuse when the sculptors asked me to sit for a statue in memory of the enormous losses suffered by the Red Army at Stalingrad? But I was horrified when they said I had to pose nude.
It was the early 1960s, and decent women didn't take their clothes off in front of anyone but their husbands. Artists, even such respected and famous ones as Lev Maistrenko, who worked on the memorial, meant nothing to the 26-year-old woman.
It was Lev who approached me. I worked as a waitress in the main restaurant of the city, Volgograd - it is still there - and usually served the room reserved for high-ranking party functionaries and delegations. Leo said that I was beautiful and that I embodied everything physical and moral qualities ideal Soviet woman. Of course, I was flattered, how could it be otherwise?
Curiosity got the better of me and I agreed to pose. None of us had any idea how famous “Motherland” would become. Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) is as famous for this sculpture as for the battle that took place here.
My husband did not like the fact that I would pose for a group of artists sent from Moscow. He was terribly jealous and took me to every session to the studio they set up in an old gas apparatus factory.
After a while it became a job like any other, I hardly thought about the fact that I was standing in a swimsuit, and I was glad that I was paid three rubles a day, since at that time it was a decent amount. But only six months later I finally gave in to the sculptors’ persuasion to take off my bra and expose my breasts. But that was all. I was unshakable in my determination to maintain the remnants of modesty and not pose completely naked. It was unthinkable.
No one except relatives and closest friends knew about this. Soon after the sessions ended, I went to receive my first higher education: I have two diplomas - an economist and an engineer. Then I left Volgograd and began to live and work in Norilsk.
After the opening of the memorial in 1967, I thought little about it and moved on with my life.
In October 2010, work began to ensure the safety of the statue.
The sculpture is made from prestressed concrete blocks - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures (excluding the base on which it stands).
The total height of the monument is 85-87 meters. It is installed on a concrete foundation 16 meters deep. Height female figure- 52 meters (weight - over 8 thousand tons).
The statue stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation. This foundation is 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. The statue stands freely on the slab, like a chess piece on a board.
The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the sculpture is only 25-30 centimeters. Inside, the entire statue consists of individual chamber cells, like rooms in a building. The rigidity of the frame is maintained by ninety-nine metal cables that are constantly under tension.
The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally made of stainless steel covered with titanium sheets. The huge mass and high windage of the sword, due to its colossal size, caused the sword to sway strongly when exposed to wind loads, which led to excessive mechanical stress at the point where the hand holding the sword was attached to the body of the sculpture. Deformations in the sword's structure also caused the titanium plating sheets to move, creating an unpleasant sound of rattling metal. Therefore, in 1972, the blade was replaced with another one - consisting entirely of fluorinated steel - and holes were provided in the upper part of the sword, which made it possible to reduce its windage. The reinforced concrete structure of the sculpture was strengthened in 1986 on the recommendation of expert group NIIZHB under the leadership of R. L. Serykh.
There are very few similar sculptures in the world, for example, the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the “Motherland” in Kyiv, the monument to Peter I in Moscow. For comparison, the height of the Statue of Liberty from its pedestal is 46 meters.
The most complex calculations of the stability of this structure were carried out by Dr. technical sciences N.V. Nikitin is the author of calculating the stability of the Ostankino TV tower. At night, the statue is illuminated by spotlights.
“The horizontal displacement of the upper part of the 85-meter monument is currently 211 millimeters or 75% of what was allowed by calculations. Deviations have been going on since 1966. If from 1966 to 1970 the deviation was 102 millimeters, then from 1970 to 1986 - 60 millimeters, until 1999 - 33 millimeters, from 2000-2008 - 16 millimeters,” said the director of the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve. Battle of Stalingrad" Alexander Velichkin.
Interesting facts
- The sculpture “Motherland” is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture-statue in the world at that time. Its height is 52 meters, arm length is 20 meters and sword length is 33 meters. The total height of the sculpture is 85 meters. The weight of the sculpture is 8 thousand tons, and the sword - 14 tons (for comparison: the Statue of Liberty in New York is 46 meters high; the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters). Currently, the statue ranks 11th on the list of the tallest statues in the world.
- Vuchetich told Andrei Sakharov: “My bosses ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother! - shut up."
- There is a legend according to which, shortly after its creation, a man got lost in the sculpture; after that no one saw him. But it's just a legend
- The silhouette of the sculpture “Motherland” was taken as a basis when developing the coat of arms and flag of the Volgograd region
During construction, Vuchetich made changes to the project more than once. Little known fact: At first, the main monument of the ensemble was supposed to look completely different. At the top of the mound, the author wanted to place a sculpture of the “Motherland” with a red banner and a kneeling soldier. According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to it. They managed to be built when Vuchetich went to Khrushchev, the then leader of the country, and convinced him that it would be better if people began to climb a serpentine path to the top.
But these are not all the changes that the master made to the finished project. Valentina Klyushina, who was the deputy director of the memorial for many years, told me about how all this happened. During the years of the complex’s creation, she worked in the Volgograd City Executive Committee and supervised the construction.
- “Motherland” Vuchetich decided to leave alone. He also removed the pompous pedestal, almost identical to the one on which his Victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. The main figure became taller - 36 meters. But this option did not last long. The builders barely had time to make the foundation when the author increased the size of the sculpture. Up to 52 meters! In the competition between superpowers, it was necessary for the main monument of the USSR to be higher than the American Statue of Liberty. It was necessary to urgently “load” the foundation so that it could support the 85-meter (including the sword) sculpture, weighing 8 thousand tons. 150 thousand tons of earth were then placed in the embankment. And since the deadlines were pressing, a military battalion was assigned to help the brigades.
There is also a problem with the current Hall of Military Glory. It was planned to install a panorama canvas there. As soon as the “box” of the building was built, Vuchetich decided that the panorama should be placed separately. Which is what they did then. And in the finished structure along the perimeter of the walls there are mosaic banners with the names of the fallen defenders of the city. The author also quickly passed this question through the CPSU Central Committee.
There was also an embarrassment with these same banners. Here's what Klyushina said:
Masters from Leningrad worked with mosaics. And the art glass was supplied from the Ukrainian city of Lisichansk. Mosaicists laid out the interior as material became available. When everything was ready and the scaffolding was removed, everyone gasped. The tones on the wall were so different that it resembled a chessboard. The deadline for the project was approaching. And Vuchetich had no choice but to call “up.” This time to Brezhnev. He immediately dialed the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Shelesta, and explained the task to him. In short, a few days later the cars were delivered to Volgograd with new glass.
Now imagine: it’s June, there are four months left before the opening of the memorial. And we need to restore the forests again, prepare and lay more than a thousand square meters multi-colored glass pieces. Here the legendary commander of the 62nd Army Vasily Chuikov helped a lot. By the way, he was Vuchetich’s main consultant on the project. 500 soldiers were assigned to the construction headquarters. The fighters worked like Stakhanov. Within three weeks, the interior of the hall took on its intended form.
But these are not all the difficulties faced by the creators of the complex. On one of the spring days of the same 1967, a critical situation arose with a 33-meter sword.
…As usual, chief engineer Volgogradgidrostroy Yuri Abramov went to work at the headquarters in the morning. On the way, he came across a flock of boys arguing... why is the sword in the hand of the “Motherland” swinging so much? Abramov raised his head and was horrified. They immediately carried out an operational investigation, and the very next day a special commission arrived from Moscow. It soon became clear that the designers did not take into account the data from many years of observations of the wind rose. So it turned out that the sword turned out flat in relation to the wind. We urgently had to make several holes in it so that it could be blown freely. In addition, the commission generally recommended replacing the heavy titanium sword with a lighter steel one.
At the very end of the construction, 50 powerful spotlights were needed to illuminate the sculpture. They couldn't get them anywhere. The country at that time was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - and everything that was produced went to Moscow and Leningrad according to orders. Klyushina was sent to the capital to see the Chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee, Promyslov. He said that Moscow was unable to help. And he advised me to go to the manufacturing plant. And Klyushina rushed to the city of Gusev, in the Kaliningrad region. The director of Elektromash also just threw up his hands at the request. Then he thought and invited Valentina to speak on the factory radio in front of the workers and ask them to work beyond the norm. Two additional shifts were organized and the Saira searchlights went to Volgograd. On October 15, 1967, the monument-ensemble was inaugurated.
Construction continued for eight years and five months. The memorial remains standing for another forty years. He always looked decent. Even when everything in the country was collapsing and falling into disrepair, the grass on the mound was neatly trimmed. But only the people working here know what this order costs. And how you have to extort money from authorities of all ranks in order to patch up and repair a huge unique farm.
Someone carelessly said that “Motherland” was so tilted that it might soon fall. This is nonsense. “Any structure of this type,” says the director of the memorial, retired general Vladimir Berlov, “can tilt. This is even provided for by the designers. Let's say the design of our monument is designed for a deviation of 272 millimeters. The figure, Berlov continues, is constantly examined for the formation of cracks and roughness, and its position is analyzed. And an analysis of concrete chips, carried out in a German laboratory, showed the excellent condition of the structure and the presence of the necessary safety margin. It is supported from the inside by 99 tension ropes. Believe me, says the director, this system will never allow the monument to tilt to a critical level.”
You can take a walk with Sergei Dolya inside the monument
And here is a walk with Artemy Lebedev
At the end of June 1941, perhaps the main graphic work of the Great Patriotic War, which was later included in all history textbooks, was released - the poster by Irakli Toidze “The Motherland Calls”. By the artist’s own admission, the idea of creating collective image of a mother calling her sons for help came to his mind completely by accident. Hearing the first message from the Sovinformburo about the attack fascist Germany in the USSR, Toidze’s wife ran into his workshop shouting “War!” Struck by the expression on her face, the artist ordered his wife to freeze and immediately began sketching the future masterpiece. Subsequently, the very concept of “Motherland” became almost the cornerstone of all Soviet propaganda, embodied in countless imitations and migrated to related areas fine arts, including monumental ones.
] sourceshttp://www.volgastars.ru
http://www.glavagosudarstva.ru
http://waralbum.ru
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
