Mother's monument: history, author, photo

The monument to the mother is a well-known image, which became especially used after the Great Patriotic War. The most famous such sculpture is set in Volgograd on Mamayev Hill. However, over time, such compositions began to appear not necessarily in memory of the war, but also about other tragedies, for example, the monument of the grieving mother for the dead seamen, discovered in Nakhodka.

Motherland

Still, the most famous monument of the mother is installed on the site of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War. This sculpture is the compositional center of the entire architectural ensemble on Mamayev Hill. To date, this is one of the highest statues not only in Russia, but throughout Europe.

Sculpture is part of the composition of three parts. The first is in Magnitogorsk. On the monument "Rear - front" the worker gives the soldier a sword, which was forged in the Urals to fight fascism. The third part of the composition is a monument to the soldier-liberator, who stands in Berlin. On it, the sword, previously raised in Volgograd, is omitted.

Authors of sculpture

Mother's monument in Volgograd is the work of sculptor Eugene Vuchetich and engineer Nikolai Nikitin. Vuchetich in the 70's was vice-president of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, he participated in the Great Patriotic War. He also owns a monument to the liberator's warrior in Treptow Park, and the monument "We Shoot Swords into Plowshares", which is set in New York, near the United Nations building. He also installed the sculpture "Motherland" in Kiev in 1981.

The track record of Nikolai Nikitin is also rich. He is the developer of the foundations and bearing structures of many famous Soviet buildings. This is the Palace of Soviets, the main building of the Moscow State University on the Lenin Hills, the central capital stadium "Luzhniki", the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the television tower in Ostankino.

The majestic monument

The monument to the mother of the work of Vuchetich and Nikitin is a figure of a woman who steps forward with a warlike look and raised her sword. This is an allegorical image. It contains the image of the Motherland, which calls on its sons to stand together to fight against a common enemy.

The erection of the statue began a decade and a half after the end of the Great Patriotic War - in the spring of 1959. It took 8 years to create it. At that time it was the highest sculpture in the world. Until now, every night, the sculpture is lit by spotlights.

Over the past time, twice the monument required restoration work. And for the first time quite early: 5 years after the official opening, the sword was replaced. In 1986, another large-scale restoration took place.

Prototypes of sculpture

Was there a prototype on the basis of which a monument to a woman mother was created? There is no unequivocal answer until now, there are only a few versions.

Most researchers believe that this is a graduate of the Barnaul Pedagogical School Anastasia Peshkova, who at that time was just under 30 years old. Also among the versions mention Valentina Izotova and Ekaterina Grebneva.

Less popular, but also entitled to the existence of the version says that the monument to the mother, whose photo is today known to every Russian, repeats the figure from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. On its creation, in turn, the author was inspired by the statue of the Greek goddess Nicky.

Specifications

In its height, the sculpture set a record among all existing at the time. The monument itself is 85 meters high, another two meters is the installation plate. Under this design, a concrete foundation was required, buried to a depth of 16 meters. The height of the most feminine sculpture (without a sword) is 52 meters. Its total mass is quite impressive - more than 8 thousand tons.

The figure is made of reinforced concrete and metal structures. Inside it is hollow. Separately it is necessary to stop on the sword. Its length is 33 meters. Weight - 14 tons. It is made of stainless steel, which is lined with titanium layers.

Because of the deformation of the sword, the movement of titanium layers began, because of this, an unpleasant screech of metal was constantly heard. It is for this reason that a few years after the installation of the sculpture the sword was decided to be replaced. The new whole consisted of steel.

To ensure that such a design was always on the line, the engineer, who is also her full-fledged author, worked very well. The monument to the mother is due to Nikolay Nikitin. He also calculated the stability of the Ostankino TV tower.

The threat of collapse

In fact, immediately after the construction of the monument was finished, there were fears that the monument to the mother could collapse. By and large, they have not abated until now.

Back in 1965, the State Construction Commission issued an opinion according to which it was necessary to strengthen the main structures of the structure. A special alarm was caused by the monument "Motherland". The fact that the foundation is installed on clay soils, which can eventually slip towards the Volga.

The last large-scale survey of the monument was held in 2013. It was made by the capital's architect and sculptor Vladimir Tserkovnikov. In an open letter addressed to the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, he reports that the foundation of the monument was made with significant errors, which Nikitin admitted at the design stage. In his opinion, for today it is in a deplorable state.

The Kiev Monument

In the Ukrainian capital in 1981 was discovered a similar sculpture. It is part of the composition of the museum of Ukrainian history about the Second World War. The architectural complex was opened in the 36th anniversary of the Victory over the fascists, Leonid Brezhnev took part in the ceremonial events.

Work on the project began the author of the Volgograd sculpture - Evgeni Vuchetich. After his death in 1974, the project was headed by Vasily Boroday. Just like Vuchetich, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, a national artist of the USSR, who worked in the genre of socialist realism.

According to calculations of specialists who made a description of the monument to the Motherland, the monument must stand for at least 150 years. It is made so reliably that it is able to withstand an earthquake by force of even 9 points. For example, in 1987, a powerful hurricane swept over Kiev, but the monument was not damaged.

The monument is equipped with observation platforms and two elevators, with one of them moving under a slope of 75 degrees. Technical platforms and hatches are equipped in many parts of the monument. For example, one of them is right in the head of Motherland.

Since 2002, sightseers have climbed two observation platforms - at an altitude of 36 and 92 meters. However, after the fall and death of a tourist from the upper level, the access of laymen to the monument was significantly limited.

Pitersky analogue

In Russia, the majority of the question: "Where is the monument to Motherland?" Answer that in Volgograd. But there are several other similar sculptures. One of them is located in St. Petersburg.

The monument is located at Piskarevsky Cemetery. A female figure holds an oak wreath, which symbolizes eternity. The sculpture is located on a stone pedestal. Right behind her is a stone wall on which famous words of the poetess Olga Berggolts are carved : "Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten."

The work represents a grieving mother or wife whose face is addressed to a brotherly burial.

The competition for this project was announced in 1945. The memorial was decided to be dedicated to the inhabitants of Leningrad, who suffered a blockade and the memory of the deceased. Construction began only in 1956. The opening took place during the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Victory on May 9, 1960.

The group of sculptors was headed by Vera Vasilyevna Isayeva, who died two weeks before the official opening of the monument. She suffered a blockade of Leningrad, participated in the disguise of the city in the raids of enemy aviation.

Mourning mother in Nakhodka

The history of the monument "The Sorrowful Mother" in the Russian Far East is also rather sad. The memorial in Nakhodka was established in 1979. The work is made of bronze.

The figure of the woman faces the Gulf of Nakhodka and is dedicated to the memory of the fishermen of the trawler "Boksitogorsk", which crashed in the Barents Sea in 1965. The tragedy occurred in January during a storm, the strength of which was estimated at 10 points. 24 crew members were killed. Happily managed to escape only one - the mining master from "Boksitogorsk" Anatoly Okhrimenko.

Behind the female sculpture are depicted two ship sails. At the foot of the name of all 24 dead sailors, who were not waiting for their mother and wife that year.

The chief architect of Nakhodka, Vladimir Remizov, supervised the project.

Mourning mother in Bashkortostan

A similar monument is also installed in the capital of Bashkortostan - Ufa. It is dedicated to soldiers and officers who died in various military conflicts, including local ones. A memorial was established near Victory Park.

The official opening took place in 2003. Its author was Nikolai Kalinushkin, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.

The architectural composition resembles a cult structure, and it is deliberately made so that it is impossible to understand whether it is Christian or Muslim. In it on a low pedestal a figure of mother from bronze is established.

Nearby there are granite slabs, on which the names of Bashkortostan residents who died in local military conflicts, since 1951, have been carved.

Monumental monument

The monument to the mother in Cheboksary is one of the symbols of the capital of the Chuvash Republic. Its height is 46 meters, on the plate at its base it appears that it is a mother woman who blesses her children and directs them to live only in peace and love. The inscription is made in Russian and Chuvash languages.

In many cities there are monuments of the mother. History in this case everyone has his own. This project was developed by the politician - the president of Chuvashia Nikolay Fedorov. For this he attracted the creative intelligentsia and the public, a charitable foundation was specially set up.

The monument depicts a woman in a national costume. The first proposals appeared in print in 1996, but they began to be realized only in the early 2000s.

The sculptor of the project was Vladimir Nagornov, who also became famous for his sculpture "Angel of Memory and Glory" in the regional center of Chuvashia and the monument to Ostap Bender and Kise Vorobyaninov, installed in Cheboksary. He worked in collaboration with scientific consultants and other well-known architects, for example, Vladimir Filatov.

The monument was opened on the 58th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War - May 9, 2003.