Obelisk of Glory (Tolyatti)
Encyclopedia
The Obelisk of Glory is a monument in Tolyatti
's Liberty Square to the heroes of World War II
(called, in Russia, the Great Patriotic War
).
in the early 1950s, the town of Stavropol (renamed Tolyatti in 1964) fell into the flooding zone of the new Kuybyshev Reservoir on the Volga River
and was completely rebuilt on a new site.
Part of the plan for relocating Stavropol was to be an area dedicated to the memory of the poet Alexander Pushkin. But in in April 1957, some young builders proposed to instead erect a monument to the fighters of the Great Patriotic War, at their own expense. 30,000 rubles were amassed by collecting waste paper, scrap metal, and so forth.
A design competition was held, won by Mikhail Sorokin, who was awarded a ticket to the Sixth World Festival of Youth and Students
in Moscow.
Sorokin's design was a classic four-sided stele
. Three sides depict fighters of the Great Patriotic War who were residents of Stavropol (pilot Victor Nosov, infantry soldier Vasili Zilina, and seaman Eugene Nikonov) while the fourth depicts Vasili Banykina (1888-1918), an earlier figure, a former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Stavropol City Council (equivalent to mayor) who was instrumental in establishing Bolshevik power in Stavropol and who had been shot while supervising the evacuation of the city in the face of the advancing Czechoslovak Legion
.
The opening ceremony for the monument was October 26, 1958. Since that day, Liberty Square has been a central place of the city, and the name is also now used for the surrounding area. Since November 7, 1958, city celebrations and demonstrations have been held there. The adjacent parkway was named Youth Boulevard.
The four stone balls and the decorative chains at the perimeter were removed, and the monument was faced with granite. The existing medallions were replaced with bas-relief profiles of the heroes in bronze executed by Tolyatti artists A. N. Pronyushkin and N. Kolesnikov. On one side of the stele was placed a plaque with the inscription
The phrase "Champions who died for the freedom and happiness of the people" was also added.
On November 3, 1978 the eternal flame
was lit at the monument, delivered by an armored personnel carrier from the flame at the Obelisk of Glory in Samara
. After this, the Toylatti monument gradually also came to be referred to as the Obelisk of Glory.
In 2006, the mayor of Tolyatti, Nikolai Utkin, declared his intention to refurbish the monument.
Tolyatti
Tolyatti , also known as Togliatti, is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It serves as the administrative center of Stavropolsky District, although it is administratively separate from it...
's Liberty Square to the heroes of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(called, in Russia, the Great Patriotic War
Great Patriotic War (term)
The term Great Patriotic War , Velíkaya Otéchestvennaya voyná,) is used in Russia and some other states of the former Soviet Union to describe the portion of World War II from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945, against Nazi Germany and its allies in the many fronts of Soviet-German war.-History:The term...
).
Creation
Due to the construction of the Zhiguli Hydroelectric StationZhiguli Hydroelectric Station
The Zhiguli Hydroelectric Station or Zhigulyovskaya Hydroelectric Station , formerly known as Kuybyshev Hydroelectric Station is a large dam and hydroelectric station on the Volga River, located near Zhigulyovsk and Tolyatti in Samara Oblast of Russia...
in the early 1950s, the town of Stavropol (renamed Tolyatti in 1964) fell into the flooding zone of the new Kuybyshev Reservoir on the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
and was completely rebuilt on a new site.
Part of the plan for relocating Stavropol was to be an area dedicated to the memory of the poet Alexander Pushkin. But in in April 1957, some young builders proposed to instead erect a monument to the fighters of the Great Patriotic War, at their own expense. 30,000 rubles were amassed by collecting waste paper, scrap metal, and so forth.
A design competition was held, won by Mikhail Sorokin, who was awarded a ticket to the Sixth World Festival of Youth and Students
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event, organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth , a left-wing youth organization, jointly with the International Union of Students since 1947....
in Moscow.
Sorokin's design was a classic four-sided stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
. Three sides depict fighters of the Great Patriotic War who were residents of Stavropol (pilot Victor Nosov, infantry soldier Vasili Zilina, and seaman Eugene Nikonov) while the fourth depicts Vasili Banykina (1888-1918), an earlier figure, a former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Stavropol City Council (equivalent to mayor) who was instrumental in establishing Bolshevik power in Stavropol and who had been shot while supervising the evacuation of the city in the face of the advancing Czechoslovak Legion
Czechoslovak Legions
The Czechoslovak Legions were volunteer armed forces composed predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting together with the Entente powers during World War I...
.
The opening ceremony for the monument was October 26, 1958. Since that day, Liberty Square has been a central place of the city, and the name is also now used for the surrounding area. Since November 7, 1958, city celebrations and demonstrations have been held there. The adjacent parkway was named Youth Boulevard.
Restoration
In preparation for the 30th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, in April of 1975 the obelisk was restored and altered.The four stone balls and the decorative chains at the perimeter were removed, and the monument was faced with granite. The existing medallions were replaced with bas-relief profiles of the heroes in bronze executed by Tolyatti artists A. N. Pronyushkin and N. Kolesnikov. On one side of the stele was placed a plaque with the inscription
The phrase "Champions who died for the freedom and happiness of the people" was also added.
On November 3, 1978 the eternal flame
Eternal flame
An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns day and night for an indefinite period. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....
was lit at the monument, delivered by an armored personnel carrier from the flame at the Obelisk of Glory in Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
. After this, the Toylatti monument gradually also came to be referred to as the Obelisk of Glory.
In 2006, the mayor of Tolyatti, Nikolai Utkin, declared his intention to refurbish the monument.