During the Great Patriotic War, Russia brought up many great commanders. To pay tribute and recognition, monuments were erected to many of them in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. One of the popularly recognized commanders is Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov - Marshal of the Soviet Union and four times Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as a holder of two Orders of Victory. In the post-war years, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, and for two years he served as First Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The legendary commander died in 1974, on June 18. By decision of the leaders of the country, Zhukov - as an outstanding statesman and military figure - was buried near the Kremlin wall on Red Square. And on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Georgy Konstantinovich, the order and medal of Zhukov were established.
No one is forgotten…
Heroes leave, but their memory is eternal. The Military Command Academy of Air Defense in Tver is named after the commander. Also, avenues and streets in many settlements of the former USSR bear his name. Sculptural compositions in honor of the marshal were installed in Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Kursk, Kharkov and other cities. Moscow was no exception. Monument to Zhukov, however, in the capitalappeared relatively recently - in 1995, although the idea of creating it originated in the days of the Soviet Union.
History
The Ministry of Culture of the USSR organized a competition for the best sketch of the future statue. It was won by the sculptor of monumental art, who had previously made a monument to Marshal Zhukov (in the village of Strelkovka, the commander's homeland), Viktor Dumanyan. The composition was supposed to be placed on Smolenskaya Square, but the Department of Architecture and Design, which gives recommendations on the placement of monuments in Moscow, decided that the best place to install such a sculptural composition as a monument to Zhukov was Manezhnaya Square. However, the impending perestroika made its own adjustments to the work. The monument was forgotten for a long time…
Monument to Marshal Zhukov
Resumed work in a new country under a new government. On May 9, 1994, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the installation of a monument on Manezhnaya Square. However, changes followed again. During Yeltsin's meeting with WWII veterans, it was decided that the most important square in the country, Red Square, should be decorated with such a structure. Now they decided to install a monument to Zhukov in the immediate vicinity of the Historical Museum and other rescuers of the Fatherland - Pozharsky and Minin. The sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov was entrusted to lead the work on the composition (photo below), and he supported the correctness of this decision. According to Klykov, choosing any other place to install the monument would be an outrage on the memory of the commander.
And yetA monument to Zhukov was erected on Manezhnaya Square, next to the entrance to the Historical Museum. The fact is that Red Square is an object of culture and history of world importance, included in the UNESCO list and under protection, and this organization has forbidden any additions or changes to its territory.
Description of the sculpture
The monument is made in the style of socialist realism. Georgy Zhukov sits astride a horse, and he tramples the standards of Nazi Germany with his hooves. In this one can trace a parallel with George the Victorious, fearlessly defeating the serpent. The commander is depicted somewhat standing up in the stirrups and greeting his comrades-in-arms. Vyacheslav Klykov said that he sought to depict in this composition one of the most solemn episodes in the life of the marshal - the moment when he hosted the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945. The monument to Zhukov is a bronze sculpture mounted on a massive granite pedestal. The weight of the monument reaches one hundred tons.
Interesting fact
It is noteworthy that Stalin ordered Georgy Konstantinovich to take the parade on a white horse. This is a unique case in the entire Soviet history of horse parades. It was not possible to find a white horse suitable for Zhukov in the Manege of the Ministry of Defense, and they found him only in the cavalry regiment of the USSR State Security Committee. It was a stallion who bore the nickname Kumir. By the way, Georgy Konstantinovich was an excellent cavalryman, but in the morning he still came to the Manege forworkout.
Monument to Zhukov: criticism
The location given for the monument was not very good: firstly, the sculpture is too close to the service entrance of the museum, and secondly, it is located on the north side of the building and is therefore heavily darkened. It is possible to see the monument to Zhukov in detail only during daylight hours, because in the evening and at night the composition looks just black. In artistic circles, the monument has also been subjected to many criticisms. Architects and sculptors not only perceived the aesthetics and proportions of the monument negatively, they also condemned both the embodied image of the marshal and the idea itself.
Author's opinion
Despite the many unflattering reviews, Klykov continued to insist that the composition was built professionally and competently, and the image of the commander was conveyed correctly. Having pulled the reins, Zhukov, as it were, brought Victory to the walls of the Kremlin. As the author says, the very moment of the adoption of the Parade is depicted, when the marshal is at the zenith of glory and greatness. The rhythmic step of the horse is also consistent with this idea. However, among connoisseurs of riding, he caused some confusion. They added fuel to the fire of general discontent, saying that horses do not put their feet like that. Nevertheless, as already noted, Klykov did not find any shortcomings in his work. When creating the composition, he was guided by his own memories of that memorable Victory Parade and, in the image of Zhukov, sought to embody the theme of holiness, putting the commander on a par with Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.
Perpetuation of memory
Of course, the monument to Zhukov in Moscow is not the only monument dedicated to the marshal. Where else is the memory of this great man immortalized?
- Outside the USSR, the first sculptural composition in honor of Georgy Konstantinovich was installed in 1979 in Mongolia, in Ulaanbaatar, on the fortieth anniversary of the victory at Khalkhin Gol, next to the world's first house-museum of the commander. The street where the museum is located is also named after Zhukov.
- In the USSR, the first monument to the marshal was erected in Stary Oskol in 1988 (founded in 1973) in the microdistrict, which is also called the “Zhukov microdistrict”.
- In Moscow, the monument on Manezhnaya Square is also not the only sculpture in honor of Georgy Konstantinovich. A monument to him was erected both in the park on Marshal Zhukov Avenue and near the northern lobby of the two-hall Kashirskaya metro station.
- In St. Petersburg, the monument to Zhukov has been standing in the Moscow Victory Park since 1995.
- The sculpture of the commander was also installed in Armavir on the street of the same name.
- In 1995, a monument to the marshal was erected in Omsk.
- A year earlier, in 1994, in the city of Irbit, in the Sverdlovsk region, a monument to Zhukov was opened. The sculpture is made in full growth on a marble pedestal in memory of the time when Georgy Konstantinovich was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Irbit region and the city of Irbit.
- On May 8, 2007 in Minsk (Belarus) the square in memory of the Marshal was opened, a bust of Zhukov was installed in it.
- In the city of Uralsk (Kazakhstan) bustcommander flaunts right in front of the administrative building of the military unit.
- In 2005, a monument to Georgy Konstantinovich was erected in Irkutsk, which was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War.
