“The Motherland is calling!” – the greatest monument to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. History of the construction of the monument “The Motherland Calls”

: I had a truly unique opportunity to look at Mamayev Kurgan and Volgograd through the eyes of the Motherland itself.

Not every visitor to the memorial can get inside and climb to the very top. But I came to Volgograd specifically for this. It’s not so much the views that fascinate you, but the fact that you can visit such a place and climb through its entire interior. great woman. A dream that seemed impossible came true.

First, I’ll show you what our Motherland is made of, what it’s like inside, and then we’ll look out of the hatch on the top of our head together.

1. In the non-front part of the sculpture there is a small door. From it the engineer took out an extension ladder, and we small company of four people went to the most secret and desirable room of the memorial.

2. Technical data of the sculpture.

The sculpture is made of prestressed concrete - 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 8000 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 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.

I will show you all this now!

3. This photo shows the compartment in which the fire extinguisher is located and the tension cables. I use similar cables to tighten the Ostankino tower.

4. Cables pull the arms to the body, and the body is stretched vertically.

5. Fastening of vertical cables.

6. Fastening cables right hand with a sword.

7. Special sensors monitor the tension of the cables.

8. There are many different sensors inside. This one appears to be installed on a crack.

9. And this design monitors vibrations.

10. Laz in the right hand.

11. You can’t go anywhere without safety instructions. The images reminded me of life safety lessons at school, which we didn’t take particularly seriously, but I still know how to bandage my head (-:

12. A rare chance to stand in the throat of a monument.

13. Welcome to the head, says Elder Fura, security department engineer Viktor Grigorievich.

14. On some Russian Railways forum I was lucky enough to get excellent photographs of the period of construction of the monument.

15. The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally a steel frame covered with titanium sheets. The high windage of the sword caused it to sway strongly in the wind - excessive mechanical stress led to deformation of the structure, and an unpleasant grinding sound of metal sheets appeared. In 1972, the sword blade was replaced with a frameless one, made entirely of steel. Shorter, 28 meters, with holes to reduce windage and dampers to dampen vibrations from wind loads.

16. Ready! The prototype of the sculpture was Valentina Izotova (according to other sources, Anastasia Antonovna Peshkova, a graduate of the Barnaul Pedagogical School in 1953).

17. Viktor Grigorievich opens the hatch at the very top of his head and allows us to enjoy the view and take photographs.

18. First, let's look around. View of the Volga and the entire memorial.

19. Volgograd stretches along the river for almost a hundred kilometers. On the right there is a view of the central part of the city.

20. On the left is the Volgograd metallurgical plant "Red October".

21. Behind is a military memorial cemetery, and a little closer you can see water tanks.

Previously, they were used as systems for purifying drinking water in the city water supply system. These tanks are eyewitnesses of the most harsh days war. In 1942-1943 they were turned into giant dugouts. During the battles for Mamayev Kurgan, the Nazis served as real bunkers: mined, with concentration large quantity equipment, weapons. It was the fiercest knot of resistance.

22. The trestle part of the dancing bridge.

24. Plant pipes.

25. Village "Tir".

26. Rotor Stadium.

27. Planetarium dome.

33. The excursion was conducted by your Dasha. By the way, it wasn’t very windy at the top that day, although I was preparing for it to blow away.

The monument is simply colossal in size // Photo: tvzvezda.ru

General parameters of the monument

After the construction work was overestimated, the monument was almost immediately included in the Guinness Book of Records. It occupied the championship among the highest monuments in the world for almost a quarter of a century. Today she is no longer a leader, but is still among the 10 highest architectural structures. In Russia, the monument is still the tallest and most majestic statue.

After overestimating the construction work, the monument was almost immediately included in the Guinness Book of Records // Photo: volfoto.ru

At the foot of the monument

Sword made of steel

A sword made of steel was handed into the hands of the Motherland // Photo: pikabu.ru

Prototype of the Motherland

The monument has an entrance to the inside, but it is closed to the public. Perhaps that is why the sculpture has become surrounded by mysteries and rumors. Many believe that a woman’s mouth contains a spacious viewing platform. Near one of the ears, architects once built a restaurant for Soviet VIPs. However, this is absolutely all wrong.

in 1941 he began to appear frequently on propaganda posters of the Soviet government // Photo: sib.fm

I first saw “Motherland” in seventh grade. This was my first trip to, we got to the city by boat from Astrakhan and stayed there for just a day. We had a sightseeing tour of Volgograd with visits to its most iconic places, and “Motherland” became the most strong impression day. That year, work was underway to repair and ensure the safety of the statue, and from its ear... there was a small ladder hanging. But it was a day off, and no work was being done, and the guide said that especially impressionable people even get dizzy when they watch the restoration work - tiny people are moving around the huge statue. It's no joke, such a scale!

Every time I came to Volgograd, I always bought carnations and went to Mamayev Kurgan to lay them in the Hall Military glory and be sure to go up to the Motherland statue. This was a certain tradition for me. Even when I moved to Volgograd for a year, worked there and drove past Mamayev Kurgan twice a day, this statue still impressed me.

And now I will try to tell you everything I know about her.

Story

The Battle of Stalingrad is considered one of the bloodiest battles in human history. The Third Reich, the Kingdom and the Kingdom, and Finnish volunteers fought against the USSR in this battle, which resulted in a hard-fought victory for the USSR.

This is what Stalingrad looked like from the air in 1942. Photo of the Luftwaffe bombing of residential areas of the city.

Military victories are never easy, and the victory at Stalingrad was especially difficult for our country. The amount of irrecoverable losses on our part only is more than a million Human. But it was precisely this victory that meant a radical turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War - the failure of the Axis offensive on Eastern Front, removing the threat of the Wehrmacht seizing the Lower Volga region and the Caucasus. With this victory, the counteroffensive of the Red Army and the long difficult path to May 9, 1945 began.

More than 35 thousand participants are buried on the Mamayev Kurgan, on the top of which is the statue “The Motherland Calls!” Battle of Stalingrad. Of the 200 days of battle, 135 were spent fighting for this height. From here the Volga was clearly visible, and in war conditions this was strategically important. The most fierce battles took place for the significant height, and it changed hands more than once. Even in winter, when severe frosts began in Stalingrad and it was snowing, the ground on Mamayev Kurgan remained black from the explosion of bombs and shells; there were up to one and a half thousand fragments and bullets per square meter. The ground was completely strewn with a pile of metal, and in the spring of 1943 the grass never sprouted here.

The guides say that that spring not a single tree in Stalingrad turned green. Only one tree had sticky green leaves swollen. This poplar still stands on the Alley of Heroes, as a natural monument to that battle - “this poplar carried its life through the great battle.”

Another monument to this battle was erected on Mamayev Kurgan after the end of the war.

Architect

Soviet sculptor-monumentalist Evgeniy Viktorovich Vuchetich created and worked in the style socialist realism, and most of his works are devoted to the period of the Great Patriotic War. He knew about the war firsthand. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, he volunteered to go to the front as an ordinary soldier-machine gunner; by the end of 1942 he had risen to the rank of captain, and in the same year he was seriously shell-shocked in the battles near Leningrad. The war seriously influenced his work and, having previously taken part in the construction of civilian objects, he becomes a war artist and turns all his attention to the historical military events of the past, finally developing as a sculptor.

He worked a lot on monuments and busts, but world fame he received works in the historical and symbolic genre dedicated to the period of the Great Patriotic War: the monument “Warrior-Liberator” in Berlin, the monument “Union of Fronts” in Pyatimorsk, the allegorical statue “Let’s Beat Swords into Plowshares” in New York and Moscow and his most famous work - “The Motherland is calling!” In Volgograd.

There is another one in Volgograd iconic work master - a monument to Lenin at the entrance to the Volga-Don Canal. But initially a gigantic monument to Stalin was built on this site. Vuchetich worked on the project with full responsibility: the monument was completed in the shortest possible time, and the best native copper was used to cast the figure. But the monument to the “leader of the peoples” was destined to stand for only a few years - in 1956, de-Stalinization began and... the monument was demolished. And Vuchetich was invited to work on the Volga-Don again, but this time on the Lenin monument, which still stands to this day in the Krasnoarmeysky district of Volgograd. There is a story going around in the city that the head of the Stalin monument was simply “cut off” and Lenin’s head was “attached” in its place. This is, of course, not true. Vuchetich, like any creator, was irritated by the barbaric attitude towards his past work, so he suggested making do with a bust of Lenin. But after a series of long persuasion he agreed to erect a monument in full height using the same technology (lightweight reinforced concrete) that was used to build the Motherland. So the monument to Lenin became the largest (27 meters sculpture and 30 meters pedestal) monument in the world erected to a real person. This monument is worth a look just for its scale.

By the way, after the completion of the sculpture “The Motherland is Calling!” In Stalingrad, Vuchetich began work on a similar monument in Kyiv. But I didn’t have time to finish it. “Motherland” in Kyiv was headed by another architect and significantly changed the original version proposed by Vuchetich. And the sculpture “Motherland” still rises on the Dnieper slopes and is clearly visible from different points in Kyiv.

Description

Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” at the same time is compositional center monument to the "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan and... the central part of the triptych - "Rear to the Front", "Motherland Calls!" and "Warrior Liberator". According to the authors, the meaning of the monumental structure is this: the sword, forged in the rear in the Urals, was raised by the Motherland in Stalingrad and lowered after the Victory in Berlin. A grandiose task in its conception! Vuchetich, as a master, had a hand in only two parts of this triptych; the monument “Rear to Front” was completed after his death.

Incredibly, a competition for the construction of a monument in Stalingrad was announced even before the end of the war. Both famous architects and ordinary soldiers shared their vision of the monument. Work even came from abroad. Only the future creator of the monument did not take part in the competition. They say that Stalin personally discussed this sculpture with him, choosing and approving his candidacy from many others. After approval, Vuchetich abandoned the original composition of the monument - it was assumed that the soldier would extend his sword to the Motherland. But could a soldier give his sword to someone if the war was not over yet?

But construction of the monument began after Stalin’s death in 1959. For a greater immersion in history, I advise you to try to imagine a city destroyed by war, almost razed to the ground, where one of the bloodiest battles in the history of mankind recently ended, a city where largest battle World War II, the city that Winston Churchill proposed to leave as is after the war:

“It would be nice to leave the terrible ruins of this legendary city untouched, and build a new one nearby, modern city. The ruins of Stalingrad, like the ruins of Carthage, would forever remain a unique monument to human resilience and suffering. They would attract pilgrims from all over the earth and serve as a warning to future generations."

And now this city begins to be raised from the ruins, and in this city they begin to raise this monument, incredible in its strength and power, as a sign of memory of the events of the war and the memory of the immortal feat of our people. When I see “Motherland,” I simply cannot help but think about the events of those years.

The multi-meter figure of a woman with her face distorted in a scream steps forward, clutching a sword in her raised hand. Such an allegory of the image of the Motherland, calling its sons to battle with the enemy. In 1968, Andrei Sakharov shared his memories of his meeting with Vuchetich. While Vuchetich was working on the project, his superiors asked him why the statue was screaming. The answer was simple:

- And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother!

By the way, the expression “Motherland” itself has been known in Russian since the 19th century. In Nekrasov’s poem “Sasha” there are the following lines:

“I will not awaken the guilty shadows sleeping in the graves with my enmity.

Motherland! I have humbled my soul // Loving son came back to you."

But this image became widespread during the Great Patriotic War, and owes its origin precisely in the context of the Soviet image to the poster “The Motherland is Calling!” According to the author of this poster, artist Irakli Toidze, he drew the first sketches for this poster... from his wife. On June 22, 1941, his wife ran into his workshop shouting: “War!” The artist was amazed by this news, but was even more amazed by the expression on his wife’s face and immediately took up his pencil.

That poster became legendary, but the image of the mother became more legendary. Later, it was embodied in sculptures that are installed today in different cities and countries. The most famous of them is located in Volgograd.

Versions about who served as the prototype for the sculpture for Vuchetich vary. There is an opinion that there are certain similarities between the sculpture and the figure of the Marseillaise on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, or even with the ancient Greek marble statue Nika of Samothrace. IN different years women showed up and said that it was they who posed for the sculptor’s great plan. Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that the “portrait” was collective. The prototype of the figure was the famous discus athlete Nina Dumbadze, and the sculptor sculpted the face from a portrait of his own wife.

And in terms of the intensity of her emotions, she also reminds me of famous photograph during the Great Patriotic War.

The total height of the statue is 85 meters, weight is more than 8 thousand tons. For comparison: the height of the Statue of Liberty without a pedestal is 46 meters, and the height of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil is 38 meters, and in comparison with the height of a person, the figure of the “Motherland” is increased 30 times. For a long time“Motherland” was considered the tallest statue in the world, but then it was surpassed in this list by religious sculptures and statues installed in Asia. However, it still remains the tallest monument in Russia and Europe.

Construction

Most of the foundation on which the statue is installed is hidden underground. The “Motherland” was cast layer by layer, the construction of the statue required a stable pouring of concrete on schedule, and to ensure this, trucks delivering concrete were marked with special signs that gave them priority right of passage, just like emergency vehicles - they could even pass to red.

The sculpture is hollow inside, and the rigidity of the frame is supported by tensioned metal cables. The project was calculated with pinpoint precision. True, a small miscalculation was made with the sword that the statue clutches in its hand. The design had such a property as “windage” and swayed during the wind, causing excess mechanical stress at the attachment point. Therefore, the sword was soon replaced with a new one, with small holes in its upper part, which significantly reduced its mobility in windy weather.

The average person, far from all architectural and engineering affairs, is struck by the scale of the tower to the most banal questions: “And how was it built? This is simply incredible!” It simply takes my breath away when I stand at the very base of the statue and look at it, throwing my head back, from bottom to top.

Experienced engineer Nikolai Nikitin, who worked in a team with Vuchetich, had previously designed the main building of Moscow State University and the Ostankino TV tower. When calculating the design of this statue, he even included a “margin for displacement.” But, according to experts, the statue continues to deviate, and this issue has already been raised several times state level. There are refutations to these fears, which, however, should not interfere with monitoring the condition of the statue in the most careful manner.

Symbol

Construction of the statue was completed in 1967. I can’t even imagine what happened in the first years after its opening. There endless stream young veterans were still walking, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad laid flowers in memory of their fallen comrades, surviving residents of the destroyed but unbroken city came here to look at this place with different eyes, people came here specially from other cities and countries, they brought excursions and school groups ... They still come now. But when I showed the photographs taken on Mamayev Kurgan on Victory Day to my grandmother, she told me that in those years it was like this here every day. I'm sure that's how it was.

Six times I came to Moscow specifically on May 9 to watch the Parade on the Square of Fallen Soldiers, climb Mamayev Kurgan and sit in the evening near the Volga on the Embankment. I remember the years when many more veterans could be met in the crowd going to the top of the mound, they were given flowers and children were photographed with them. I also remember the year when the “Immortal Regiment” action took place on Mamayev Kurgan for the first time. Every year there are more and more participants in this action. Thus, history, which has become a personal part of every family in our country, cannot remain only on the pages of textbooks. Memory, live.

I can’t imagine without Mamayev Kurgan, without this statue. “Motherland” is on both the flag and the coat of arms of the Volgograd region. But this is not only a symbol of the entire city, it is a symbol of that history that we should not forget about.

The monument “The Motherland Calls” is the compositional center of the ensemble “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”; it is made in the form of a statue of a woman-mother who steps forward with a raised sword, calling on her sons to fight the enemy. The impression of the sculpture is enhanced by the hair tousled in the wind, the sharp contours of the figure, the bright emotionality of the face and Strong arms women. Wide-open eyes and mouth create an atmosphere of anxiety and tension. The fact that the monument does not stand on high pedestal, and only two meters above the ground, gives it even more realism.

At the foot of the monument “The Motherland Calls” there is the top of Mamayev Kurgan - Sorrow Square. From here, from the very center of Volgograd, a breathtaking view of the entire memorial complex, city quarters, the wide Volga valley and the Trans-Volga region opens.

The author's idea of ​​the monument

The initiator of the creation of the majestic monument was the famous Soviet sculptor-monumentalist Evgeniy Viktorovich Vutechich. He took part in the Great Patriotic War, was shell-shocked in battle and fully understood the severity of the trials the people endured.

E. V. Vutechich is considered one of the founders of the monumental style, which later received the name “Stalinist classicism.” The works he created are distinguished by gigantism, the use of modernist traditions and the pathos of the plots.

Before creating the “Motherland Calls” memorial in Volgograd, Vutečić led a large-scale art project in Berlin’s Treptower Park. In collaboration with architects and engineers, he created a monument ensemble dedicated to the soldiers of the Red Army, the center of which was the expressive bronze figure of the Liberator Warrior.

The sculptor began work on the banks of the Volga with extensive experience in artistic and technical solutions. In the open spaces of Mamayev Kurgan, he proposed creating a group of several large-scale sculptures that would be clearly visible from different sides. The figure of the Motherland, according to the author’s plan, was supposed to symbolize the Fatherland’s call to its citizens - to protect their native land from enemies.

There are several versions of who exactly Vutečić chose as the prototype for his sculpture of the Motherland. Someone claims that his wife Vera posed for Vutechich. Others say that the face on the monument bears a portrait resemblance to the famous discus thrower in the USSR and multiple record holder Nina Yakovlevna Dumbadze. Volgograd residents themselves are convinced that the sculptor’s heroine was the waitress of the Volgograd restaurant, Valentina Izotova.

The constructed monument “The Motherland Calls” was recognized as an outstanding example of monumental art and made the name of the sculptor widely known not only in the country, but also abroad. In 1970, the team of authors who worked on the monument was awarded the Lenin Prize.

History of the construction of the monument “The Motherland Calls”

The construction of the memorial ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan began in 1959, when Volgograd itself had not yet been completely restored from ruins. In those years, during excavation work, unexploded shells and mines were found, and therefore sappers were on constant duty near the working excavator.

In addition to E. V. Vutechich, several other sculptors worked on the monument “The Motherland Calls”. The team of architects was headed by Yakov Borisovich Belopolsky, and the engineering issues for the construction of the memorial were handled by a well-known construction specialist in the country, architect Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin. He was entrusted with the task of developing the design of the foundation and supporting frames of the huge monument.

In addition to construction work, the war memorial project included the “sounding” of all sculptural compositions, including the monument “The Motherland Calls”. This work was entrusted to announcer Yuri Borisovich Levitan, sound engineer Alexander Ivanovich Geraskin and director Viktor Kadievich Magataev. The role of consultant on military issues was performed by the Marshal Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov, whose troops managed to defend the city on the Volga during the Great Patriotic War.

Initially, the sculptors created a small half-meter version of the monument. It was made in a workshop located in the basement of the Volgograd Minsk store. Then work on the monument continued at the Gazoapparat plant. There, based on the manufactured model, a five-meter version of the monument was built.

In the original design, there were supposed to be two figures at the monument - a woman-mother and a kneeling soldier. It was also assumed that the woman would hold an unfurled banner in her hand. They planned to decorate the pedestal lavishly.

However, the sculptor Vutečić later abandoned all these ideas. He did not build a staircase to the monument, but limited himself to a pedestrian path, which, like a ribbon, encircled the foot of the monument. In addition, during the production process it was decided to increase the size of the main sculpture of the war memorial from 32 to 56 meters, and then to 85 m.

During construction work, the organizers had to decide the most different problems. The layers of concrete had to be firmly bonded to each other. To do this, it was necessary to establish a continuous supply of concrete to the construction site. To ensure that concrete trucks were not delayed on their way, they were equipped with colored tapes. Drivers were given permission to drive through red traffic lights, and traffic police officers were instructed not to slow down such cars.

In May 1965, construction inspectors from Gosstroy made recommendations to significantly strengthen the reinforced concrete structure. The fears of engineers and technologists were caused by the condition of the soil on which the “Motherland Calls” monument was erected. This was a watered layer of Maikop clays, and they gradually “slipped” towards the Volga coast. To prevent a disaster from happening, the builders did additional concreting at the base of the monument.

Construction continued for several years, mainly during the warm season. In October 1967, all work was completed and the monument was inaugurated.

The sculpture “The Motherland Calls” is part of a triptych that also includes monuments in Magnitogorsk and Berlin. The Ural monument “Rear to Front” symbolizes the sword of Victory, which workers forged for the soldiers who liberated the country from invaders. The sculpture “The Motherland Calls” raises this sword to fight the enemy. And the "Liberator Warrior" in Berlin holds his sword down as the war is finally over.

Elimination of design defects

The first problems with the “Motherland Calls” monument were revealed already at next year after it is opened. The “weak point” of the monument turned out to be the sword that the Motherland held in her hand. It was originally made from durable stainless steel sheets and lined with titanium. However, this decision turned out to be technically erroneous. Big sizes and the weight of the sword led to its excessive windage. There was excess tension where the sword was attached to the arm. From swinging, it was slightly deformed, and the titanium sheets made an unpleasant rattling sound in the wind.

Given these problems, in 1972 the old sword was replaced with one made entirely of steel. In addition, special holes were made in the top of the sword, which eliminated excessive windage. The sword was made from metal smelted at the Volgograd metallurgical plant "Red October".

In 1986, the entire “Motherland Calls” monument was examined by specialists. According to their recommendations, the reinforced concrete structure was further strengthened. In 2013, an architect from Moscow, Vladimir Tserkovnikov, addressed the Ministry of Culture and stated that the foundation famous sculpture was initially calculated incorrectly, and therefore the monument is in danger of collapse. It is not connected to the base in any way and is supported only by its own weight.

Technical characteristics of the monument

The concrete sculpture “The Motherland Calls” stands on a two-meter pedestal. The entire structure is supported by a solid foundation, buried 16 meters into the ground. The earthen hill on which the entire memorial rises was formed artificially. To ensure that the foundation could withstand the enormous weight of the concrete structure, about 150 tons of earth were poured here.

The statue is hollow inside. The thickness of the walls made of reinforced concrete ranges from 25 to 30 cm. The concrete shell is supported by a metal frame weighing 2.4 thousand tons and 99 strong cables that prevent the frame from bending under the pressure of 5.5 thousand tons of concrete. The metal cables are under constant tension, and their tension is recorded by special sensors.

The height of the woman’s figure, excluding the sword, is 52 meters. The total weight of the monument exceeds 8 thousand tons. The steel sword is 33 m long and weighs 14 tons. The hand holding it is extended upward by 20 m. Thus, the height of the entire monument is 85 meters.

Since 1966, the “Motherland Calls” monument has slightly deviated from the main axis, but the indicators of these deviations do not exceed the calculated standards. For example, from 2000 to 2008, the horizontal displacement of the top of the monument was only 16 mm.

Interesting facts about the monument “The Motherland Calls”

• At the time of completion of construction, the Volgograd monument was taller than all the statues in the world. Today it ranks 9th among the most tall monuments planets.
• Compared to the average height of a person, the sculpture of the Motherland is increased 30 times.
• The famous monument is depicted on the flag and coat of arms of the Volgograd region.
• Many legends have developed around the monument. One of them talks about a worker who disappeared inside the monument. This happened while he was installing a steel structure. The missing person was never found.
• Recently, 200 meters from the monument, a Orthodox church All Saints. It appeared exactly in the place where the monument itself was originally supposed to stand.

How to get there

You can get to the foot of Mamayev Kurgan, where the “Motherland Calls” monument is erected, by buses, trolleybuses and minibuses. City trains and Metrotram, Volgograd's high-speed tram, also make stops here. Entrance to the memorial site is free.

· 11/25/2015

Statue “The Motherland Calls!” located in the center of the memorial composition “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” in hero city Volgograd on Mamayev Kurgan.

Statue of the Motherland in Volgograd - general description and characteristics.

The statue is the compositional center of the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”. This is one of the tallest monuments in the whole world: height of the Motherland statue in Volgograd without a sword is 52 meters, and with the sword as much as 85! The weight of the statue without the sword is 8 thousand tons, the sword of the Motherland weighs 14 tons. Such height and power of the statue indicates strength and uniqueness.

The author of the Motherland statue in Volgograd is the sculptor Evgeniy Viktorovich Vuchetich, it was according to his design that the statue was built from May 1959 to October 1967. Statue “Motherland Calls!” on Mamayev Kurgan takes 11th place in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the tallest statue-monuments in the world. At night, the statue is illuminated with multi-colored lights. Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” calls on people to unite and survive a difficult battle.

Who is the prototype of the sculpture of the Motherland on Mamayev Kurgan?

According to rumors, the prototype of the statue “Motherland Calls!” became three girls from Volgograd: Ekaterina Grebneva, Anastasia Peshkova and Valentina Izotova. But this fact was not confirmed by anything. Most likely it's just a rumor. There is also a legend that the “Motherland” is modeled after the Marseillaise figure, which is located on triumphal arch in Paris.

Statue “Motherland Calls!” in Volgograd - the history of construction.

Construction of the statue on Mamayev Kurgan began in 1959 and ended in 1967. The construction of the sculpture took exactly eight years, and that’s a lot. Since 1972, construction and reconstruction work has been periodically carried out on Mamayev Kurgan. In 1978, the sculpture was strengthened; stability calculations were carried out by Dr. technical sciences Nikitin N.V. He was the one who did necessary calculations during the construction of the Ostankino Tower in Moscow. In 2010, work began to more effectively ensure the security of the monument.

As for the materials for constructing the statue, there were no restrictions on them. 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,500 metal structures were used for the construction and construction of the Motherland monument in Volgograd. Before construction began on Mamayev Kurgan, a foundation 15 meters deep was laid, on which a slab 2 meters high was installed. For the construction of the “Motherland”, 95 metal cables were used, it was they that held the frame of the statue in an upright position. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the statue is about 30 cm.

Sword of the Motherland.

Motherland Sword Length reaches 33 meters, the weight of the sword is 14 tons. It was originally made of steel. Over time due to strong wind the structure was deformed, and an unpleasant sound of metal appeared. In 1972, the sword was reconstructed: the blade was replaced with a new one, more resistant to weather conditions. This blade was made from fluorinated steel.

The statue “The Motherland Calls” in Volgograd is an integral part triptych. Its first part is located in Magnitogorsk and is called “Rear to Front!” The second part is “Motherland” in Volgograd. The third part, “Warrior Liberator,” is located in Treptower Park in Berlin.

According to the original idea, the Motherland was supposed to hold a banner in her hands instead of a sword, and a soldier was supposed to stand at her feet, kneeling.

Why was the statue installed on Mamayev Kurgan?

The place where the majestic monument was erected was not chosen by chance. 200 meters from statues of the Motherland in Volgograd there is the legendary height 102, behind which bloody battles took place for 140 days during the Second World War. Mamayev Kurgan evokes a feeling of pride and pain among visiting tourists, forcing them to remember the sacrifices made in the name of Great Victory, and all the feats performed by simple Soviet people who were forced by difficult times to take up arms and defend themselves native land. The atmosphere at the feet of the majestic statue of the Motherland invariably makes you plunge into memories, because every centimeter of this land is soaked in the blood shed by valiant soldiers, Defenders of the Fatherland. That is why Mamayev Kurgan was chosen as the location for the monument to Soviet soldiers. The Motherland Memorial was cast right here, only the head and sword were created separately and installed using helicopters. The work was carried out according to a model reduced tenfold, installed next to the future monument. Construction was in full swing both day and night: Soviet authorities strived to complete the construction as quickly as possible. In those days, the Motherland was the tallest statue in the world and was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Over the years, its height has been surpassed by other statues, and today it ranks only eleventh on the list.

Few people have been able to visit the Motherland statue in Volgograd; only occasionally excursions are held here for high-ranking officials. There are no observation platforms here: only scientists tasked with monitoring the condition of the “Motherland Calls” statue manage to visit the tip of the sword, where they monitor the readings of installed sensors. To carry out this work, scientists have to climb on foot to the very top of the sculpture, because there are no elevators here.

Recently, rumors have appeared that the statue “The Motherland is Calling!” may fall, but local workers and scientists assure that the statue is not in danger of falling. To avoid this, to this day there are special niches at its foot designed for installing jacks, with the help of which the statue will be secured and installed in time. old place. These niches were designed simultaneously with the construction of the statue of the Motherland itself, and to date they have never been used for their intended purpose. As is known, the most best materials, and from the inside the statue of the Motherland is reinforced with stretched metal cables, which still securely hold the Motherland in its original place.

The statue “The Motherland Calls” on Mamayev Kurgan remains the main attraction and pride of the city of Volgograd and all of Russia as a whole. Despite the fact that it is no longer the tallest statue in the world, for the people it has not lost its greatness. More than one generation of Russians and guests of the country will be able to come to statue of the Motherland in Volgograd, to express gratitude to the defenders of the Fatherland, in whose honor the Motherland raises its sword to the skies.