The Poklonnaja mountain

For the first time the Poklonnaja mountain was mentioned in documents of the XVI-th century. But it was named a little differently at that times - the Poklonnaja mountain on Smolensk road. On the Poklonnaja mountain Napoleon was vainly waiting keys from Moscow in 1812, and soldiers went to protect the Native land through this mountain in the days of the II World War.

The first project of a memorial of the Victory on the Poklonnaja mountain was offered in 1942, but it was, of course, impossible to realize it then.

The memorable sign with an inscription "Here will be built a monument of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" was constructed on the Poklonnaja mountain on February, 23rd, 1958. And the Victory park was built around the sign.

Designing and building of a memorial complex on the Poklonnaja mountain was delayed for many years. Its solemn opening dated for the 50 anniversary of a victory over fascism, took place on May, 9th per 1995.

The memorial complex which is settled down on 135 hectares, includes the Central museum of the Great Patriotic War, the monument of the Victory and three temples of three faiths constructed in memory of victims of war. St. George Pobedonostsa's temple was constructed in 1995, the Memorial mosque was erected in 1997, and the Memorial synagogue - in 1998.

The central museum of the Great Patriotic War is built on the round square of Winners to which the central avenue of the park of the Victory guides. There are about 50 thousand exhibits of military history kept in a museum that was founded in 1986. In special show-windows Memory Books are located - 385 volumes in which names of the people who died on the war are entered. In the museum, among other exhibits, the Victory Banner is kept - the red banner which was set up over a Reichstag in Berlin on April, 30th, 1945. Among other things, constant exhibition of military technics near to a museum  is developed.

In the middle of the square of Winners there is an obelisk in height of 141,8 metres. It symbolises 1418 days and nights of the Great Patriotic War. On a hundred-metre mark the bronze figure of the goddess of the Victory - Nike is fixed. At the obelisk bottom, on a granite podium, a statue of sacred George Pobedonostsa's who kills a snake (a harm symbol) by his spear is established. Both sculptures are made by by Z.Tsereteli.

In 2003 the chapel, built in memory of the Spanish volunteers that died in the Great Patriotic War was opened in Memorial territory.