POKLONNAYA HILL

Description

Essentials about Poklonnaya Hill in brief

Poklonnaya Hill (Bowing Hill) is one of the highest elevations of Moscow, with a height of 172 meters. Due to its height and excellent view of the Russian capital, the hill has always had great strategic importance. Today it is home to countless monuments and memorials commemorating the great victories of Russia and the Soviet Union in the war against Napoleon in the 19th century and against Nazi Germany in World War II.

The name of Poklonnaya Hill

The name of the hill is derived from the tradition that all people approaching Moscow from the west should pay homage to the Russian capital by bowing on the hill. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon also stood on Poklonnaya Hill and waited in vain for the Muscovites to hand over the keys to the city. The Muscovites, or rather Russia’s army commander Kutuzov, on the other hand, decided to burn down the city rather than surrender it to the French.

The Memorials of the Russian Victory against the French

Against this historical background, in the 1960s the Soviet leadership decided to erect a memorial to the Russian victory against the French on the hill. In commemoration of the great battle of Borodino, a huge panorama was erected in 1962. The triumphal arch originally located on Tverskaya Gate Square was transferred to Poklonnaya Hill in 1968. In 1973 General Kutuzov, under whose leadership the French were defeated, received a monument in his honor.

The obelisk on Poklonnaya Hill

In the 1990-ies the most imposing structure was added to Poklonnaya Hill: A 141.8-meter-high obelisk with a statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, near the top and a statue of St. George slaying the dragon at its base. The obelisk and its statues have symbolic character in relation to the Second World War. Each 10 centimeters of height of the obelisk represents a day of war. The equestrian statue of St. George symbolizes the victorious struggle of the Soviet Union against the dragon representing Nazi Germany (at the latest the swastikas in the dragon’s skin make this clear).

The Victory Park

Behind the obelisk and the panorama lies the so-called Victory Park. It is dedicated to the victory of the Red Army against Nazi Germany in World War II. Many of the monuments in it are dedicated to concrete events from the war. Victory Park was opened in 1995 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. On the territory of the park there is a large number of military vehicles that were used in the Second World War. There is also an Orthodox church, a mosque and a synagogue with a Holocaust memorial in the park.

The most unusual day to visit Victory Park is May 9 every year. That is when the commemoration of the end of the war and the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War (as the Second World War is called in Russia) takes place on the grounds. Here gather the last remaining verterans of the former Red Army.

The Museum of the Great Patriotic War

Those who want to learn more about Soviet history at the time of the Great Patriotic War should pay a visit to the eponymous museum in Victory Park. Here, various exhibitions depict the most important war events for the Soviet Union at that time, such as the defense of Moscow, the blockade of Leningrad and the Battle of Stalingrad.