Victory Museum (Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War) on Poklonnaya Hill. WWII Museum on Poklonnaya Hill

Exposition of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill talks about the feat of the Soviet people during the most difficult trials. Back in 1942, the first proposals were made to perpetuate the memory of the heroes by creating a memorial; a competition was announced for the best architectural project, but its time came later. In the 1950s, the authorities granted the request of the front-line soldiers and on February 23, 1958, a memorial sign “A monument to the Victory of the people of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will be built here” was erected on Poklonnaya Hill.

Only in 1983 was the corresponding Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted, and three years later the Ministry of Culture of the USSR signed an order to create a museum on the territory of the future Victory Park. Direct preparations for the opening of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War began in 1993–1994 with the creation of temporary historical, artistic and military historical exhibitions. Exhibits were received from the Museum's funds Armed Forces, donated by war veterans, found by search teams at battle sites.

Construction of a museum building. 1991-1993: https://pastvu.com/p/82774 Photo: Yu. Abrosimov

Central Museum Great Patriotic War http://www.poklonnayagora.ru/ was inaugurated on May 9, 1995 in the presence of 55 official delegations from different countries peace. “The museum is a historical witness of the war that cannot lie. The museum is raising new heroes who will become heirs to the glory and greatness of the country, an endless source of wisdom. The museum shows that a great nation has great people,” US President Bill Clinton wrote in the guest book.

The Hall of Memory and Sorrow is dedicated to the memory of 26 million 600 thousand of our compatriots who died and disappeared. The museum stores about 1,500 volumes of the All-Union Book of Memory, where the name lists of this unique publication, which combines the functions of a reference book and martyrology, include brief information about the fate of millions of warriors. The sculptural composition “Sorrow” is made of white marble (sculptor L. Kerbel, marble carvers P. Nosov, I. Kruglov)

In the Hall of Generals there are busts of holders of the Order of Victory, which were awarded to the highest command staff of the Soviet Army (sculptor Z. Tsereteli)

The names of those who were awarded the highest military award - the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union - are immortalized in the Hall of Fame. In the center - bronze sculpture“Soldier of Victory” (sculptor V. Znoba). Under the dome of the hall there are bas-reliefs of hero cities.

Military-historical exhibition “Feat and Victory of a Great People” ( main artist– V.M. Glazkov, chief architect – I.Yu. Minakov) opened in 2008 and has more than 6,000 exhibits. The museum presents six dioramas dedicated to the largest military operations of the Great Patriotic War, created by famous masters of the Grekov Studio of War Artists: “Counteroffensive Soviet troops near Moscow", "Battle of Stalingrad. Union of Fronts", "Siege of Leningrad", "Battle of Kursk", "Crossing the Dnieper", "Storm of Berlin".

In the late 1930s, European states either watched the militarization of Germany with alarm or made a deal with the devil. Following the participants in the Munich Pact, England and France, the Soviet Union also joined the diplomatic game with Hitler, signing a non-aggression pact. What Ribbentrop's signature is worth under this document will become clear two years later.

Hitler had not previously hidden his claims to world domination and looked carnivorously at the rich eastern expanses, convincing the nation of his superiority over Slavic peoples. The Soviet Union could only prepare for the inevitable invasion. And the country was being prepared for the inevitability of war. Military maneuvers, training exercises civil defense, mass classes in Osoaviakhim - all this happened, and it seemed that if tomorrow there was a war, then we would win with little blood, with a mighty blow.

Soviet soldiers and officers had the opportunity to gain combat experience in 1937 during civil war in Spain, where they fought on the side of the republican government against the fascist regime of Franco. But local military conflicts did not give a clear picture of the strength of the Red Army. As a result Finnish war In 1940, it was possible to move the borders further from Leningrad, but this winter campaign can hardly be called victorious. The Finns fought desperately on their land and found vulnerabilities in the battle formations of the Red Army. The Red Army suffered heavy losses.

On May 1, 1941, a grandiose military parade took place on Red Square with the participation of hundreds of armored vehicles, including heavy tanks and long-range artillery. It seemed that no enemy could resist such power. All the more stunning was the disaster of June 22, when Germany suddenly, without declaring war, invaded the territory of the Soviet Union along its entire western borders. Carrying out the Barbarossa plan, German troops rapidly advanced inland, aiming attacking wedges at Leningrad, Kyiv, and Moscow.

In difficult times. Artist I. Penzov.
In June 1941, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, headed by Joseph Stalin, and the State Defense Committee were created.

On the Borodino field in 1941. Artist V. Molchanov.
Hitler considered the capture of the capital of the USSR as the main military goal of Operation Barbarossa, but Moscow did not repeat the fate of the European capitals captured by the Nazis. At the cost of huge losses of the Red Army in the battles near Smolensk, they managed to gain time to create new defensive lines. Moscow held out and on December 5, the Soviet command introduced strategic reserves and fresh divisions from Siberia. During the counteroffensive, the Germans were driven back 100-250 kilometers from Moscow. This first great victory in the Great Patriotic War was won under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov.

Diorama “Siege of Leningrad”. Artist E.A. Korneev
Having encountered fierce resistance from the defenders of Leningrad and having failed to take the city during the blitzkrieg, the German command changed tactics. On September 8, 1941, Leningrad found itself surrounded by a siege that lasted 872 days.

Artillery shelling and massive bombing destroyed food warehouses, and famine began in a city with a population of three million. With the onset of winter, the water supply and sewage systems froze, and the heating of houses stopped. In the winter of 1941, more than 4,000 residents of Leningrad died every day from hunger and cold.

Children's toys found at the bottom of Lake Ladoga.
Leningraders were evacuated across Lake Ladoga on barges, and in winter across the ice in GAZ-AA and ZIS-5 trucks. Trucks with food and fuel were heading to the besieged city. The Road of Life was covered from air raids by Soviet fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, but Luftwaffe aircraft continued to attack peaceful columns. Only on January 18, 1943, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts managed to break through the blockade ring, and Leningrad was completely liberated on January 27, 1944.

In the very first weeks of the war, a mass evacuation of industrial enterprises began, along with workers and engineers from front-line areas to the Urals, Siberia, Central Asia. Equipment that was not evacuated in time was subject to destruction. In 1941, 2,500 new plants and factories were built in the rear areas, urgently establishing the production of weapons and ammunition, and a year later the Soviet military industry surpassed the German one. Experienced workers who went to the front were replaced by apprentices and women who worked 12-14 hours at the machines.

On June 29, 1941, the Directive of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On organizing the fight in the rear of German troops” was issued: “In areas occupied by the enemy, create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight units of the enemy army, to incite guerrilla warfare everywhere and everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, set fire to warehouses, etc. In occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, disrupt all their activities...” In 1941-1944, 6,200 partisan detachments and formations operated in the occupied territory of the USSR.

The main tactical unit was a detachment, usually numbering several dozen people, and later up to 200 or more fighters. During the war, many detachments united into formations numbering from several hundred to several thousand people. Light weapons predominated in armament (machine guns, light machine guns, rifles, carbines, grenades), but many detachments and formations had mortars and heavy machine guns, and some had artillery.

The German army was rushing towards Stalingrad in the hope of capturing a large industrial city and cutting off vital water and land communications. July 17, 1942 began Battle of Stalingrad. It was impossible to retreat and Joseph Stalin turned to the Red Army with order No. 227 - “Not a step back!” High-explosive and incendiary bombs burned the city center to the ground, killing 90,000 people, but Stalingrad did not surrender, fighting continued on the city streets, and firing points were installed in buildings and on the territory of factories. Mamayev Kurgan and the railway station changed hands several times. The Stalingrad Tractor Plant continued to build tanks, which were immediately manned and went into battle. On November 19, 1942, the Red Army began its offensive under code name“Uranus” and a ring closed around the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht. In January 1943, the German troops caught in the “cauldron” were divided into two groups and liquidated, 20 German divisions surrendered. It was a great victory, which caused mourning in Germany and rejoicing in England, France, and the USA.

Diorama “Battle of Stalingrad. Uniting fronts." Artists M.I.Samsonov and A.M.Samsonov

Diorama "Battle of Kursk". Artist N.S.Prisekin
In the summer of 1943, the greatest in history took place near Kursk. tank battle with the participation of 6,000 combat vehicles. On July 5, 1943, the Wehrmacht command launched the offensive Operation Citadel using the new Panther and Tiger tanks. This operation did not come as a surprise to Headquarters - thanks to the actions of human intelligence, the plan was known two months before the start of the German offensive and Soviet artillery launched a powerful pre-emptive strike on enemy infantry and tanks. Manstein's tanks tried in vain to break into our defenses, and a week later the climax came: on July 12, up to 1,500 tanks fought in an oncoming battle near Prokhorovka. The Wehrmacht offensive stalled and the Soviet command launched several offensive operations in different directions. In honor of the liberation of Orel and Belgorod, on August 5, the first fireworks display during the war years was fired in Moscow.

On the very first day of the war, enemy aircraft bombed the naval bases of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. The sailors selflessly defended their bases in the Baltic, but in August 1941 they were forced to withdraw from Tallinn to Kronstadt. The Germans actually blocked the fairway, placing 21,000 mines and powerful mine-netted anti-submarine barriers in the Gulf of Finland. Submarines and torpedo boats went on missions, but suffered heavy losses. Under these conditions, Soviet naval artillery was installed on coastal batteries, and sailors fought on land. The Black Sea Fleet participated in the defense of Odessa (1941) and Sevastopol (1941-1942), and landing operations on the coast. During the war years, the Black Sea troops sank and damaged 508 enemy ships and vessels, the marines defended Odessa and Stalingrad, Novorossiysk and Kerch.

Pe-2 dive bombers. Artist A. Ananyev
On June 22, 1941, Luftwaffe bombers and attack aircraft destroyed 800 Soviet aircraft at airfields in a surprise attack and gained air superiority. But the Germans underestimated the skill and courage of the pilots, who took on an unequal battle on aircraft that were inferior in flight characteristics. Already in 1942, the USSR produced more aircraft than Germany. Ural factories sent new aircraft to the front, developed by aircraft designers Yakovlev, Lavochkin, and Ilyushin. The most popular aircraft in the Soviet Air Force during the Great Patriotic War were the Il-2 attack aircraft and the Yak-1 fighter. The heroes of the battle in the air were Ivan Kozhedub, who shot down 62 enemy aircraft, and Alexander Pokryshkin, who scored 59 victories.

Diorama "Forcing of the Dnieper". Artist V.K.Dmitrievsky
After the Battle of Kursk, the next task was the liberation of the industrial regions of Ukraine. On August 26, 1943, Soviet divisions launched an offensive along the entire 1,400-kilometer front, stretching from Smolensk to Sea of ​​Azov. The German armies fought their way back to the Dnieper, where the fortifications of the Eastern Wall were being built. The advanced rifle units of the Red Army crossed the river without delay, suffered heavy losses under enemy fire, but were able to gain a foothold on the right bank. The battles for the conquered bridgeheads continued throughout the fall, while Headquarters brought up reserves. The supply of German troops, on the contrary, was worsened by the “Rail War”, which was waged by partisan detachments that blew up enemy trains with ammunition and reinforcements. November 6, 1943 during the Kyiv offensive operation The capital of Ukraine was liberated.

In the summer of 1944, the offensive Operation Bagration, which was carefully planned and unexpected for the enemy, was carried out, Belarus and the Baltic states were liberated, the Red Army reached the pre-war borders of the USSR, and the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation began. On January 27, 1945, the Soviet Army liberated concentration camp Auschwitz (Auschwitz). Of the 7,000 death camps established by the Nazis, Auschwitz was the largest. It is not possible to establish the number of victims of mass executions - the Germans did not count people, but trains with prisoners arriving at the camp. At least one and a half million people were sent to gas chambers.

Second World War became the largest armed conflict in human history, in to varying degrees 62 states took part in the war. The main allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition were the USA and British Empire. Under the Lend-Lease program, the USSR supplied a large number of military equipment, cars, food, steel, explosives. On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed troops in Normandy and began the liberation of France, forcing Germany to fight on two fronts.

Diorama "Storm of Berlin". Artist V.M.Sibirsky
On April 25, 1945, a ring closed around Berlin. In preparation for the offensive of the Red Army, the Germans turned the capital of the Third Reich into a fortress with 400 reinforced concrete bunkers, firing points in residential buildings, and strong air defense. Soviet tanks on city streets became targets for faustpatrons - disposable dynamo-reactive grenade launchers. The Red Army advanced in assault groups consisting of a rifle company, several tanks and self-propelled guns, sappers and artillery. On April 30, the first floors of the German parliament building, the Reichstag, were taken, which was defended by a garrison of 5,000 SS troops. Early in the morning of May 1, Mikhail Egorov, Meliton Kantaria and Alexey Berest hoisted the assault flag of the 150th over the Reichstag rifle division, which later became the main symbol of Victory.

On the evening of May 8, the war ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany.

The standards of the German divisions - trophies of the Soviet Army - were delivered to Moscow and thrown at the foot of the Mausoleum during the historical Victory Parade on June 24, 1945.

Victory Day is a celebration of the victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 established by decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR on May 8, 1945 and is celebrated annually on May 9. Since 1965, the day became a non-working day, and then the tradition of holding military parades on Victory Day arose. In post-Soviet times, parades involving military equipment and aircraft resumed in 2008.

The most significant object of Moscow Victory Park is the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War

Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow- one of the few museums of this scale that reminds us and tells us in detail today about the horrors of long ago days gone by

The museum building is a cube topped with a huge dome with a 15-meter spire, in the seven round bases of which there are dioramas of the main pages of the Great Patriotic War. The uniqueness of the museum is given by the contrast of its different halls - thus, the Hall of Fame pays tribute to heroes and winners, while the Hall of Memory displays grief for the dead. The museum also has a cinema lecture hall for 200 and Big hall with 450 seats, as well as a large-scale military-historical exhibition. Adjacent to the museum art Gallery, at the ends of which there are “Messengers of Victory” blowing into gilded pipes

Hall of Generals

First, visitors enter the Hall of Generals, which houses a gallery of gentlemen of the highest military order "Victory"

The gentlemen of this order are immortalized in bronze busts by Zurab Tsereteli installed along the perimeter of the hall, above which are depicted the military orders of the Russian and Soviet Army

Directly in front of the Hall of Fame there is a composition “Shield and Sword of Victory”, within which a decorative shield, a sword (cast from the famous Zlatoust steel) and a scabbard, richly decorated with non-ferrous metals and Ural gems, are displayed in an illuminated display case.

Hall of Fame

In the main hall of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War - the Hall of Glory - the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union who distinguished themselves in this war are immortalized

The names of more than 11,800 Heroes of the USSR and Heroes of the Russian Federation are carved on the snow-white marble pylons of the hall

The central position in the Hall of Fame is occupied by the bronze “Soldier of Victory”, at the foot of which on a granite pedestal lies a sword made by Tula gunsmiths. The dome is decorated with bas-reliefs of hero cities and framed by a laurel wreath, symbolizing the triumph of Victory, and in the center of the dome is the Order of Victory itself.

Hall of Memory

The Hall of Remembrance was created to honor the memory of more than 26,600,000 of our compatriots who died or disappeared during the war. A white marble sculptural group "Sorrow" is installed in the center, and special lighting and musical accompaniment create the appropriate mood for visitors. On the sides there are lamps in the form of funeral candles, and the ceiling is decorated with pendants made of brass chains, to which “crystals” are attached, symbolizing tears cried for the dead

Military-historical composition "Path to Victory"

This exhibition features great amount things in one way or another connected with the Great Patriotic War: from weapons and equipment to photographs and front-line letters

Department "Book of Memory"

In 1995, the Museum of the Great Patriotic War was created eBook Memory, in addition to the one and a half thousand volumes of the All-Union Book of Memory already stored here by that time, which contains brief information about the fate of millions of soldiers. In 2005, the Museum's collection was replenished with volumes of the Book of Memory of Leningrad and the books "Soldiers of Victory", which list all participants of the Second World War

Thanks to the “Book of Memory” department, anyone can find out about the fates of most of the dead and missing

In Victory Park under open air a unique exhibition of military equipment and engineering and fortification structures was launched, which presented more than 300 samples of heavy equipment from all countries that took part in the war

Has ample opportunities for holding events various directions

In the two cinema and concert halls, which I have already mentioned, all kinds of concerts, conferences and other events are held

The Hall of Fame often hosts ceremonial receptions, and the Hall of Generals hosts performances of choirs, pop and dance groups

Dioramas

On display Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War six dioramas dedicated to the largest military operations of the Great Patriotic War are presented:

"The Battle of Stalingrad. Connection of Fronts"

Dedicated to the heroism of the people in the fight against the Nazi occupiers, it arose back in the 50s of the twentieth century. At that time, monuments to victorious heroes and dedicated to the theme of the bloody war already existed in almost every city, including Moscow, but in most cases they all reflected one or another local military events. Decree on the construction of a central memorial complex, which embodied the people's memory of the Great Patriotic War, was adopted in 1983. The Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 opened to the public in 1995. Since 2017 it has been called Victory Museum .

The museum has three main exhibition rooms - the Halls of Generals, Glory, Memory and Sorrow. Hall of Generals dedicated to the marshals and generals who led the fighting and developed plans for the battles that turned the tide of the war. There are bronze busts of prominent commanders and works of art, dedicated to the topic Victory.

IN Hall of Fame collected exhibits telling about unparalleled heroism ordinary people who defended their homeland. On its walls you can see the names of 11,800 Heroes of the Soviet Union. The aesthetic center of the exhibition is a sculptural image of a victorious soldier.

Hall of Memory and Sorrow reminds us that the war was a national tragedy that required considerable sacrifices. The hall's lamps are made in the shape of remembrance candles, and unceasing mourning music sounds under its arches.

The course of the largest battles of the bloodiest war in human history is clearly illustrated in six extensive dioramas. The “Path to Victory” collection contains relics of the war years - documents, letters, uniforms, weapons, posters, war newsreels. The museum presents an extensive exhibition military equipment, both domestic and trophy. Interestingly, one of the military aircraft, the U-2, is still capable of taking off.

An important part research work museum - Book of Memory. This is a unique martyrological reference book, created in accordance with the principle “No one is forgotten.” It included lists of names of soldiers and officers who took part in the battles for the liberation of their country, died or went missing. Here is the most collected full information about the fate of military units and military field hospitals, mass and individual graves of combatants. Currently, the Book of Memory has been translated into electronic format. For information and historical information Both organizations and individuals can contact the historical department of the museum about war participants.

The museum hosts numerous events of an informational and patriotic nature - excursions, theme evenings, lectures, educational games and quizzes for children.

Victory Museum (Moscow, Russia) - exhibitions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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Once upon a time, between the Setun and Filka rivers, far outside the city, travelers stopped to look at the panorama of Moscow from the height of a hill and bow to it. Later this place became known as Poklonnaya Gora. It was here in 1812 that “Napoleon, intoxicated with his last happiness, waited in vain for Moscow on its knees.”

The project for the memorial on Poklonnaya Hill was created back in 1942, but then, according to known reasons, it was impossible to implement. It was opened only on May 5, 1995, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory over fascism. On Pobediteley Square, to which the central alley leads, is the Victory Museum.

Until the summer of 2017, it bore a different name: the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War.

Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War

What to see

The museum's exhibition is divided into four halls. In the Hall of Generals, which opens the museum's exhibition, the names of the highest command personnel, holders of the Order of Victory are immortalized. Zhukov, Konev, Malinovsky, Montgomery are only part of the galaxy of famous commanders who “welcome” the museum’s guests.

In the Hall of Fame, the names of 11,800 Heroes of the Soviet Union are immortalized on white marble slabs. In the center of the hall there is a bronze sculpture of the “Soldier of Victory”, above which the “Order of Victory” shines.

Subdued light, strings of beads descending from the ceiling like tears, sculptural composition“Sorrow” is the Hall of Memory and Sorrow. Mozart's "Requiem" completes its atmosphere.