Compare the statue of liberty motherland. Statue of Liberty vs Motherland Calls

I sincerely hope that those who do not need this article, especially those under 30, are in the majority. I hope, but I don't really believe. But even if so, I publish it anyway for this minority. There is no such thing as too much patriotism.

So let's go:

If you ask the average resident of any country a question about the tallest statues in the world, he will most likely remember statues of Buddha carved from rocks, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio - well, the one from the series; perhaps someone will remember the Kolos of Rhodes - he, probably, was huge, why not remember ... And, perhaps, that's all. In Russia, the older generation will still remember Mamaev Kurgan, but not everyone will probably remember the Kyiv Motherland, at least in the context of the largest in the world. Where is ours to theirs, to the Western (with aspiration). Vaughn, Christ the Redeemer in 2007 was recognized as one of the seven New Wonders of the World, the Statue of Liberty in the finalists of contenders for this honorary title, And ours are not even close there. The Kremlin just got into the finalists of the applicants.

The Statue of Liberty. NY. Who has not dreamed of visiting Liberty Island or at least taking that famous free ferry and sailing right next to Liberty Island an infinite number of times. Yes, dreams...

We know everything about her. We know that its full name is "Freedom Enlightening the World", when and who created it, when and where they put up a separate hand with a torch, by what date the entire statue was donated and by whom. We even know that we were 10 years late with her. Without exaggeration, the Statue of Liberty can be called the most famous statue in the world, and our man is no exception here. He knows more about this overseas beauty than about his relatives.

What a huge one - look at the little people at the base of the statue - they are practically invisible, unless you specifically look closely. She stands on broken chains, holding a torch and a tablet with the date July 4, 1776 in her hands. Visitors walk 356 steps to the crown of the Statue of Liberty or 192 steps to the top of the pedestal. There are 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize earthly gems and heavenly rays that illuminate the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (the western geographical tradition has exactly seven continents). She is not just a symbol of the United States, she is a symbol of the global scale. But, in my opinion, today it is a symbol of the ending world order, and a monument on the grave of freedom, which, in fact, never existed.

But back to the facts. So.

Most of our compatriots do not even think that our statues will be more massive than Western ones. Moreover, after such propaganda pictures that hundreds of people walk around the net, we don’t even have the thought to doubt it.

What a huge statue of Christ the Redeemer hugging. And in the last picture - the Statue of Liberty looks even larger than the statue of the Kyiv Motherland, which even here is 9 meters higher.

Is that so? In the next photo we will see the actual size of the Statue of Liberty in New York in comparison with the figure in Volgograd and the very hugging statue in Rio, we see that this Christ, if he could hug anyone, would definitely not be our girls. With his size, he could only hug the monuments to Lenin fleeing from Ukraine.

And in the next photo we will see the actual dimensions of the statues without pedestals. Except for the New Wonder of the World - the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which, apparently, had to leave a pedestal so that it would not be the smallest in the photo. After all, even with a pedestal, it is only 38 meters in height. The facial expressions of Vladimir Ilyich in this photo, of course, are hard to see, but it seems to me that he is grinning.

Now someone, of course, will say that our statues still do not reach the huge Buddhist ones. It's hard to argue here, because the numbers speak for themselves. But I, with your permission, allow myself to argue with the level of complexity of the construction of these sculptures. So, the Motherland Calling sculpture is the ONLY DYNAMIC statue of this size in the WORLD! ! ! I emphasize - the only one!!!

The statue by sculptor Vuchetich and engineer Nikitin is made of 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures. The height of the monument is 86 meters, the height of the sculpture itself is 53 meters. At the same time, the thickness of the walls of the sculpture is no more than 30 centimeters. The sword in the hand of the Motherland weighs 14 tons and has a length of 33 meters. It is said that a car fits freely in the palm of the statue. In 2008, the statue of the Motherland on Mamaev Kurgan was recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of Russia.

In 1972, restorers replaced the sword in the statue's hand with a lighter one made of stainless steel. They also made holes in it to reduce the pressure of the wind. The old sword was made of titanium and rattled in the wind. In the mid-sixties, when the monument was opened, it was the most tall monument on the planet. The Statue of Liberty has never been anything "most", except perhaps the most recognizable in the world.

On the this moment the statue is one of the ten tallest statues in the world. Motherland is threatened with collapse due to groundwater. Experts say that if the slope of the statue increases by another 300 mm, it could collapse due to any, even the most insignificant reason.

A 70-year-old pensioner Valentina Ivanovna Izotova lives in Volgograd, with whom the sculpture "The Motherland Calls" was sculpted 40 years ago. Valentina Ivanovna is a modest person, she worked at that time as a waitress in the Volgograd restaurant. For more than 40 years, she was silent about the fact that, as a model, she posed for sculptors who sculpted perhaps the most famous sculpture in Russia - the Motherland. She was silent, because in Soviet times it was, to put it mildly, indecent to talk about the profession of a model, especially for a married woman raising two daughters. Now Valya Izotova is already a grandmother and willingly talks about that distant episode in her youth, which has now become perhaps the most significant event of her whole life.

I thought for a long time, - recalls Izotova, - the times were strict then, and my husband forbade it. But then the husband relented, and I gave the guys my consent. Who in his youth did not embark on various adventures?

The adventure turned into serious work that lasted two years. Vuchetich himself claimed Valentina's candidacy for the role of the Motherland. He, having listened to the arguments of his colleagues in favor of a simple Volgograd waitress, nodded his head in the affirmative, and it began. Posing turned out to be a very difficult task. Standing for several hours a day with outstretched arms and forward left foot was tiring. According to the plan of the sculptors, a sword was supposed to be in the right hand, but in order not to tire Valentina too much, they put a long stick in her palm. At the same time, she had to give her face an inspired expression calling for feats.

The guys insisted: "Valya, you must call people after you. You are the Motherland!" And I called, for which I was paid 3 rubles per hour. Imagine what it's like to stand with your mouth open for hours.

Was during work and one juicy moment. The sculptors insisted that Valentina, as befits a model, pose naked, but Izotova resisted. Suddenly the husband comes. At first they agreed on a separate swimsuit. True, then the upper part of the swimsuit had to be removed. Breasts should come out as natural. By the way, there was no tunic on the model. It was only later that Vuchetich himself threw a fluttering robe over Rodina. Our heroine saw the finished monument a few days after its official opening. It was interesting to look at myself from the outside: the face, hands, legs - everything is native, only made of stone and 52 meters tall. More than 40 years have passed since then. Valentina Izotova is alive and well and is proud that a monument was erected to her during her lifetime. For a long life.

So, the height of the female figure of the sculpture Motherland Calls! 52 m, the height of the Statue of Liberty is 46 m. ​​And this is before the torch. That is, the figure itself is no more than 40 meters.

And the last. Purpose.

The Statue of Liberty is known throughout the world and many, as I already wrote, dream of seeing it in reality. Seeing, at least, people feel a certain emptiness - that's all? is this the "great statue"? and, at most, feel disappointed. There is no soul there. Perhaps Americans are feeling a rush of patriotism under or in this statue, but our man most certainly does not feel anything of the sort.

And the diametrically opposite can be said about our native statue. She has the opposite effect. The calling Motherland has an amazing property of psychological impact on everyone who sees her. There are so many feelings that no one can ignore them. After the first meeting with the appearance of their homeland, people walk under the impression for a long time. How the author managed to achieve this, one can only guess.

I think it's in our blood. Let's check?

No matter how much you turn on the song Khasbulat Udaloy (US anthem), the impact of the Freedom Monument on a person does not increase.

But, I’ll quietly turn on our patriotic little letters for you, and in your head how Babakhnet is now for everyone who is a real patriot in his spirit !!!

wake up big country

stand up for the death fight. . .

Sculpture "Motherland is calling!" - the compositional center of the monument-ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd. One of the tallest statues in the world.

A huge hill rises above the Square of Sorrow, which is crowned by the main monument - the Motherland. This is a mound about 14 meters high, in which the remains of 34,505 soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad - are buried. A serpentine path leads to the top of the hill to the Motherland, along which there are 35 granite tombstones of Heroes Soviet Union, participants of the Battle of Stalingrad. From the foot of the mound to its top, the serpentine consists of exactly 200 granite steps 15 cm high and 35 cm wide - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Mamaev Kurgan in the winter of 1945. In the foreground is a broken German cannon RaK 40.

The end point of the path is a monument "Motherland is calling!", the compositional center of the ensemble, highest point barrow. Its dimensions are huge - the height of the figure is 52 meters, and the total height of the Motherland - 85 meters(along with the sword). For comparison, the height of the famous Statue of Liberty without a pedestal is only 45 meters. At the time of construction, Motherland was the tallest statue in the country and in the world. Later, the Kyiv Motherland, 102 meters high, appeared. Today, the tallest statue in the world is the 120-meter Buddha statue, built in 1995 and located in Japan, in the city of Chuchura. The total weight of the Motherland is 8 thousand tons. In her right hand she holds a steel sword, which is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons. Compared to the height of a person, the sculpture is enlarged 30 times. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the Motherland is only 25-30 centimeters. It was cast layer by layer using a special formwork made of gypsum materials. Inside, the rigidity of the frame is maintained by a system of more than a hundred cables. The monument is not fastened to the foundation, it is held by gravity. Motherland stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. To enhance the effect of the location of the monument at the highest point of the mound, an artificial embankment 14 meters high was made.

Stalingrad, Mamaev Kurgan. In the foreground, the Renault UE Chenillette is a light French armored personnel carrier that was in service with the Wehrmacht.

As soon as the cannonade died down in Stalingrad, the grateful country began to think about what a monument to the creators of this great victory should be like. Drawings and sketches were sent not only by professionals, but also by people of completely different professions. Some sent them to the Academy of Arts, others to the State Defense Committee, someone personally to Comrade Stalin. Moreover, everyone saw the future monument as grandiose, unprecedented in size, to match the significance of the victory itself.

The all-Union competition was announced immediately after the war. All prominent Soviet architects and architects participated. The results were summed up ten years later. Although few doubted that the Stalin Prize winner Yevgeny Vuchetich would win. By that time, he had already created a memorial in Treptow Park in Berlin and enjoyed the trust of the first persons of the state. On January 23, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to start the construction of a monument-ensemble on Mamaev Kurgan. In May 1959, construction began to boil.

In his work, Vuchetich turned to the theme of the sword three times - the Motherland-Mother raises the sword on Mamaev Kurgan, calling for the expulsion of the conquerors; sword cuts the fascist swastika Warrior-winner in Berlin's Treptow Park; the sword is forged for a plow by a worker in the composition “Let's Forge Swords into Plowshares”, expressing the desire of people good will to fight for disarmament in the name of the triumph of peace on the planet. This sculpture was donated by Vuchetech to the United Nations and was installed in front of the headquarters in New York, and a copy of it - to the Volgograd gas equipment plant, in the shops of which the Motherland was born). This sword was born in Magnitogorsk (during the war years, every third shell and every second tank was made of Magnitogorsk metal), where the monument to the Rear Front was erected.

During the construction of the monument motherland many changes were made to the already finished project. Few people know that initially, at the top of Mamayev Kurgan, a sculpture of the Motherland with a red banner and a kneeling fighter was supposed to stand on a pedestal (according to some versions, Ernst Neizvestny was the author of this project). According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to the monument. But later Vuchetich changed the main idea of ​​the monument. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the country had more than 2 years of bloody battles ahead of it, and the Victory was still far away. Vuchetich left the Motherland alone, now she called her sons to begin the victorious expulsion of the enemy.

He also removed the pompous pedestal of the Motherland, which practically repeated the one on which his victorious Soldier stands in Treptow Park. Instead of monumental stairs (which, by the way, had already been built), a serpentine path appeared near the Motherland. The Motherland itself "grew up" relative to its original size - its height reached 36 meters. But this option did not become final. Soon after the completion of work on the foundation of the main monument, Vuchetich (on the instructions of Khrushchev) increases the size of the Motherland to 52 meters. Because of this, the builders had to urgently “load” the foundation, for which 150 thousand tons of earth were laid in the embankment.

In the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow, at the dacha of Vuchetich, where his workshop was located and today - the house-museum of the architect - you can see working sketches: a reduced model of the Motherland, as well as a full-size model of the head of the statue.

In a sharp, impetuous impulse, a woman stood up on the barrow. With a sword in her hands, she calls on her sons to stand up for the Fatherland. Her right leg is slightly laid back, her torso and head are vigorously turned to the left. The face is stern and strong-willed. Shifted eyebrows, a wide-open, screaming mouth, short hair swollen with gusts of wind, strong arms, a long dress fitting the shape of the body, the ends of a scarf inflated by gusts of wind - all this creates a feeling of strength, expression and an irresistible desire to move forward. Against the background of the sky, it is like a bird soaring in the sky.

The sculpture of the Motherland looks great from all sides at any time of the year: in the summer, when the mound is covered with a solid grass carpet, and in the winter evening - bright, illuminated by the beams of spotlights. The majestic statue, speaking against the background of a dark blue sky, seems to grow out of the mound, merging with its snow cover.

The work of the sculptor E. V. Vuchetich and the engineer N. V. Nikitin is a multi-meter figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling its sons to fight the enemy. In the artistic sense, the statue is a modern interpretation of the image of the ancient goddess of victory, Nike, who calls on her sons and daughters to repel the enemy and continue the offensive.

The construction of the monument began in May 1959 and was completed on October 15, 1967. The sculpture at the time of creation was the tallest sculpture in the world. Restoration work on the Main Monument of the monument-ensemble was carried out twice: in 1972 and 1986, in particular, in 1972 the sword was replaced.

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

Valentina Izotova, 68, was the model for the famous Russian Motherland memorial. For almost 40 years, she did not say that she participated in its creation.

Could I refuse when the sculptors asked me to pose for a statue in memory of the huge losses suffered by the Red Army in Stalingrad? But I was horrified when they said that I should pose naked.

It was the early 1960s, and decent women would not undress in front of anyone but their husbands. Artists, even such respected and famous ones as Lev Maistrenko, who worked on the memorial, meant nothing to a 26-year-old woman.

It was Leo who contacted me. I worked as a waitress in the city's main restaurant "Volgograd" - it is still there - and usually served the hall reserved for high-ranking party functionaries and delegations. Leo said that I was beautiful and embody all the physical and moral qualities of an ideal Soviet woman. Of course, I was flattered, how else?

Curiosity got the better of me and I agreed to pose. None of us had any idea how famous Motherland would become. Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) is as famous for this sculpture as it is for the battle that took place here.

My husband did not like that I would pose for a group of artists sent from Moscow. He was terribly jealous and took me to every session at the studio they set up in the old gas apparatus factory.

After a while, it became the same job as any other, I hardly thought about standing in a bathing suit, and I was glad that I was paid three rubles a day, because then it was a decent amount. But only six months later, I finally succumbed to the persuasion of the sculptors to take off my bra and expose my chest. But that was it. I was unshakable in my determination to keep my modesty and not to pose completely naked. It was unthinkable.

No one except relatives and closest friends knew about it. Shortly after the sessions were over, I went to get my first higher education: I have two diplomas - an economist and an engineer. Then I left Volgograd and began to live and work in Norilsk.

After the opening of the memorial in 1967, I thought little about it and lived my life.

In October 2010, work began to secure the statue.

The sculpture is made from blocks of prestressed reinforced concrete - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures (without 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. The height of the female figure is 52 meters (weight - over 8 thousand 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 of the sculpture is only 25-30 centimeters. Inside, the entire statue is made up of individual cell cells, like rooms in a building. The rigidity of the frame is supported by ninety-nine metal cables that are constantly in tension.

The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally made of stainless steel sheathed with titanium sheets. The huge mass and high windage of the sword, due to its colossal size, caused a strong swaying of the sword when exposed to wind loads, which led to excessive mechanical stress at the point of attachment of the hand holding the sword to the body of the sculpture. Deformations in the sword's structure also caused the sheets of titanium plating to move, creating an unpleasant sound of rattling metal. Therefore, in 1972, the blade was replaced with another one - entirely consisting of fluorinated steel - and holes were provided in the upper part of the sword, which made it possible to reduce its windage. The reinforced concrete structure of the sculpture was strengthened in 1986 on the recommendation of the NIIZhB expert group led by R.L. Serykh.

There are very few similar sculptures in the world, for example, the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the "Motherland" in Kyiv, the monument to Peter I in Moscow. For comparison, the height of the Statue of Liberty from the pedestal is 46 meters.

The most complex calculations of the stability of this structure were made by N. V. Nikitin, Doctor of Technical Sciences, the author of the calculation of the stability of the Ostankino television tower. At night, the statue is illuminated by spotlights.

“The horizontal displacement of the upper part of the 85-meter monument is currently 211 millimeters, or 75% of the allowable calculations. Deviations have been going on since 1966. If from 1966 to 1970 the deviation was 102 millimeters, then from 1970 to 1986 - 60 millimeters, until 1999 - 33 millimeters, from 2000-2008 - 16 millimeters, "said the director of the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve" Battle of Stalingrad "" Alexander Velichkin.

Interesting Facts

• The sculpture "Motherland" is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture-statue in the world at that time. Its height is 52 meters, the length of the arm is 20 and the sword is 33 meters. The total height of the sculpture is 85 meters. The weight of the sculpture is 8 thousand tons, and the sword is 14 tons (for comparison: the Statue of Liberty in New York is 46 meters high; the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters). At the moment, the statue takes 11th place in the list of the tallest statues in the world.
• Vuchetich told Andrei Sakharov: “The authorities ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland ... your mother! - shut up.
• There is a legend according to which, shortly after creation, a man was lost in the sculpture; no one saw him after that. But that's just a legend
• The silhouette of the sculpture "Motherland" was taken as the basis for the development of the emblem and flag of the Volgograd region

In the course of construction, Vuchetich made changes to the project more than once. little known fact: at first, the main monument of the ensemble had to look completely different. At the top of the mound, the author wanted to put a sculpture of the "Motherland" with a red banner and a kneeling fighter. According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to it. They were built when Vuchetich went to Khrushchev, the then leader of the country, and convinced him that it would be better if people began to climb the serpentine path to the top.

But these are far from all the changes that the master made to the already finished project. Valentina Klyushina, who for many years was the deputy director of the memorial, told me how it all happened. During the years of the creation of the complex, she worked in the Volgograd City Executive Committee and oversaw the construction.

- "Motherland" Vuchetich decided to leave one. He also removed the pompous pedestal, practically repeating the one on which stands his Victorious Soldier in Treptow Park. The main figure has become taller - 36 meters. But this option did not last long. As soon as the builders had time to make the foundation, the author increased the size of the sculpture. Up to 52 meters! In the competition of superpowers, it was necessary that the main monument of the USSR was higher than the American Statue of Liberty. I had to urgently “load” the foundation so that it could withstand an 85-meter (together with a sword) sculpture weighing 8,000 tons. 150 thousand tons of earth were then laid in the embankment. And since the deadlines were running out, a military battalion was allocated to help the brigades.

The discrepancy came out with the current Hall of Military Glory. It was supposed to install a panorama canvas there. As soon as the "box" of the building was built, Vuchetich decides that the panorama should be placed separately. Which they then did. And in the finished building along the perimeter of the walls there are mosaic banners with the names of the fallen defenders of the city. The author also quickly passed this question through the Central Committee of the CPSU.

With these same banners, too, there was embarrassment. Here is what Klyushina said:

Masters from Leningrad worked with mosaics. Artistic glass was supplied from the Ukrainian city of Lisichansk. Mosaic workers laid out the interior as material arrived. When everything was ready and the scaffolding was removed, everyone gasped. The tones on the wall were so different that it looked like a chessboard. The deadline for the project was approaching. And Vuchetich had no choice but to call "upstairs." This time to Brezhnev. He immediately dialed the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Shelest, and explained the task to him. In a word, a few days later the cars delivered new glass to Volgograd.

Now imagine: it's June, four months are left before the opening of the memorial. And we need to restore the scaffolding again, prepare and lay more than a thousand square meters of multi-colored glass pieces. The legendary commander of the 62nd Army, Vasily Chuikov, was very helpful here. By the way, he was Vuchetich's chief consultant for the project. 500 soldiers were seconded to the construction headquarters. The fighters worked in Stakhanov style. Three weeks later, the interior of the hall took on its intended form.

But these are not all the difficulties faced by the creators of the complex. On one of the spring days of the same 1967, a critical situation arose with a 33-meter sword.

…Normally, Chief Engineer"Volgogradgidrostroy" Yuri Abramov went to work at the headquarters in the morning. On the way, he came across a flock of boys arguing ... why is the sword swinging so strongly in the hand of the “Motherland”? Abramov raised his head and was horrified. They immediately carried out an operational operation, and the very next day a special commission arrived from Moscow. It soon became clear that the designers did not take into account the data of long-term observations of the wind rose. So it turned out that the sword was turned flat in relation to the wind. I urgently had to make several holes in it so that it could be blown freely. In addition, the commission generally recommended replacing the heavy titanium sword with a lighter steel one.

At the very end of the construction, 50 powerful spotlights were required to illuminate the sculpture. They couldn't get them anywhere. The country at that time was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - and everything that was produced went to Moscow and Leningrad according to the orders. Klyushina was sent to the capital to the chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee Promyslov. He said that Moscow could not help. And advised to go to the manufacturer. And Klyushina rushed to the city of Gusev, which in Kaliningrad region. The director of Elektromash also only shrugged at the request. Then he thought about it and suggested that Valentina speak on the factory radio to the workers and ask them to work in excess of the norm. They organized two additional shifts and the Saira searchlights went to Volgograd. On October 15, 1967, the monument-ensemble was inaugurated.

Construction continued for eight years and five months. The memorial stands for another forty years. He always looked decent. Even when everything in the country collapsed and fell into disrepair, the grass was neatly cut on the mound. But only the people working here know what this order is worth. And how you have to beat out money from the authorities of all ranks in order to patch and repair a huge unique economy.

Someone inadvertently said that, they say, the "Motherland" was tilted so much that it could soon fall. This is nonsense. “Any structure of this type,” says the director of the memorial, retired general Vladimir Berlov, “can lean. This is even provided by the designers. Say, the design of our monument is designed for a deviation of 272 millimeters. The figure, - continues Berlov, - is constantly examined for the formation of cracks, roughness, its position is analyzed. And the analysis of concrete chips, carried out in a German laboratory, showed the excellent condition of the structure and the presence of the necessary margin of safety. From the inside, it is supported by 99 tension ropes. Believe me, says the director, this system will never allow the monument to tilt to a critical level.

You can take a walk with Sergei Doli inside the monument

And here is a walk with Artemy Lebedev

At the end of June 1941, perhaps the main graphic work of the Great Patriotic War, which later became part of all history textbooks, was released - Irakli Toidze's poster “The Motherland Calls”. By the artist's own admission, the idea of ​​creating a collective image of a mother calling for help from her sons came to his mind quite by accident. Hearing the first message from the Soviet Information Bureau about the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR, Toidze's wife ran into his studio shouting "War!" Struck by the expression on her face, the artist ordered his wife to freeze and immediately began to sketch the future masterpiece. In the future, the very concept of "Motherland" became almost the cornerstone of all Soviet propaganda, embodied in countless imitations and migrated to related areas of fine art, including monumental art.

The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

“15 years of search and doubt, sadness and joy, rejected and found solutions. What did we want to tell people with this monument on the historical Mamaev Kurgan, on the site of bloody battles and immortal deeds? We tried to convey, first of all, the indestructible morale of Soviet soldiers, from selfless devotion to the Motherland, ”the great Soviet sculptor said at the opening of the memorial. Evgeny Vuchetich.

Before the construction of the memorial, the top of the mound was a place located 200 meters from the current peak. Now it houses the Church of All Saints. The current peak was artificially formed to build a monument.

During the design phase, Vuchetich constantly made changes. Initially, the project assumed the presence of two figures (a woman and a kneeling soldier), and in her hand the Motherland was supposed to hold not a sword, but a red banner. But it was abandoned, as well as the magnificently decorated pedestal. The monumental staircases that had already been built were replaced with a serpentine path, which, like a ribbon, encircles the statue. The dimensions have also changed - the Motherland has grown from 36 meters to 52. Although the sculptor's intention has nothing to do with it, Nikita Khrushchev simply stated in an ultimatum that it must certainly be taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Mamaev Kurgan, on which the monument is located, has always been strategic object, with a panorama of the city. Of the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad, the struggle for Mamaev Kurgan lasted 135 days. It remained black even in the snowy season: the snow here quickly melted from the explosion of bombs. For every square meter, there were from 500 to 1250 bullets and shrapnel. In the first post-war spring, Mamaev Kurgan did not turn green, even grass did not grow on the burnt earth.

According to the most conservative estimates, about 35 thousand people are buried on Mamaev Kurgan. On the site of this huge mass grave, the main monument of Russia was erected.

Motherland is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture-statue in the world at that time. Its total height is 85 meters, weight - 8 thousand tons. The most complex calculations of the stability of this structure were made by Doctor of Technical Sciences Nikolai Nikitin (he also participated in the design of Moscow State University and the Ostankino Tower). At the moment, the statue takes 11th place in the list of the tallest statues in the world. The tallest sculpture was built in 2008. This is a Buddha statue in the Chinese province of Henan, its height, together with the pedestal, is 153 meters.

The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally made of stainless steel sheathed with titanium sheets. But the sheets of titanium cladding rattled in the wind, and additionally loaded the arm. As a result, the blade was replaced with another - entirely consisting of fluorinated steel.

During the construction of the monument, a stable supply of concrete was necessary, otherwise the seams between the layers could not be strong enough. Trucks delivering concrete for the construction of the monument were marked with ribbons of a certain color. Drivers were allowed to pass "on red", traffic police officers were forbidden to stop them.

From the foot to the upper platform leads 200 degrees, according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad. Inside the statue itself, there also had to be 200 degrees. But due to overflights, their number increased to 203.

Entry inside for outsiders is strictly prohibited, which is why it has become overgrown with rumors and riddles. Many people think that the mouth is viewpoint, and closer to the ear is a restaurant for VIPs. However, it is not. According to another legend, shortly after creation, a man was lost in the sculpture, after which no one saw him.

At the monument on Mamaev Kurgan - a fighter with a machine gun and a grenade and the inscription on the pedestal "Stand to the death!" face of Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. He was the memorial's chief military consultant. According to the will of the commander of the 62nd Army, he was buried on Mamaev Kurgan.

According to the memoirs of a Soviet physicist, academician Andrei Sakharov, Evgeny Vuchetich, the author of the memorial ensemble to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad on Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd, shared with him in a private conversation: “The authorities ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland ... your mother!

The monument is the second part of the triptych, which also consists of the monuments "Rear to Front" in Magnitogorsk and "Warrior-Liberator" in Treptow Park in Berlin. It is understood that the sword, forged on the banks of the Urals, was then raised by the Motherland in Stalingrad and lowered after the Victory in Berlin.

The silhouette of the sculpture "Motherland" was taken as the basis for the development of the emblem and flag of the Volgograd region.

On May 9, 2045, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, a capsule with an appeal to the descendants of the participants in the war should be opened on Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd.

There is another Motherland - in Kyiv, this is also the creation of Vuchetich. It stands on the right bank of the Dnieper. She is 23 meters smaller than her comrade-in-arms, but she stands on a huge pedestal, inside of which there is a museum. Due to this, the overall height is higher.

In Moscow there is a copy of the head of the Volgograd Motherland. She hides behind the fence of Vuchetich's workshop on Vuchetich Street, and no one is allowed to look at her, but since the head is hefty and the fence is small, the head and her colleagues can be seen pretty well from behind the fence.

Perhaps the biggest mystery is who the Motherland was molded from, there are enough contenders. 79-year-old resident of Barnaul Anastasia Peshkova on the eve of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory at Stalingrad announced that she became the prototype of the famous sculpture of Vuchetich. In 2003, Valentina Izotova made the same statement. She worked as a waitress at the Volgograd restaurant and claimed that Vuchetich himself invited her to work as a model. “I was paid 3 rubles an hour. There is a lot of me in it - the neck, broken arms, legs, hips - everything is mine! Izotova said. Another contender is Ekaterina Grebneva, an artistic gymnast, and now a retired honored teacher. She also posed for Vuchetich, but she does not claim to be unique: “This is a collective image. I think I'm not the only one who posed for the sculptors."

However, the former deputy director of the monument-ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" Valentina Klyushina calls all the applicants impostors: “Evgeny Viktorovich made the figure from Nina Dumbadze, the famous disco ball. She posed for him in Moscow, in his workshop. But for the face of the sculpture, Evgeny Viktorovich does not go far He created it with his wife - Vera Nikolaevna. And sometimes affectionately called the sculpture after his wife - Vera. "

Made of prestressed concrete - 5500 tons of concrete and 2400 tons of metal structures (without the base on which it stands).

The total height of the monument is 87 meters. It is installed on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, most of which is hidden underground.

The height of the female figure is 52 meters (weight - over 8 thousand tons). The statue stands The statue stands freely on the slab, like a chess piece on a board. Inside, the entire statue consists of separate chamber cells. The rigidity of the frame is supported by 99 metal cables that are constantly in tension.

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The sculpture "The Motherland Calls!" is 45 years old. Andrey MIREYKO

You can safely call it art of the highest level, literally and figuratively. Since ancient times, statues have been a way for people to show their devotion to religion or leave the memory of a significant historical figure. Obviously, the bigger the statue, the greater its grandeur, so here are the top 10 tallest statues in the world. Perhaps you have already visited the places listed below and the sculptures made an indelible impression on you, share your experience.

For example, I was, of course, in Moscow and saw the Monument to Peter the Great, and also in New York I took pictures with the Statue of Liberty, I plan to visit Rio de Janeiro and climb to the Statue of Christ the Redeemer.

10. Statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms is located on the top of Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, is a symbol of the city and Brazil as a whole. The height of one of the famous statues in the world is 38 m.

9. monument-sculpture "Motherland", located in Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper, rises 62 meters into the sky and is 102 meters along with the pedestal.

8. Statue "Motherland is calling!", standing in the Russian city of Volgograd, is dedicated to the "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad". The total height of the monument is 85 m. The statue is an image of the Motherland calling its sons to fight the enemy.

7. Statue of Liberty(illuminating the world) - perhaps the most famous sculpture in the world, often called the symbol of the United States. The copper statue is located on Liberty Island in New York, its height is 93 m including the base.

6. Sculptural Monument to Peter I in Moscow. The monument, 98 m high, made of bronze and stainless steel, is installed on an artificial island at the confluence of the Moscow River and the Obvodny Canal. The monument was designed by Georgian architect Zurab Tsereteli and there is an unofficial opinion that the sculpture was originally dedicated to Christopher Columbus, but after being rejected by the US government, it was sold to Russia as a representation of Peter the Great.

5. Buddha statue - Sendai Dai Kannon located in the Japanese city of Sendai. It is the sixth tallest statue in the world at 100m and has an elevator for tourists to climb to the top of the statue and enjoy the breathtaking view.

4. Sculptures the first two emperors China Jan and Juan are located in Zhengzhou city in China. The height of the sculptures is 106 m, which is the fifth tallest statue in the world.

3. Statue of Goddess Guanyin in Sanya 108 m high is located on Hainan Island in China. The statue has three faces, one of which faces the mainland of China, and the other two face the South China Sea, blessing China.

2. Bronze buddha statue Ushiku Daibutsu installed in Japan in the city of Ushiku. Its height, together with the platform and the pedestal in the form of a lotus flower, is 120 m. Tourists who want to admire the surroundings can take the elevator to observation platform at a height of 85 meters.

- this is the most big statue in the world, made of copper. Located in Henan province in China. Its height is 128 m, including the pedestal, but if we also take into account the hill on which the statue is located, then the height will be 208 m.

Its height is 182 meters.

In India, on the island of Sadhu Bet in the state of Gujarat, the tallest statue in the world - the Statue of Unity.

Its height is 182 m and it is higher than the statue of Christ in Brazil (38 m), the statue of Liberty in the USA (93 m) and the "Motherland" in Kyiv (102 m).

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The sculpture was installed in honor of one of the creators of the modern Indian state, Vallabhai Patel. After India gained independence in 1947, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. Patel is also the author of the Indian constitution and has made great efforts to keep India within its borders and prevent the country from breaking up into smaller states.

For services to India, Vallabhai Patel was given the honorary title of Sardar, which means chief or leader in many Indian languages.

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The sculpture of Vallabhai Patel consists of a 40-meter plinth and a 142-meter statue. An observation deck is installed at the level of 153 meters, which can simultaneously accommodate up to 200 people. The cost of building the statue is $430 million.

Video From Rio with love. Statue of Christ the Savior painted in Ukrainian colors

Statue of Christ the Savior - in Ukrainian colors. In Rio de Janeiro famous sculpture glowed blue-yellow. In the colors of the Ukrainian flag, the Brazilians illuminated it especially for the Independence Day of our state. They've been doing this for 5 years now. Moreover, they say, in the Ukrainian diaspora the holiday is a double one of these days. After all, they also celebrate the Day of the Ukrainian community.