Motherland in comparison with other monuments. Mother Motherland statue in Volgograd

Volgograd, May 8 - AiF-Volgograd. Phidias, Praxitel, Rodin - these names are known to the whole world. Thanks to the skilled turtle, the name of the sculptor Donatello is heard. But our history also had its own sculptors who received universal recognition. So, in Volgograd, for example, there are works by Vera Mukhina (on the dome of the Planetarium) and Yevgeny Vuchetich (Mamayev Kurgan and the statue of Lenin (until 1960 - Stalin) on the Fadeev embankment).

We are the envy of all bourgeois ...

By the way, Vuchetich is the author of two statues of the Motherland at once. The central figure of the memorial on Mamayev Kurgan is perhaps the pinnacle (in all respects) of the famous sculptor's work. Here the gigantism of Vuchetich's thinking fully showed itself.

“What did we want to say to people with this monument on, on the site of bloody battles and immortal deeds? - he said after the end of construction architectural ensemble... - We tried to convey, first of all, the indestructible moral spirit of Soviet soldiers, their selfless devotion to the Motherland. The monument to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad is a monument to the greatest historical event. And that is why we were looking for large-scale, especially monumental solutions and forms that, in our opinion, would most fully convey the scope of mass heroism. "

However, the size of the complex is determined not only by the author's vision, but also by Khrushchev's direct instruction: the Motherland should be higher than the American Statue of Liberty. Higher means higher. Business ...

Sisters in arms

After the death of Yevgeny Vuchetich, the construction of the second Motherland was completed: in Kiev. The statue itself is smaller than the one in Volgograd, but it stands on a 40-meter pedestal, inside which the museum is located. Therefore, the colossus is visible from afar.

Initially, it was planned to cover the figure with gold leaf, but then this idea was abandoned. In general, Vuchetich's project underwent some changes, since after his death the Kiev master Vasily Borodai, who had his own vision, took up the business.

The metal statue was erected using a crane specially made for this construction site. By the time the object was delivered, they did not have time to dismantle that crane and was simply cut with an autogenous gun. And the ends are in the water. In a literal sense: the metal skeleton was drowned in the Dnieper, so as not to plague the eyes of the party bosses.

Sometimes Volgograd and Kiev residents argue about whose Motherland is better. Residents of other cities of Russia and Ukraine are being drawn into the controversy. From sculpture they break into politics. But both buildings have their admirers. In addition, both "mothers" have one father: Evgeny Vuchetich. And he did not design his statues in order to play off peoples. After all, the Motherland at that time was one for everyone. And both "daughters" of Vuchetich, I think, calmly and affably look at each other. They know better from above ...

1.Bronze statue of Buddha Ushiku Daibutsu, Japan.

Ushiku Daibutsu located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, is the tallest freestanding bronze statue in the world. Built in 1995, total height 120m above ground, including 10m base and 10m lotus platform. The elevator lifts visitors to a height of 85m above the ground, where the observation deck is located.

2. Buddhist statue of Guanyan, Sanya, China.

Sanya is located in the smallest province of the People's Republic of China, Hainan, on south coast countries. Yalong Wan is a local park located on the coast 7.5 km southeast of Sanya City. The main attraction of the park is the 108-meter statue of Guanyin.

This statue was completed in May 2005 and is one of the tallest in the world.

3. Yellow Chinese emperors Huangdi and Yandi, China.

The 103-meter-high statue is located in China and is a sculpture of two ancient Chinese emperors - Huangdi and Yandi

4. Motherland, Kiev, Ukraine.

Monument-sculpture Motherland, standing in Kiev on the high right bank of the Dnieper. The height of the Motherland-Mother sculpture is 62 meters, the total height with the pedestal is 102 meters.

5. Monument to Peter I, Moscow, Russia

The monument to Peter I by Zurab Tsereteli was erected by order of the Moscow Government on the spit of the Moskva River Island and the Obvodny Canal in 1997.

The total height of the monument is 98 meters.

6. Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York, USA.

The World's Incarnation of Liberty, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, is a colossal statue donated by the United States by France in 1886, installed on Liberty Island in New York at the mouth of the Hudson River.

7. Sculpture Motherland Calls, Volgograd, Russia.

Sculpture "The Motherland Calls!" - the compositional center of the monument-ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on the Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. The work of the sculptor E.V. Vuchetich and engineer N.V. Nikitin. Built in 1967, height 84 meters.

8. Maitreya Buddha statue in Leshan, Leshan, China.

The statue is located east of Leshan City in Sichuan Province, at the intersection of three rivers, and has been under construction for 90 years. The height of the statue is 71 m, the height of the head is almost 15 m, the span of the shoulders is almost 30 m, the length of the finger is 8 m, the length of the toe is 1.6 m, the length of the nose is 5.5 m. It is recognized as a monument. World heritage UNESCO.

9. Bamiyan Buddha statues, Afghanistan.

Two giant statues of Buddha (Buddha of Bamyan) - 55 and 37 meters, which were part of the complex Buddhist monasteries in the Bamiyan Valley in central Afghanistan, located 230 km north of Kabul. The statues were savagely destroyed, despite the protests of the world community and other Islamic countries, in 2001 by the Taliban, who believed that they were pagan idols and should be destroyed. Japan, Switzerland and UNESCO, among others, have expressed support for the restoration of the statues.

10. Statue of Christ the Savior, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Christ the Redeemer - a huge Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ, 32m high and weighing 1000 tons, is located on the 710m summit of the Corcovado mountain overlooking the city.

A powerful symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Without a doubt, the obelisk Shtyk, Brest, Belarus deserves our attention.

Bayonet - obelisk (all-welded metal structure, lined with titanium; height 100 m, weight 620 t) is part of memorial complex The Brest Fortress is a hero.

What monument to put on the grave? CJSC "Antik" will help in resolving the issue. The factory offers a huge catalog of gabbro products - monuments and gravestones. Come in and make your choice.

The Great Patriotic War, apparently, will never be forgotten. The Victory was too hard for us. In every city there are either squares, or parks and squares, where monuments are erected to its heroes.

Woman with sword

A whole ensemble has been created on the famous Mamaev Kurgan (Volgograd). It is dedicated to those who won the Ideological and Compositional Center of this large structure - a sculpture that is known all over the world. It is called "The Motherland Calls!" True, not everyone is aware that she herself is not independent, but part of a triptych, but the central one.

The second part of the complex is the composition "Rear - Front". It has been completed and is now in Magnitogorsk. It is depicted how a worker gives a sword to a warrior. And they forged it just in the Urals. And completes the whole ensemble also broadly famous monument- "Warrior-Liberator". Location - Berlin.

The tallest

Many are interested in the height of the Mother Motherland statue in Volgograd. We answer: 85 meters, and the woman's height is 52 meters. The weight of the structure is 8000 tons. The length of the sword is 3300 cm. And it weighs no less than 14,000 kg! These are the "passport" parameters of this unique piece.

In the year the construction was completed, the sculpture turned out to be the largest in the world. She was even entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Compare: the Statue of Liberty rises by 46 m from the pedestal, and the height of Christ (the Redeemer) is only 38. Today, given the height of the Motherland, experts assigned it 11th place in the list

It was a long time ago

Great importance was attached to the construction of such a memorial. All were taken into account. And also the height of the Motherland statue. They were not limited either in money or in the most modern building materials. The best creators were invited. The main thing here was Yevgeny Vuchetich - People's Artist of the USSR, a participant in the Great Patriotic War. He has already made a marvelous army (ten years ago) that adorns Berlin's Treptower Park. Also his work - "Breaking swords into plowshares." The sculpture flaunts in front of the UN building in New York.

Nikolai Nikitin, a professor-architect, as well as a doctor of technical sciences, was appointed as the head of the engineering group. In the 50s, he designed the buildings of the Moscow State University. In the future, he will be assigned to work on the Ostankino tower. Now calculations of particular complexity were needed. For this monument has a super great height. “Motherland” in Volgograd must be impeccable.

From a military point of view, Vasily Chuikov, Marshal, took up the consultation. At the front he was nicknamed the "storm commander". It was he who commanded the 62nd Army, which did not surrender the Mamayev Kurgan to the enemy. During the defense of Stalingrad, Chuikov came up with special assault groups. They suddenly burst into houses, passing to them through underground communications. The Germans could not even understand where this blow fell from.

After the war, the marshal was awarded for his work on the monument in an original way: they were allowed (at his request) to be buried on the Mamayev Kurgan, next to those 34505 soldiers who died defending Stalingrad. In 1982, their commander himself was buried near the Motherland.

The architectural and engineering group has created the figure of a woman (the height of the Motherland statue, as we have already said, is 85 meters), who is taking an impetuous, energetic step forward. In her hand is a sword raised against the invaders. the country calls the people to battle with the enemy.

The prototype of the statue

And who, I wonder, posed then for the sculptor? The candidacy - Valentina Izotova - was found by accident. Now she is a pensioner, a resident of Volgograd. And then she was 26 years old. And she worked as a waitress in a restaurant. There Vuchetich's assistant, also sculptor L. Maistrenko, saw her. He liked the stern, serious face, the athletic figure of Izotova, her purposeful look. The candidacy was approved.

This work took Valentina Ivanovna two years. Be that as it may, but the creative process is difficult. Moreover, given the incredible height of the sculpture. “Motherland” in Volgograd really turned out to be outstanding. People come from everywhere to look at it, to pay tribute to the defenders of the country. At night, the light of powerful searchlights falls on the monument (the height of the Motherland is really striking), and the impression is the strongest.

Interesting fact. When they decided to develop a design for the flag and the area), we decided to take the silhouette as a basis. There were no other opinions. And also on a postage stamp of the GDR, issued in 1983, there is the same image.

Difficult job

Being in this place, you understand the full significance of those battles. For more than four months (more precisely, 140 days) there were bloody, fierce battles for only one point - height 102. And every piece of this land is still dangerous. Although more than 70 years have passed since there were no more shots and volleys here, people still find shells on the hill that did not explode then. That is why this territory was chosen to perpetuate the feat of people.

The construction of an unusual monument (the height of the Motherland is very high) began in 1959, in the spring. Completed in the fall of 1967. That is, the work has been going on for more than eight years. First - laying the concrete foundation. A box-base was placed on top. The builders intended to lay stones on the pedestal. But an order came from General Secretary Khrushchev, and 150 thousand tons of earth were poured from above in order to further strengthen the foundation. Therefore, today the top of the mound is imported.

Under the sculpture (the height of the Motherland is amazing) there is a thick (one and a half meters) slab and another 16 meters base.

Reduced layout

When it was the turn of the woman's figure, they cast it right here on the hill. How else, if the height of the Motherland statue in Volgograd is extremely high! But the scaled-down (exactly tenfold) model stood nearby. And gradually, looking at the stencil, they poured tier by tier. So they collected the "woman". Trucks with cargo arrived here around the clock. Everything was done very efficiently. Concrete, for example, was taken exactly the same that was allocated for the Volzhskaya hydroelectric power station. And the fillers for it were also chosen in the most careful way.

But now the whole figure is ready. Then they took hold of the head. True, they cast it separately. And they were lifted by a helicopter. There was no other way to do it. The height of "Motherland" did not allow.

I had to work a lot with the sword. At first it was made of stainless steel, sheathed with strong pieces (from titanium). However, it swayed from the wind, thundered strongly. That is why, in 1972, this weapon was removed and a different, steel structure was installed.

Restoration

Restoration measures were carried out in 1972 and 1986. Five years ago, they were engaged in ensuring his safety. After all, the height of the monument "Motherland" in Volgograd is not enough to say decent. She's huge! And over time, everything changes, gets old, weakens. And this is even despite the fact that the thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the monument is 25-30 cm. Inside it is assembled from large separate cells. The frame, itself rigid, is nevertheless supported by 119 cables of durable metal. And they constantly experience powerful tension.

The heaviest sword with its just fabulous gigantic swayed from the wind. And where it was attached to the woman's hand, there was an excessive tension. The design of the sword has become deformed over time. So we worked on this problem as well.

Sliding down

Since the height of the Motherland is great, and the figure stands on clay soil, which slowly but invariably slides towards the Volga, the experts sounded the alarm. After all, the statue can collapse. She has already shifted by 214 mm. And this is almost 80 percent of the allowable initial calculations. But experts say: the planned strength has not yet been exhausted.

This project was conceived for a deflection of 272 mm. And its base was slightly deformed. In total, the norms went away only by 90 mm. After the next restoration, the monument will serve for a long time.

I sincerely hope that those who do not need this article, especially those under 30, are in the majority. I hope so, but I don't really believe it. But even if so, I publish it all the same for this lesserness. There is never too much patriotism.

So let's go:

If you ask the average inhabitant of any country a question about the tallest statues in the world, he will most likely remember the Buddha statues carved out of rocks, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio - well, the one from the TV series; Perhaps someone will remember the Kolos of Rhodes - it must have been huge, why not remember ... And, perhaps, that's all. In Russia, the older generation will still remember Mamaev Kurgan, but probably not everyone will remember the Motherland-Mother of Kiev, at least in the context of the largest in the world. Where there is ours to theirs, to the Western (aspirated). 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 applicants for this honorary title, And ours are not even close there. The Kremlin just got into the finalists of the contenders.

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 that illuminates the world". 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.

How huge - look at the little people at the base of the statue - they are practically invisible, unless you specifically look closely. She stands on the broken chains, holding a torch and a tablet with the date of 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 the 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 (western geographical tradition has exactly seven continents). She is not just a symbol of the United States, she is a symbol of a 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 are walking on net, we have no thought to doubt this.

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

Is this 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, and we see that this Christ, if anyone could hug, then certainly not our girls. With its size, it could only embrace the monuments to Lenin fleeing from Ukraine.

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

Now, of course, someone will say that our statues still fall short of the huge Buddhist ones. It's hard to argue here, because the numbers speak for themselves. But I, with your permission, will allow myself to argue with the level of complexity of the construction of these statues. So, the sculpture Motherland Calls 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 5500 tons of concrete and 2400 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 is 33 meters long. It is said that a car fits freely in the palm of the statue. In 2008, the statue of the Motherland on the Mamayev 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 stainless steel. They also made holes in it to reduce the wind pressure. The old sword was made of titanium and thundered in the wind. In the mid-sixties, when the monument was unveiled, it was the tallest monument on the planet. The Statue of Liberty has never been anything "the most", except perhaps the most recognizable in the world.

On the this moment the statue is among the ten tallest statues in the world. The motherland is threatened with collapse due to groundwater. Experts say that if the tilt of the statue increases by another 300 mm, it can 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, at that time she worked 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. Silent, because in Soviet times to talk about the profession of a model was, to put it mildly, indecent, 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, - then the times were strict, and my husband forbade me. But then the husband had mercy, and I gave the guys my consent. Who in his youth did not embark on various adventures?

The gamble turned into a serious work that lasted two years. Valentina's candidacy for the role of Motherland was approved by Vuchetich himself. After listening to the arguments of his colleagues in favor of a simple Volgograd waitress, he nodded his head in the affirmative, and it began. Posing turned out to be very difficult. Standing for several hours a day with arms outstretched and left leg outstretched was exhausting. As conceived by 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 heroic deeds.

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

There was also one piquant moment during work. The sculptors insisted that Valentina, as befits a model, pose naked, but Izotova resisted. Suddenly the husband comes in. First, they agreed on a separate swimsuit. True, then the upper part of the swimsuit had to be removed. The breasts should be natural. By the way, the model was not wearing any tunic. It was only later that Vuchetich himself threw a flowing robe on the "Motherland". Our heroine saw the finished monument a few days after its official opening. It was interesting to look at myself from the side: face, arms, 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 not more than 40 meters there.

And the last thing. Purpose.

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

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

I think it's in our blood. Check it out?

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.

On the other hand, I will quietly turn on our patriotic little letters for you, and in your heads, like Babakhnet now, for everyone who is a true patriot in their spirit !!!

get up the country is huge

rise to mortal combat. ... ...

“15 years of searching and doubts, sadness and joy, rejected and found solutions. What did we want to say to people with this monument on the historic Mamayev 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 the area located 200 meters from the present peak. Now it houses the Temple 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 have already been built have been replaced with a serpentine path that surrounds the statue like a ribbon. The dimensions have also changed - the Motherland has grown from 36 meters to 52 meters. Although the sculptor's intention has nothing to do with it, Nikita Khrushchev simply declared in an ultimatum that it must certainly be higher than the Statue of Liberty.

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

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

The 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 is 8 thousand tons. The most complicated 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 is ranked 11th 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 14 tons in weight, was originally made of stainless steel sheathed with titanium sheets. But the sheets of titanium cladding rattled in the wind, and additionally loaded the hand. As a result, the blade was replaced with another one made entirely of fluorinated steel.

During the construction of the monument, a stable supply of concrete was necessary, otherwise the joints between the layers might not be strong enough. The trucks delivering concrete for the construction of the monument were marked with colored ribbons. The drivers were allowed to pass "on the red", the traffic police were forbidden to stop them.

From the foot to the upper platform there are 200 degrees, according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad. Inside the statue itself, there should also 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 there 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 the Mamayev Kurgan - a soldier with a machine gun and a grenade and an inscription on the pedestal "Stand to the death!" marshal's face Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. He was the chief military advisor to the memorial. According to the will of the commander of the 62nd Army, he was buried at the Mamayev Kurgan.

According to the memoirs of the Soviet physicist, academician Andrei Sakharov, Evgeny Vuchetich, the author of the memorial ensemble to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad on the Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, shared with him in a private conversation: “My bosses are asking me why she has an open mouth, it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland ... your mother! "

The monument is the second part of a triptych, which also consists of the monuments "Rear to the Front" in Magnitogorsk and "Soldier-Liberator" in Berlin's Treptower Park. 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 a basis for the development of the coat of arms and flag of the Volgograd region.

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

There is another Motherland - in Kiev, this is also the creation of Vuchetich. It stands on the right bank of the Dnieper. It is 23 meters smaller than its companion, but it stands on a huge pedestal, inside 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 is hiding behind the fence of Vuchetich's workshop on Vuchetich Street, and no one is allowed to look at her, but since her head is huge and the fence is small, her head and her colleagues can be seen quite well from behind the fence.

Perhaps the biggest mystery is - with whom the Motherland was sculpted, there are enough applicants. Anastasia Peshkova, a 79-year-old resident of Barnaul, announced on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory at Stalingrad that she became the prototype of the famous sculpture of Vuchetich. In 2003, Valentina Izotova made the same statement. She worked as a waitress in the Volgograd restaurant and claimed that Vuchetich himself invited her to work as a model. “I was paid 3 rubles per hour. She has a lot of me - neck, broken arms, legs, hips - everything is mine! " - said Izotova. Another contender is Yekaterina Grebneva, a gymnast and now a retired retired teacher. She also posed for Vuchetich, but she does not pretend to be unique: “This is a collective image. I think that I was 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 discobolt. She posed for him in Moscow, in his studio. But for the face of the sculpture, Evgeny Viktorovich is not far to go far. He created it with his wife, Vera Nikolaevna. And sometimes he affectionately called the sculpture by the name of his wife, Vera. "

Made of prestressed reinforced 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 a slab, like a chess piece on a board. Inside, the entire statue is made up of separate chambers. The rigidity of the frame is supported by 99 permanently tensioned metal cables.

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