Monument of Glory (Novosibirsk)

Brief Information

The five ten-meter pylons here function as two sides of one memory. On one side, scenes from individual stages of the war are engraved on them; on the other, the metal names of 30,266 Novosibirsk residents who died on the fronts are pressed into the concrete. Thus the monument is read not only as an image of war, but also as a list of specific people connected with the city.

The complex was opened on November 6, 1967, in the Leninsky District of Novosibirsk. It covers almost two hectares and includes a grieving mother-woman, the Eternal Flame, pylons, and urns with earth from the sites of bloody battles. Later, alleys, steles, and a chapel appeared nearby, so the space expanded from memory of the Great Patriotic War into a broader city memorial to the fallen and to heroes.

What to Notice First

It is worth comparing three materials and ways of remembering. On the pylons, the war is shown through relief scenes, while on the reverse side the same concrete volumes are turned into a bearer of names: metal is literally pressed into concrete. Between the pylons stand four urns with earth from battle sites, and this detail links the Novosibirsk monument with specific front-line territories.

Behind the memorial is the Alley of Glory with 100 fir trees in honor of Novosibirsk residents who were Heroes of the Soviet Union. In another part of the composition, concrete steles are faced with dark burgundy and gray granite slabs; the names of Heroes and full holders of the Order of Glory are carved on them, and a brass wreath lies in the center of the site. The overall principle is simple: here memory moves from figures and fire to names, earth, trees, and materials.