Obelisk “To the Hero City of Leningrad”

Brief information

On Ploshchad Vosstaniya stands not merely a tall memorial marker, but a 36-meter granite monolith placed at the center of the city’s transport and architectural interchange. It closes the ceremonial stretch of Nevsky Prospekt, so it functions as a vertical point toward which the space of the square converges, together with Moskovsky Railway Station, the Oktyabrskaya Hotel, and the metro station.

The obelisk was unveiled on May 8, 1985, on the eve of Victory Day. Its meaning reads from top to bottom: the Gold Star speaks of the city’s Hero City title, while the bronze wreath and high reliefs translate that title into visible scenes of the defense of Leningrad. An important detail: the text of the award decree, which according to the regulations for the title should have appeared on such a monument, was not placed here. Thus the monument’s very appearance replaces the document: the star, the order, the inscription, and the scenes make the award part of the square.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to begin with the form. The shaft of the obelisk is pentagonal, like its tall neighbor along Nevsky Prospekt, the tower of the City Duma. Because of this shape, the structure is designed to be perceived from different sides of the square; at the same time, many people take such volumes to be square. This is a rare case in which the plan of a monument changes the way it looks as you move around it.

Below the shaft, several layers of meaning can be compared. The oval bronze high reliefs show four themes of the defense: “The Blockade,” “The Rear to the Front,” “The Attack,” and “Victory.” Above them is the bronze Wreath of Glory, and higher still, the star at the top. The decorative cartouche bears the Order of Lenin and the inscription “To the Hero City of Leningrad.” In this way, the monument is arranged like a vertical staircase: from specific wartime episodes at the base to the state award at the summit.