"Wall of Sorrow" on Sakharov Avenue

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

On October 30, 2017, a monument dedicated to the victims of repression will open in Moscow. The author of the project is George Frangulyan. The monument is installed on Sakharov Avenue. "Wall of Sorrow" is the name of the monument.

Backstory

In 1961, at the next party congress, Nikita Khrushchev raised the issue of debunking Stalin's personality cult. Then, for the first time, the idea of creating a monument to the victims of repression was considered. But the matter did not progress beyond talk. Moreover, Khrushchev offered to pay tribute to the memory of "faithful Leninists" - party members who were shot during the years of Stalinism. When the era of the so-called thaw ended, the idea of creating a monument was completely forgotten. They remembered her in the late eighties.

"Solovki stone" and other monuments

In the years of perestroika, the topic of the victims of repression became quite discussed. The most suitable time has come for the installation of the monument. The monument, opened on Lubyanka, is called "Solovki stone". It is made of granite brought from the territory of the former camp. The grand opening took place on October 30, 1990. Where in the 30smass executions took place, subsequently sculptural compositions, walls of memory, chapels, memorial plaques were installed. One of them - "Mask of Sorrow" - is in Magadan. A memorial plaque with the inscription "Last address" has been installed in many cities of Russia.

Preparing for the "Wall of Sorrow"

Since the beginning of the nineties, many monuments have been opened in the country. Why is it necessary to create another one? The fact is that in many countries that were part of the USSR, there have been monuments dedicated to the victims of Stalinist repression for several decades. In Moscow, only the foundation stone. In terms of size and composition, this monument does not convey the tragedy and grief that thousands of Soviet families had to endure.

The issue of installing the "Wall of Sorrow" was raised more than once by Vladimir Fedotov, chairman of the Council for the Development of Society and Human Rights. In October 2014, the project of the monument was presented to the President of Russia. At the end of December, an agreement was reached on the location of the monument.

Competition

When it comes to creating such a monument, the author of the future project is chosen for several months. The competition started in February 2015. Only one of its participants was to become the author of the monument. It was assumed that some projects could be used in other Russian cities.

In total, the jury of the competition considered more than three hundred options. For selectionsuitable project organized an exhibition that lasted about a month. George Frangulyan became the winner. The monument to the victims of repression could have been called differently. "Wall of Sorrow" is the name of the monument created by Frangulyan. The second place in the competition was taken by Sergey Muratov with the Prism project. Third - Elena Bocharova ("Torn Fates").

The memorial will be erected at the intersection of Sadovo-Spasskaya Street and Sakharov Avenue. The "Wall of Sorrow", according to the jury members, most corresponds to the spirit of the gloomy Stalin era, in addition, it has a very capacious, self-explanatory name. The erection of the monument is carried out not only at the expense of the state, but also at the expense of public donations.

Description of the "Wall of Sorrow" monument in Moscow

This monument is quite impressive in size. Until the opening, it will be stored in a public garden next to Sakharov Avenue. The height of the monument is 6 meters. Length 35 meters. 80 tons of bronze were used in the creation of the "Wall of Sorrow". The monument is a two-sided bas-relief depicting human figures. Images are both flat and three-dimensional.

In the photo of the "Wall of Sorrow", presented above, you can see human figures. There are about six hundred of them here. On the heavy wall, the composition of which is based on playing with volumes, there are quite large gaps made in the form of a human silhouette. You can go through them. This is a kind of artistic concept of the sculptor: modern people have the opportunityfeel like a victim of an all-powerful and merciless system.

The Wall of Sorrow in Moscow is not just a monument. This is a warning that will allow posterity to realize the sad consequences of authoritarianism, the fragility of human life. Perhaps such a sculptural composition will protect the representatives of the future generation from repeating the mistakes of the past. Only one single word is engraved on the "Wall of Sorrow". But this word is present here in 22 languages. "Remember" is repeatedly engraved along the edges of the wall.

"Wall of Sorrow" is located in the square, which is framed by granite stones. In front of the relief there are several spotlights mounted on granite pillars. The road to the monument is paved with stones. This is an unusual building material. The road to the "Wall of Sorrow" is paved with stones brought from camps, places of mass executions, as well as settlements whose residents were subjected to forced deportation: Irkutsk, Ukhta, Vorkuta, Khabarovsk Territory, Bashkiria and other regions of Russia.

Next to the monument is the Sogaz building. According to the sculptor, this building symbolizes power and sluggishness. In some way, it is part of the monument. She creates a fitting, bleak backdrop for a wall symbolizing tens of thousands of human victims.

Historical background

About how many people died during the years of repression, even today there is no exact information. Mass arrests began in the late 1920s and ended only after Stalin's death. The scariestwas the period 1937-1938. Then about 30 thousand people were sentenced to death.

The victims of repression include not only those who were convicted under a political article and sentenced to death. Wives, husbands, relatives of the arrested were sent to the camps. Children under 15 were to be accommodated in cities far from Moscow, Leningrad, Minsk, Kyiv, Tiflis.