In every city on the territory of the Soviet Union, and often in villages, monuments were erected dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our country. In the European part, a significant part of which became the scene of terrible battles, these monuments also became the tombstones of thousands and thousands of soldiers, the names of many of whom remained unknown.
Monuments sometimes depict warriors mournfully bowing their banners and heads, sometimes soldiers rush to attack, and their faces express fearless determination. In Moscow and other capitals there is a monument to the unknown soldier, in the cities of Odessa and Novorossiysk located by the sea - to a sailor.
All these statues, steles and obelisks express gratitude for the military prowess of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. They look very courageous and seem to be telling us who live today: "Remember the heroes, grandfathers and great-grandfathers." And we remember.
But there is another character that has become part of our legendary history. This is Motherland. Her image is as abstract as the faces of soldiers, sailors, partisans on the monuments. She absorbed into her appearance the features of tens of millions of women who escorted their children to the front and did not wait for their victorious step at the door of their home.
Many large cities have such monuments. The most famous of them was the statue "Motherland Calls" in Volgograd, symbolizing the whole country. The giant sculpture is very dynamic, it swung at an invisible enemy with a sword, clamped in its right hand, with its left hand calling for countless armies of people's defenders to follow it. Mightier is her movement, and there is no doubt that the blow will be crushing.
The size of the sculpture "Motherland" is colossal, its height is 85 meters. It is very successful in terms of composition, its author, E. V. Vuchetich, who developed the artistic concept, and civil engineer N. V. Nikitin, who realized the idea in stone, showed remarkable talent. The entire composition dedicated to the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad makes an indelible impression on everyone who has visited Mamaev Kurgan. The idea is based on an analogy with the ancient Greek goddess Nike, a symbol of the people's strength, repelling the enemy and bringing him death. The terrible events on the Volga in 1942 are an example of hostilities on an unprecedented scale, so heroism became the main motive of the monument.
Like the Mother of God in different guises, the Motherland expresses many feelings that covered the soul of everyone who thinks about the war. Indeed, in addition to bloody attacks and hot battles, there was sadness. Millions of today's older people, many of whom were children in those terrible years, did not wait for their fathers. Each motherland is for them like their own mother or grandmother. The faces of these women did not always express the ecstasy of victory, it happened otherwise.
In Kharkiv, onBelgorod highway, in a forest park, in memory of the heavy bloody battles of 1943, the Memorial of Glory was built. Do not remain indifferent after his visit. The laconicism of the solution was manifested in the modest design of the central sculpture. Motherland simply stands in the middle of the alley, her face does not express anger, there is no triumph in it. Not even grief. This woman cried out all her tears, she had none left. With folded hands, straightening her back, she looks into the distance, and among the trees there is a soft beating of her mother's heart.
Monuments are so different, and there is no contradiction in this. Each of them has become a part of our culture and a symbol of the main feat of the Great Patriotic War - the feat of the Mother.
