TsAGI CENTENARY IN THE HISTORY: Victory monument at Poklonnaya Gora

10 May 2018

We, the heirs of the heroism of Soviet soldiers who defended the world from fascism, remember and will keep in our memory the hardest days of the Great Patriotic War. Those were days of fighting and battles, sacrifices and hunger, occupation, concentration camps, national unity and heroism. Today the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the winners tell their stories, join the ranks of the Memorial March with portraits of their family, and visit the battleground and memory spaces.

One of the main memorial complexes in our country dedicated to the Great Victory is the Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. The first commemorative objects were created here in May 9, 1995. The Central monument of the complex is the Goddess of Victory Nike, soaring in the sky with a triumphal wreath in her hands and with angels at her feet, glorifying Russian weapons. The Monument became one of the symbols of the Soviet Army’s triumph over fascism. Zurab Tsereteli was the author of the project.

It became the tallest monument in Russia. The stele rises to 141, 8 meters as the battle lasted for 1418 days. The triangular shaped rod bayonet weighs 1000 tons. It is made of extra high-tensile steel and faced with stone. Its sides are covered with bronze bas-reliefs depicting the most important battles: Stalingrad and Kursk battles, Belarusian Strategic Offensive Operation, etc. The names of all towns, where fierce battles took place are also marked on the stele sides. A 25-tone bronze sculpture group of Nike and Angels are attached to the stele at the 104 meters level. At the obelisk foot there is a statue of St. George, spearing a snake embodying fascism. Such an aerodynamically non-standard monument was tested in TsAGI’s Moscow research complex. The main questions were related to the form of the obelisk and the sculptural group, which significantly increased the monument’s wind resistance in the wind flow. Scientists tested the stele in wind tunnel T-1-2 where they examined a number of its wind loading characteristics. The monument’s aerodynamic stability was studied at a special vibration installation. This allowed detection of possible dangerous oscillation onsets and quenching them.

As a result, specialists made on the bayonet’s sides vertical slits for aerodynamic oscillation suppression at stele’s section from 100 to 140 m. In addition, pendulum oscillation dampers were installed inside of this construction, and approximately 2000 m³ of concrete was poured for a foundation. So the Victory monument is not only an artistic triumph, but also a scientific and technical masterpiece.

Poklonnaya Hill today is a place which perpetuates the memory of those who fell during the Great Patriotic War. It is a huge modern Memorial complex with a park, various monuments, a Museum, etc. It is included in all Moscow guidebooks and is a constant point of attraction for Muscovites and visitors to the capital.

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