We are together in the fight against fascism – Park Pobeda – Moscow

Posted on 02/05/2025 by Michael

: We are together in the fight against fascism

We are together in the fight against fascism

This particular sculpture, impressive as it is, poses and challenge to me when being asked ‘What is a piece of Socialist Realist art?’ Art can be realist without having any reference to socialism even though it might represent a worker or workers sympathetically. But what takes one piece of work from a mere representation of a person or an event to a different level, to imbue it with a meaning that is over and above what is merely in front of the viewer.

My simple interpretation of that has been the intention of the artist at the time of the work’s creation, the intended audience and what was hoped would be achieved by it’s presentation to the public. But these intentions and hopes are not concrete. They can exist in one period of time but can just disappear if (and unfortunately) or when the social system reverts to what it was pre-Revolution – as happened in the Soviet Union (and all the other post-Socialist societies).

But if, as it did, Revisionism took control soon after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 can those works of art produced after that date until 1991 still be considered works of Socialist Realism? They were still produced for the same audience as were the target in the 1930s and 1940s but for a different purpose, after the mid-50s the aim was to project an image of being in favour of revolutionary change whilst at the same time doing everything practically to avoid such a transformation occurring.

The history (or more accurately to say, its genesis) of this particular monument is quite unique and exceptional, fitting in more with the political agenda of the Russian Government at the time rather than a desire to remind future generations of the sacrifice made by those during the Great Patriotic War or the desire to foment a willingness of self sacrifice amongst a population who are attempting to build Socialism.

On 19th December 2009 a Soviet era monument, the Kutaisi Glory Memorial, which had been unveiled in 1981, was blown up by Georgian fascists under the cloak of ‘nationalism’ and ‘reconstruction’ of the city. The location of the monument was to be the site of the new Parliament building.

The original plan was for the monument to be destroyed on 21st December (coincidentally the anniversary of Stalin’s birth) and a mass demonstration had been planned to oppose this desecration of the memory of all those Soviet citizens (including those from Georgia) who had died in the fight against fascism. The decision the destruction should take place two days earlier than originally planned is considered to have made to circumvent any opposition. Because the task was rushed it was botched with pieces of concrete flying all over the place, some of it killing a woman and her eight year old daughter who lived close by.

But the destruction of this monument also has to be taken in the context of what was happening in the region at the time. This was just after the short war between Russia and Georgia, in 2008, over the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia – one started by Georgia under the encouragement of the US. This was all part of a strategy to surround (with hostile NATO states) and eventually dismember the Russian Federation – which had been the intention of the neo-liberals in the west since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

For that reason the demolition of the memorial was more than an attack on the memory of all those who died fighting fascism it was part of the present war against Russia. This created a sense of urgency, an advert for the commission was circulated and by July 2009 there were already six maquettes of the proposed statue to be erected on a site in Park Pobeda (Victory Park) in Moscow. These designs were on display in the Great Patriotic War Museum, awaiting a popular vote.

At the same time the maquettes were on display in Moscow Hilary Clinton was visiting Tbilisi, adding fuel to the conflict and mouthing her meaningless phrases about the US in support of national liberation of those countries ‘occupied’ and vowing never ending US support for ‘the fight for freedom’. Similar declarations, before and subsequently, ultimately led to the situation we have in the Ukraine at the moment and have led to continued efforts by the US to destabilise other countries in eastern Europe – cut short recently by Trump’s rethink on how to allocate resources to maintain the US’s ‘full spectrum dominance’ in the region.

So a somewhat unique genesis of a World War II monument.

The design of the monument follows many, well established tropes for such statues. In general it depicts the events surrounding the Fall of Berlin, the occupation of the fascist liar by Soviet troops, the raising of the Red Flag over the Reichstag and the first ever Victory Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow.

A common theme of the three, separate components of the statue is the dominance of Soviet over Nazi weaponry, imagery and culture. At the very top two Soviet soldiers are in the process of raising the Red Flag, one of the soldiers pointing his weapon at the pile of German weapons that lay discarded on the ground. Amongst this pile of weapons and debris is a toppled German eagle. We’ve won, you’ve lost!

On the left hand side we have a group of Soviet soldiers who are greeting others, unseen, as they stand beside the burnt out dome of the Reichstag building. Under their feet and before them, discarded on the ground, are Nazi weapons, ruined machinery, barbed wire, destroyed Nazi standards (with the swastika broken) and on top of all this detritus a dove of peace is in the process of alighting.

On the right hand side we have the depiction (the only example I’ve seen in a monumental form) of an episode that took place during the first Victory Parade where Soviet solders entered Red Square with dozens of captured Nazi banners, marched to the Lenin Mausoleum, upon which Comrade Stalin and other members of the Soviet leadership were standing to review the parade, and there the troops threw the Nazi standards down into the mud at the door of Lenin’s resting place. In the background of the monument can be seen the Spasskaya Tower and the building that used to be the Lenin Museum but which is now the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812.

However, there are two aspects which differentiate this monument from those that would have been created even in the Revisionist period of the Soviet Union. And both these are on the right hand side. Amongst the group of soldiers cheering there is one face that is looking out directly at the viewer whilst all the rest are looking to the front. Also, tucked behind the folds of the flag on that side is an incongruous figure on a horse. This figure is long haired and bearded and is totally out of place. A Christ figure? And I couldn’t work out what he has in his hand.

At the rear of the monument are two plaques. One explaining the reason for its existence and the other with the names of those involved in its creation.

Translation of the plaques on the rear of the monument. (Machine translated so apologies for any eccentricities.)

Monument to the Unity of the Peoples of the Soviet Union who fought and won together in the Great Patriotic War.

Symbolising the inviolability of monuments to victorious soldiers

It was opened in 2010 in memory of the Glory Memorial which was barbarously destroyed in the city of Kutaisi on December 19, 2009

Built with folk remedies

Sculptors/Architects; – the names listed. However, I don’t know the exact level of their involvement but assume that Shcherbakov was the principal sculptor.

S A Shcherbakov

A N Kovalchuk

I N Voskresenskiy

B V Perfiliev

V V Seliverstov

A A Ustenko

E H Zhivotinsky

G J Gattenberger

In the centre of the concave, stone wall set back a few metres from the statue the high structure pays homage to the monument that was blown up in Tbilisi. The large letters (in Russian) declare the name of the ensemble – ‘We are together in the fight against fascism’. Lower down and on either side are smaller images of other memorials from other Soviet Republics. I can identify Mother Armenia in Yerevan, the original monument in Kutaisi and the Motherland Calls! in Stalingrad but have problems with the others.

On either side of the installation stand two pillars upon which is place a horizontal, large, golden star.

Closest public transport;

Park Pobeda Metro station

Location;

In Victory Park (Park Pobeda), Moscow

GPS;

55.72845 N

37.50152 E

How to get there:

From the metro station head towards the obelisk and main museum but take a path off to the left which goes beside the church. Keep on this track as it goes past the entrance to the Military Weapons Museum (on your left) and then rises as it skirts around the left of the principal, circular structure. The monument is on the left hand side of the track.

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Statue of VI Lenin at the VDNKh – Moscow

Posted on 10/01/2025 by Michael

Pavilion No 1 and Lenin statue

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Statue of VI Lenin at the VDNKh – Moscow

When the VDNKh (the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy) was first built in its present format, from the late 1940s to the 1950s, once you passed through the arches of the main entrance the statue of Lenin would have been the first real structure you would have come across.

After entering the park there was a long, wide ‘square’ with a grassed area and a series of fountains on either side. This would take you towards Pavilion 1, the pavilion of the Russian Soviet Republic. Placed in front of this building was a statue of VI Lenin.

So, originally its prominence was obvious. It was the first construction in the park that any visitor would come across. And all visitors would pass this statue as the rest of the park used to spread out behind. Present structures and attractions on the left and right of this entrance square are more recent additions as are other, newer entrance points.

VDNKh – 2020

However, relatively recently (within the last four years, as far as I can tell) a new, ugly, blue, tubular glass and steel pavilion has been constructed in this open space, completely changing the atmosphere and the approach to the park. The way it was designed originally the visitor would be initially confronted by the grandeur of Pavilion 1 with its towering spire surmounted by a large golden star. After that first impression visitors would be able to experience the various buildings within the park representing the other Soviet Republics. So, although this modern ‘transformation’ hasn’t physically destroyed the buildings it has completely changed the initial experience for the visitor on entering the park.

The statue of Lenin is placed exactly in the central point of the building behind (symmetry dominates Socialist architecture of the post-Patriotic War period) and is one of the biggest in Moscow. It is also probably the one which is seen by the greatest number of people, the park being busy virtually every day of the week.

When I visited the park in 2024 not only was there this ugly tubular building filling the grand approach to Pavilion 1 itself there was also a temporary structure attached to the front of the building. This, I believe, was part of a temporary exhibition and hopefully has been removed by now. However, all these new and/or temporary structures only seek to diminish both the buildings and the impression that was part of the original design.

VI Lenin at VDNKh

The statue depicts Lenin standing, looking slightly up and towards his left. He’s wearing an overcoat, which is open, and his left hand is clutching the lapel. His right arm just hangs loosely by his side. The statue is placed on a plinth, possibly a couple of metres high, and is probably twice life-size.

On either side of the plinth there are 4 rectangular flower beds with low green shrubs which are surrounded, on three sides, by red poppies (at least in the spring and summer).

Unfortunately, at present, I have no information of the sculptor or the exact date it was installed but assume at the same time as the construction of the Russian Republic pavilion. It’s in a very good condition and looks as if it has recently been cleaned.

Location;

VDNKh is located in Ostankinsky District of Moscow and is served by VDNKh subway station, north east of the city centre, on Line 6, the brown line. The statue stands in front of the Russian Soviet Republic exhibition hall, about 100m inside the main entrance gate of the Exhibition site.

GPS;

55°49′47″N

37°37′56″E

Opening times;

‘VDNKh is open around the clock’.

Entrance;

Free to the complex.

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Lenin Square – Stalingrad

Posted on 06/12/2024 by Michael

Lenin Square

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Lenin Square – Stalingrad

Following the dissolution of the (Revisionist) Soviet Union at the end of 1991 many of the monuments to Socialist Heroes were removed. Some were ‘attacked’ and vandalised, some were later removed officially and put into some sort of storage. But this wasn’t the case everywhere. Often the names of streets were changed, but again, this wasn’t always the case. One of the cities where you can still find major monuments to the Socialist period and statues of Socialist leaders and heroes is the city of Stalingrad.

Running from the southern edge of the city centre, parallel to the River Volga, and going way past the Mamayev Kurgan and the Motherland Calls statue is Lenin Avenue. This arrives at Lenin Square which is opposite the House of Officers Cultural Centre and on the river side of the avenue. It is here you find a tall, stepped plinth, ending in a circular platform on which stands a twice life-size statue of VI Lenin.

The square is now called Lenin Square but whether that was the case before the statue was installed I have been, as yet, unable to find out. This statue was a relatively late addition, being inaugurated in 1960 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of VI Lenin’s birth. It’s possible a not so impressive statue stood in that square before 1960.

VI Lenin Statue

Lenin Statue

Lenin is looking towards the city with his back to the River Volga. His right hand is outstretched and his left hand is clutching the lapel of his overcoat. Here we get the impression that Lenin is giving a speech out in the open, in the winter months. This is not an unusual stance for a statue of the first Bolshevik leader.

The statue itself looks in good condition however, the plinth itself is in need of some tender care and attention. Being in Stalingrad we have the extremes of weather which will take its toll on outside monuments and over time it seems water has gotten behind some of the marble slabs on the facade of the plinth and they are starting to come away from the concrete underneath. The Lenin installation has only one word at the base, on the front, which is the name of Lenin in Cyrillic (ЛЕНИН).

Sculptor;

Yevgeny Vucetich, who also created The Motherland Calls! at Mamayev Kurgan, the statue of ‘Iron Felix’ Dzerzhinsky, that used to stand in front of the Lubyanka Building in Central Moscow but which is now in Muzeon Art Park, as well as the statue ‘Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares’, which stands outside the United Nations Building in New York and a copy of which is immediately outside the entrance to the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

‘Pavlov’s House’ Memorial Arch and Wall

‘Pavlov’s House’ Mural

However, Lenin Square is quite a large space and it includes other elements of Socialist history and examples of Socialist art. Behind the statue of Lenin is a memorial arch which forms the rear of what is known in Stalingrad as ‘Pavlov’s House’. ‘Pavlov’s House’ became a symbol of the resistance of ordinary soldiers against the Nazi invasion where Sergeant Pavlov, with a small group of men, held out for 58 days. Being virtually surrounded by the invading fascists they survived by being supplied through tunnels constructed towards the river from where supplies arrived from across the Volga. This defiance became a symbol (and was promoted as such) of resistance to the Nazi fascist invasion.

As in all wars, in all countries, some form of resistance takes on an importance much greater than it might have been militarily. Almost certainly this small holdout against the invaders wasn’t the most important of the innumerable struggles in the city but it was indicative of the resistance of the Red Army and the people of Stalingrad to the invaders.

After the war most what remained of the building was demolished and a new apartment block constructed in its place. There’s now a small part, which faces towards the Stalingrad Panorama Museum, that remains as a monument to the affair. Again, at an unknown date to me, the memorial arch was constructed on the eastern edge of Lenin Square at the rear of the apartment complex.

The memorial arch is a collection of columns, surmounted by an entablature, in a concave formation which encompasses virtually the whole of the open space of Lenin Square. Exactly in the middle of the arrangement of columns, and directly behind the Lenin statue, is a wall that goes from ground level to the top of the columns.

On the top left of this wall there’s a huge, stylised depiction of the head of a Russian Red Army soldier, taking up more than a quarter of the available space. Next to this image, at the top right are the numbers and words (in Cyrillic);

58 ДНЕЙ В ОГНЕ

meaning;

58 days of fire (the time they were holding out against the invaders)

Underneath are images representing the story of the resistance in the building. On the left-hand side you have two soldiers, one kneeling and firing a very long-barrelled gun which is known as a PTRS 41 anti-tank rifle. This is something I never knew existed until I read the story about ‘Pavlov’s House’. It seems that from their vantage point on the top of the block of flats the Red Army soldiers were able to do quite serious damage to any tanks which tried to get close to the building. Even to this day battle tanks concentrate their armour on the surrounds of the vehicle leaving the turret as the weakest point. This Soviet made anti-tank rifle was very effective if it could be fired from a high point. The bullet would pierce the weak armour and then ricochet within the vehicle causing mayhem in the process.

Above this kneeling soldier is another who is about to swing a landmine down on the approaching tanks or Nazi soldiers. They didn’t have artillery as such so the mines were the most powerful armament they could use as a substitute. On the right-hand side there’s an image of four soldiers – two of them, who are standing one in front of the other, are firing heavy machine guns at the enemy. Behind them, lying on the ground, is an image of a wounded comrade. Standing, and dominating the whole of the group, is a soldier (in profile and facing to the right) holding a rifle by the barrel, vertically, in his right hand and his left arm outstretched in front of him towards the enemy. His mouth is open as he’s shouting for others to come and join the fight. This is a common representation in Socialist Realist art indicating moving forward and calling upon others to join the advance or the battle against the enemy. This can be seen, for example, in many of the Albanian lapidars.

Below the group of soldiers, at the bottom of the wall, there’s a list of the names of those soldiers who held out for the 58 days.

To the left of the wall, on the railings which constitute the majority of the lower part of the arch, there’s a large, cast iron wreath inside of which is the ceremonial five pointed star. In the centre of the star is the Hammer and Sickle – the symbol of the Soviet Union. Surrounding that are the words;

ОТЕУЕСТВЕННАЯ ВОИНА

meaning

Fatherland War

Emanating from both sides of the wreath are metal ribbons attached to the railings. So in place of a temporary wreath that would be placed at the memorial on significant dates we have one that is permanently in place.

Memorial to NKVD Soldiers

NKVD Memorial

In the square there’s also another, smaller memorial. This is to Lenin’s right and closer to the road and entrance to the Metro station. This is a small memorial garden, with decorated marble, which mark a mass grave and commemorates the soldiers of the 13th Guards Rifle Division and the 10th Division of the NKVD (Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del, Народный комиссариат внутренних дел), the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, who died in the battles for Stalingrad.

The inscription at the head of the memorial (which resembles a large individual grave you would find in a cemetery) reads;

ВЕЛИКИЕ ПОДВИГИ ВАШИ БЕССМЕРТНЫ

YOUR GREAT DEEDS ARE IMMORTAL

СЛАВА О ВАС ПЕРЕЖИВЕТ ВЕКА ПАМЯТЬ О ВАС НАВСЕГДА СОХРАНИТ РОДИНА

YOUR FAME WILL OUTLIVE THE AGES, YOUR MEMORY WILL BE PRESERVED FOREVER BY YOUR HOMELAND.

АВГУСТ 1942 – ЯНВАРЬ 1943

AUGUST 1942 – JANUARY 1943

I have been, unfortunately, unable to find out exactly why this specific memorial to those particular soldiers was created nor exactly when the memorial was installed.

Location;

Lenin Square (Ploshchad Lenina)

GPS;

48.7166934° N

44.5303396° E

DMS;

48°42′59.42″ N

44°31′49.29″ E

How to get there;

The entrance/exit of the Ploshchad Lenina Metro station is right at the square. Also any bus heading in the direction of Mamayev Kurgan, from the centre of town, passes by the square. The square is also on the way to the Stalingrad Panorama Museum, the Stalingrad Siege Museum.

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