Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău – Moldova

Posted on 09/04/2026 by Michael

Victory Memorial – Chișinău – May 9th, 1980

Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău – Moldova

The memorial park to the fallen of the Great Patriotic War in Chișinău is quite a large complex compared to many of the ones I’ve visited in the other post-Soviet Republics. In Moldova such monuments are now called ‘Eternity Memorials’. One aspect of this memorial (which is repeated in other Moldovan towns) is that the Eternal Flame is still burning. Sadly the flame has been extinguished in many places, for example, in Bishtek (Kyrgyzstan) and Tbilisi (Georgia). So at least in this small country there’s still that element of respect to those who had fallen in the anti-Fascist war.

Though it’s quite a large complex I don’t consider it very attractive – and that’s principally down to the colour of the principal structure and the six large stelae on the edge of the site that separate the memorial complex from the city’s main public cemetery.

Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău

The principal structure is in the form of a large, open pyramid formed by five, 25 metre high stylised stone rifles. The numbers 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945 are displayed on each of the struts indicating the years from the time that the Soviet Union was invaded until the year that the Red Army entered Berlin. In the centre is a five pointed star which houses the Eternal Flame.

The problem of this monument, for me, is its garish orange colour. That wasn’t always the case as, originally, both the pyramid and the stelae were the colour of the natural stone when the monument was constructed in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War on 9th May 1975 (when it was known as the Victory Memorial). The structure went through a renovation in time for August 24, 2006, which marked the 62nd anniversary of the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive (an important victory of the Soviet Red Army over the Fascist forces – both German and Romanian – in eastern Romania). It’s almost certain it was during this renovation that the decision was taken to paint the the major structures this stand-out orange colour – an insult (assault) camouflaged as taking care of an important part of Moldova’s heritage.

Eternal Flame

I have read that the pyramid and the Eternal Flame used to have a permanent honour guard (changing every hour on the hour) but that was not the case when I visited in 2025. It’s more than likely that now the honour guard is only in place during the days surrounding the May 9th Victory Day – which is still celebrated (and is a public holiday) in Moldova. This was the situation in May 2025 in Stalingrad in Russia.

At the western edge of the complex is known as the ‘Heroes Cemetery’ where there are a number of memorials, as well as individual graves, to Red Army soldiers who died in Chișinău, either during battles within Chișinău itself in 1941 or in nearby battles towards the end of the conflict in Moldova, in August 1944, when the Nazi forces were being forced back towards their liar in Berlin. In this part of the complex as well as white pillars with the names of individual soldiers there’s a symbolic belfry and a massive bronze laurel crown which is inscribed with the words ‘We didn’t forget you’. This slogan is reflected on the more modern, major monument where can be read the words ‘No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten’. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many in the post-Socialist Republics.

This would seem to indicate that there was a relatively small memorial to those who died in the Great Patriotic War constructed soon after 1945 but it wasn’t until 30 years later that the larger and more substantial monument we see today was constructed.

Red Army Cemetery

As I type this I’m trying to work out why the Revisionists (and traitors to the October Revolution and the Party, as well as the sacrifice of all those who died in the Great Patriotic War to defend Socialism) who were in control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1975 decided to sanction the building of such a major monument in Moldova and the other of the Soviet Republics at, more or less, the same time. All I can come up with is that as they were increasingly flailing having betrayed the cause of Revolutionary Socialism and so they celebrated the past in order to hide their ineptitude in the present.

Another monument, one that is much more recent than those related to the Great Patriotic War, is ‘Grieving Mother’, which is dedicated to the ‘War of Independence of Moldova’ from 1991-1992 which resulted in the establishment of the province of Pridnestrovie (called Transnistria by those in the west that challenge its right to exist) refusing – to this day – to be considered part of the Moldova which wants to integrate/ingratiate itself with the European Union.

There is supposed to be a black cross which was erected on the site of the graves of fallen German soldiers buried here. However, I missed that (if, indeed, it does exist). It seems to be very strange to have such a fascist monument in exactly the same location as the country’s principal monument to the Soviet fallen in the Great Patriotic War. I’ve come across a monument to the German dead in Tirana, Albania – but at least that’s in a different park to the location of the National Martyrs Cemetery. There’s something off about having a memorial to Fascist dead in the country let alone in a complex commemorating the country’s martyrs to fascism.

Along the walkways there are a total of 155 marble slabs with the names of those who died in the battle against Nazism.

As stated above there are six, very large, square stelae (also now painted the same bright orange as the monument containing the Eternal Flame) which contain images of soldiers but at the same time none of them reference the enemy against which they were fighting – that is, German Nazism. Without knowing the context they could be fighting in any 20th century war.

Stela 1941

The first, the one on the left as you look towards the main cemetery with the road at your back, makes an allegorical reference to the war. Here we have a young, almost naked muscular male sitting on the ground (not obviously injured in any way) with his right arm raised, above his head and slightly behind his back. In his hand he holds a huge sword with its point reaching to the edge of the stela. This might mean a willingness and preparedness to fight to defend the cause of Socialism and the lives of his family, friends and comrades. Not really sure I understand why he’s on the ground.

Behind him, is a female standing with her left arm raised with the forearm resting on her head. This would seem to indicate mourning and sadness but also a realisation that the possible sacrifice of the male (as there is no certainty that those going off to war will return) is necessary for the common good. The expression on her face also indicates grief.

In the left-hand top corner of this stela is the number 1941 – the year of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

The next four stelae have images of ranks of armed Soviet soldiers, in all of them marching forward – even though some of their comrades are injured – and urging those behind to join the fight. They are showing determination to throw out the invader although, in the actual war, there were some serious setbacks. But after the victory of the Red Army in Stalingrad the outcome of the war was certain. It was no longer a question of if, it was a question of when.

The final one, with the year 1945 in the top, right-hand corner, celebrates the victory. Here we have the image of three soldiers, almost standing to attention – their weapons no longer pointing towards the enemy. Their uniforms and headwear demonstrating the different units involved and the fur hat of the soldier on the right emphasising that this was a war of all the people’s of the Soviet Republics. The idea of peace is shown by the fact that there’s a young girl standing by the central soldier – who has his left hand resting on her shoulder. It is now safe for her carry on her life as normal, for her and all the children in the Soviet Union.

Near to the gated entrance to the complex there’s an alcove reached by a couple of steps which contains a semi-circle of marble stelae inscribed with the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union – one of them celebrating the achievements of Semyon Timoshenko. I’m not really sure why his name is included on the honour roll here. He was born in the Odesa Oblast in the Ukraine (which is close but still a separate Republic of the Soviet Union) and I’ve seen no reference to him being involved in any of the fronts that were established in Chișinău/Moldova.

Also to be found in this memorial complex to the dead of the Red Army is a Christian chapel. This is now common in such monuments throughout the post-Socialist world. This follows a ‘tradition’ established by the Roman Catholic church from the 15th/16th centuries were Christian churches were placed on top of religious sites of the indigenous American peoples in (now) Central and Southern America. Placing the European religious buildings in such locations was tantamount to thrusting a dagger into the heart of the defeated peoples’ beliefs. This was the so-called ‘extirpation of idolatry’. The same has happened in Europe. Capitalism and its obscurantist appendages are declaring their ‘victory’ over Communism. But such a ‘victory’ is only temporary.

All in all quite a cluttered site with many (often conflicting) messages. But interesting nonetheless.

Sculptors;

A. Maiko and I. Poniatowski

Architect;

A. Minaev.

Location;

9th May 1945 Memorial, Cemetery of the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, Pantelimon Halippa Street 5,

GPS;

47.00906 N

28.83218 E

Vake Park, Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and the Mother of the Place – Tbilisi

Posted on 23/08/2024 by Michael

Vake Park – 01

Vake Park, Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and the Mother of the Place, Tbilisi

The War Memorial in Vake Park, on the edge of Tbilisi centre, has gone through a process of evolution (and then regressed) over the years. However, it’s not easy to find definitive information of when and who.

The park, which might have existed before the Great Patriotic War, became Victory Park in 1946 and a war memorial installed. This would seem to have been a relatively simple affair, possible just a simple ground level marble slab covering the ‘Unknown Warrior’ in front of which was an eternal flame.

Although I’m not certain of the exact chronology it seems matters remained simple until the beginning of the 1980s. Between 1981 and 1985 there was a major construction project that; involved the building of the cascade and fountains in the hill behind the flame; the installation of the 18-meter bronze statue of the Mother of the Place at the very top of the monument; the installation of the eight (of what have now been called the) Georgian Warrior Heroes, guarding the tomb; then the installation of the statue above the tomb and the resitting of the eternal flame, this time with the flame emerging from a red marble star rather than just being an open flame.

All this happened in stages as is illustrated in a photograph from the period.

Tomb of Unknown Warrior and Eternal Flame before 1981

The sculptor of the Mother of the Place and the eight Warriors were created as a package and are the work of Gogi Ochiauri. To me the ‘warriors’ seemed out of place in this park and, although many years later, someone else agreed as in 2009 they were moved and now are installed in a small garden just below the fortress in the town of Gori (the town of Stalin’s birth and the location of the Stalin Museum).

Vake Park – 03

As far as I understand the architects of the reconstruction were; V. Aleksi-Meskhishvili, O. Litanishvili, K. Nakhutsrishvili.

Zurab Tsereteli is also listed as being involved. He was a sculptor and artist who specialised in mosaics – he was responsible for, among others, the Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument at Gudauri, off the ‘military road’ from Tbilisi to the Russian border – so it’s likely he was responsible for the decoration of the fountains and cascade, the line of Georgian red and white flags at the rear of the lower pond and the numbers 1941 and 1945 – the years between which it took to defeat the Nazi hoard.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Georgian: უცნობი ჯარისკაცის საფლავი) commemorates the hundreds of thousands of Georgian soldiers who served and died in the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. It’s possible the creator of this monumental sculpture was Nikola Nikolov. The monument was opened officially by Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Georgian SSR Eduard Shevardnadze, as part of the diamond jubilee of the republic in 1981.

Vake Park – 02

The monument used to be guarded by a ceremonial guard from the National Guard of Georgia, changing every hour in a formal ceremony, as is/was the case in many such locations throughout the Soviet Union. However, this has ceased since elements in Georgia started to court the ‘West’.

Whether the ‘eternal’ flame is ever lit now I can’t say. It’s possible it might be in operation when Georgian veterans of war and residents of the capital gather at the tomb to commemorate holidays such as Victory Day (9th May). As for the fountains those lower down might be functioning but I have my doubts of those above the level of the tomb.

This area has been neglected for years. The area around the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is still kept tidy(ish) but the waterfalls that were created by water cascading from just below the statue of the Mother of the Place high up the hill are now little more than ruins. The steps on either side of the cascades are now no longer easy to negotiate by soil brought down by the rains as there is no longer any regular maintenance.

Location;

76 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue

GPS;

41°42′30″N

44°45′5″E

Stalingrad (Volgograd) Railway Station

Posted on 17/07/2024 by Michael

Stalingrad Railway Station

Stalingrad (Volgograd) Railway Station

It is located in the Central District of the city at Railway Station Square, 1. The station is one of the largest in Russia and serves long-distance trains and suburban trains.

The first railway to serve Tsaritsyn (now Stalingrad/Volgograd) was the Volga-Don railway in 1862. The first railway station was constructed of wood. In 1871 the station was replaced with a brick structure.

Stalingrad Railway Station – October 1942

During the Second World War, the building was almost completely destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad. In the period from July 1951 to May 1954 the new station building was erected on the site of the old building. The station commissioned June 2, 1954. In 1997 the building of the railway station was designated an architectural monument. In 2005, the station building was renovated for the 60th anniversary of Victory Day, the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War.

On December 29, 2013, the station was the site of a suicide bombing in which at least 16 people were killed. The station was re-opened after reconstruction on May 7, 2014, just in time for Victory Day holidays.

The station is a three-story building with a ground floor tower crowned with a spire. The building is made of a combination of brick and concrete, the facade consists of ornamented granite. The interior walls are mainly marble. The ceiling is decorated with stucco and several paintings of the battles that took place in the city.

Text above from Wikipedia.

Aspects of the building;

Sculpture in the pediment at the front of the building

Stalingrad Station – 07

The Apotheosis of Labour – sculptors M. Pavlovskii, N. Pavlovskaya, V. Bezrukov.

I read somewhere that this is supposed to be a ‘copy’ but with no more information. So don’t really understand that as I don’t think this sculpture was installed in the building that was destroyed in the siege – but I might be wrong.

Note the image on the cover of the folder the male on the left is holding – it’s that of the station building itself.

Ceiling murals

There are three of these ceiling panels – one circular over the ticket hall, another circular over the seated waiting area and the third is rectangular in a large room off the ticket hall that used to be a cafe but which is now a VIP/1st Class lounge – which no one seems to use. However, when I asked to take pictures of that ceiling panel, and the room itself, there was no problem.

Stalingrad Station – 05

The first circular panel represents Tsaritsyn/Stalingrad in war – or more specifically, at the very end of war. The first depicts an image of the Red Army in the city after the victory over the White (reactionary and supported by the imperialist countries) forces in 1918 when it was known as Tsaritsyn. Opposite, on the same panel is an image of the events following the defeat of the Nazi invaders in 1943 when the city – now named Stalingrad – could commence reconstruction as the Red Army went on to victory in Berlin.

Stalingrad Station – 04

The second circular panel depicts landmarks in the civilian life of the city. The first, in 1952, is the opening of the Volga Hydroelectric Station and the other is the opening of the Volga-Don canal in 1961.

Note the trees that are on the left and right of each panel, which play the role of separating the two events. In 1918 there is barely a leaf on the tree, there are more come 1943 but when we go into the 1950s and 60s we see the tree come into full leaf, mirroring the successes of the construction of Socialism.

Stalingrad Station – 06

The rectangular panel depicts a bucolic scene of workers on a State/collective farm in the area. Here note the presence of the electricity pylon commemorating the achievement of the electrification of the whole country, a challenge Lenin posed to the country in declarations in the early 1920s.

The artist of all the panels was Yakov Skripkov.

Bas-reliefs at the front of building

Stalingrad Station – 03

On either side of the main entrance to the station, under the tower and clock, are bas reliefs that depict, on the left, a representation of the Civil War and on the right the Siege of Stalingrad in the Great Patriotic War. Note the Nazi standard being trampled underfoot in the second bas relief.

Stalingrad Station – 02

Information boards

Stalingrad Station – 01

On my visit in late May 2024 there were a number of information panels on display on either side of the main station building entrance basically telling the story of the role of the building in the history of the city from the time of the Civil War, through the siege to reconstruction after the war. This was soon after the celebration of Victory Day of May 9th so they may only have been there temporarily.