You can safely call it art the highest level literally and figuratively. Since ancient times, statues have been a way for people to show their devotion to religion or to commemorate a significant historical figure. Obviously, the larger the statue, the greater its grandeur, so here are the top 10 most tall statues in the world. Perhaps you have already visited the places listed below and the sculptures made an indelible impression on you, please share your experience.
For example, I was, of course, in Moscow and saw the Monument to Peter the Great, and also in New York I took pictures with the Statue of Liberty; I have plans to visit Rio de Janeiro and climb to the Statue of Christ the Redeemer.
10. Christ the Redeemer Statue with outstretched arms is located on the top of Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, is a symbol of the city and Brazil as a whole. The height of one of the most famous statues in the world is 38 m.
9. Monument-sculpture "Motherland", is located in Kyiv on the banks of the Dnieper, rises 62 m into the sky and is 102 meters tall including the pedestal.
8. Statue “The Motherland Calls!”, standing in Russian city Volgograd, dedicated to the “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”. The total height of the monument is 85 m. The statue is an image of the Motherland calling its sons to fight the enemy.
7. Statue of Liberty(illuminating the world) is perhaps the most famous sculpture in the world, often called the symbol of the United States. The copper statue is located on Liberty Island in New York, its height is 93 m including the base.
6. Sculptural Monument to Peter I in Moscow. The monument is 98 m high, made of bronze and stainless steel, installed on artificial island at the confluence of the Moskva River and the Obvodny Canal. The monument was designed by Georgian architect Zurab Tsereteli and it is unofficially believed that the sculpture was originally dedicated to Christopher Columbus, but after being rejected by the American government, it was sold to Russia as a representation of Peter the Great.
5. Buddha statue - Sendai Dai Kannon located in the Japanese city of Sendai. It is the sixth tallest statue in the world at 100m and has an elevator for tourists to climb to the top of the statue and enjoy the breathtaking view.
4. Sculptures first two emperors China Ian And Juan, are located in Zhengzhou city in China. The height of the sculptures is 106 m, which is the fifth tallest statue in the world.
3. Statue of the goddess Guanyin in Sanya 108 m high is located on Hainan Island in China. The statue has three faces, one facing the Chinese mainland and the other two facing the South China Sea, blessing China.
2. Bronze Buddha statue Ushiku Daibutsu installed in Japan in the city of Ushiku. Its height, together with the platform and pedestal in the shape of a lotus flower, is 120 m. Tourists who want to admire the surroundings can take the elevator to observation deck at an altitude of 85 meters.
- this is the most big statue in the world, made of copper. Located in Henan Province in China. Its height is 128 m, including the pedestal, but if we also take into account the hill on which the statue is located, the height will be 208 m.
The Great Patriotic War will apparently never be forgotten. The Victory was too hard for us. In every city there are either squares or parks and squares where monuments are erected to its heroes.
Woman with a sword
An entire ensemble was created on the famous Mamayev Kurgan (Volgograd). It is dedicated to those who won the Ideological and compositional center of this large structure- a sculpture that is known all over the world. It's called "The Motherland Calls!" True, not everyone is aware that it itself is not independent, but part of a triptych, but at least central.
The second part of the complex is the composition “Rear to Front”. It was completed and stands in Magnitogorsk. A worker is shown presenting a sword to a warrior. And they forged it just in the Urals. And the whole ensemble is completed by the well-known monument - “Warrior-Liberator”. Location: Berlin.
The tallest
Many are interested in the height of the “Motherland” statue in Volgograd. We answer: 85 meters, and the woman’s height is 52 m. The weight of the structure is 8000 tons. The length of the sword is 3300 cm. And it weighs no less than 14,000 kg! These are the “passport” parameters of this unique work.
In the year of completion of construction, the sculpture turned out to be the largest in the world. She was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. Compare: the Statue of Liberty rises 46 meters from the pedestal, and the height of Christ (the Redeemer) is only 38. Today, given the height of the “Motherland,” experts have given it 11th place on the list
It was a long time ago
The construction of such a memorial was given extreme importance. Everything was taken into account. And also what is the height of the “Motherland” statue. There were no restrictions either in money or in the most modern building materials. The best creators were invited. The main one here was Evgeniy Vuchetich - People's Artist of the USSR, participant in the Great Patriotic War. He has already made a wonderful army (ten years ago), which adorns Berlin's Treptower Park. Also his work is “Let us beat swords into ploughshares.” The sculpture is displayed in front of the UN building in New York.
The head of the engineering group was Nikolai Nikitin, a professor of architecture, as well as a doctor technical sciences. In the 50s he designed the buildings of Moscow State University. In the future he will be assigned to work on Ostankino Tower. Now calculations of particular complexity were needed. Because this monument is super tall. The “Motherland” in Volgograd must be impeccable.
Vasily Chuikov, the marshal, took over the consultation from a military point of view. At the front he was nicknamed “assault commander.” It was he who commanded the 62nd Army, which did not surrender Mamaev Kurgan to the enemy. During the defense of Stalingrad, Chuikov came up with special assault groups. They suddenly broke into houses, passing through underground communications. The Germans could not even understand where this blow came from.
After the war, the marshal was rewarded for his work on the monument in an original way: he was allowed (at his request) to be buried on Mamayev Kurgan, next to those 34,505 soldiers who died defending Stalingrad. In 1982, their commander himself was buried near the “Motherland”.
The architectural and engineering group created the figure of a woman (the height of the “Motherland” statue, as we have already said, is 85 meters), who takes an impetuous, energetic step forward. In her hand is a sword raised against the invaders. the country is calling its people to fight the enemy.
Prototype of the statue
And who, I wonder, posed for the sculptor then? The candidate, Valentina Izotova, was found by chance. Now she is a pensioner, a resident of Volgograd. And then she was 26 years old. And she worked as a waitress in one restaurant. There she was seen by Vuchetich’s assistant, also the sculptor L. Maistrenko. He liked Izotova’s stern, serious face, her athletic figure, and her purposeful look. The candidacy was approved.
This work took Valentina Ivanovna two years. Be that as it may, the creative process is a complex matter. Especially considering how incredible the height of the sculpture is. “Motherland” in Volgograd really turned out to be outstanding. People come from everywhere to look at it and pay tribute to the defenders of the country. At night, the light of powerful spotlights falls on the monument (the height of the “Motherland” is truly amazing) and the impression is very strong.
Interesting fact. When we decided to develop the design of the flag and the region, we decided to take the silhouette as a basis. There were no other opinions. And on the postage stamp of the GDR, issued in 1983, there is the same image.
Not an easy job
When you visit this place, you understand the full significance of those battles. For more than four months (more precisely, 140 days), there were bloody, brutal battles for just one point - height No. 102. And every piece of this land is still dangerous. Although more than 70 years have passed since there are no more shots or volleys here, people still find shells on the hill today that did not explode then. That is why this territory was chosen to perpetuate the feat of people.
Construction of the unusual monument (the height of the “Motherland” is very large) began in 1959, in the spring. Completed in the fall of 1967. That is, the work went on for more than eight years. First, laying the concrete foundation. A base box was placed on top. The builders intended to cover the pedestal with stones. But an order came from Secretary General Khrushchev, and 150 thousand tons of earth were poured on top in order to further strengthen the foundation. Therefore, today the top of the mound is imported.
Under the sculpture (the height of the “Motherland” is amazing) lies a thick (one and a half meters) slab and another base of 16 meters.
Smaller layout
When it was the turn of the woman’s figure, they cast it right here on the hill. How could it be otherwise, if the height of the “Motherland” statue in Volgograd is extremely large! But a scaled-down (exactly ten times) model stood nearby. And so, gradually, looking at the stencil, they poured tier after tier. This is how the “woman” was collected. Cars with cargo arrived here around the clock. Everything was done very efficiently. The concrete, for example, was taken exactly the same as that allocated for the Volga hydroelectric power station. And the fillers for it were also chosen most carefully.
But now the whole figure is ready. Then they grabbed their heads. True, they cast it separately. And they lifted me up by helicopter. There was no other way to do it. The height of the “Motherland” did not allow it.
I had to work a lot with the sword. At first it was made of stainless steel, sheathed with durable pieces (made of titanium). However, it swayed and rattled loudly in the wind. That is why in 1972 this weapon was removed and another steel structure was installed.
Restoration
Restoration activities were carried out in 1972 and 1986. Five years ago we were engaged in ensuring his safety. After all, the height of the “Motherland” monument in Volgograd is, to say the least, decent. She's huge! And over time, everything changes, ages, weakens. And this is even despite the fact that the thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the monument is 25-30 cm. Inside, it is assembled from large individual cells. The frame, while rigid in itself, is still supported by 119 cables made of durable metal. And they constantly experience powerful tension.
The heaviest sword with its simply fabulously gigantic size swayed from the wind. And where it was attached to the woman’s hand, excessive tension arose. The design of the sword became deformed over time. So we worked on this problem as well.
Sliding Down
Since the height of the “Motherland” is great, and the figure stands on clay soil, which is slowly but invariably sliding towards the Volga, experts sounded the alarm. After all, the statue may collapse. It has already shifted by 214 mm. And this is almost 80 percent of what was allowed by initial calculations. But experts say the planned strength has not yet been exhausted.
This project was conceived for a deviation of 272 mm. And its base was slightly deformed. In total, the norm was only 90 mm. After the next restoration, the monument will last a long time.
Large and tall statues have been built since ancient times. For example, the Great Sphinx, built by the ancient Egyptians, was 20 meters in height. However, over the last century, a number of statues have been built that are much taller than the ancient wonders of the world. In this list I will list the 7 tallest statues in the world on this moment
7. Sculpture Motherland in Kyiv
This is a monument in honor of the Great Patriotic War, calling for patriotism. The creation of the sculpture was completed in 1981; the statue itself rises 62 meters, and together with the overall structure the height is 102 meters. The weight of the statue is 560 tons. Interestingly, the sculpture Motherland in Volgograd, on Mamayev Kurgan, is much more famous, but its height is 54 meters
6. Sculpture of Emperors Yan and Huan
This sculpture was carved into the rock, taking more than two decades to complete. Its creation was completed in 2007. the total height of the sculpture is 106 meters. For those who do not know, the sculpture is dedicated to the two very first emperors of China - Yan Di and Huan Di
5. Guan Yin Statue in China
The 108-meter-tall statue of Huan Yin Bodhisattva is located on south coast Hainan Islands in China. It took 6 years to create the statue, the work was completed in 2005
4. Cristo Rey statue (110 meters)
This statue was built under inspiration from the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in 1959. It took 10 years to build and the statue is exactly the same size as the one in Rio. the total height of the monument is 110 meters
3. Ushiku Daibutsu statue in Japan (120 meters)
The Ushiku Daibutsu statue is dedicated to Amitabha Buddha and is located in the city of Ushiku in Japan. It was built in 1995. This is the third tallest statue in the world, the total height of the monument is 120 meters. There is an elevator inside the statue that takes you to the observation platform at the top of the statue.
2. Laykyun Setkyar in Myanmar (130 meters)
This statue is the second tallest in the world. It is built on Kaung Hill in central Myanmar. At his feet is also the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world. The reclining Buddha was built in 1991, and the tall Laykyun Setkyar in 2008
1. Buddha of the Spring Temple (153 meters)
This is the largest and tallest statue in the world. The total height of the entire monument is 153 meters. Construction of this sculpture began after terrorists blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. The statue was completed in 2008 
The graph below clearly demonstrates the size of the Spring Buddha in relation to the Statue of Liberty, the Motherland in Volgograd and Christ the Redeemer 
Volgograd, May 8 - AiF-Volgograd. Phidias, Praxiteles, Rodin - the whole world knows these names. Thanks to the skilled turtle, the name of the sculptor Donatello is well known. But our history also had its own sculptors who received universal recognition. So, in Volgograd, for example, there are works by Vera Mukhina (on the dome of the Planetarium) and Evgeny Vuchetich (Mamaev Kurgan and the statue of Lenin (until 1960 - Stalin) on the Fadeev embankment).
We are the envy of all the bourgeoisie...
By the way, Vuchetich is the author of two statues of the Motherland. The central figure of the memorial on Mamayev Kurgan is perhaps the pinnacle (in all senses) of the famous sculptor’s work. Here the gigantism of Vuchetich’s thinking was fully demonstrated.
“What did we want to tell people with this monument on the site of bloody battles and immortal exploits? - he said after construction was completed architectural ensemble. - We sought to convey, first of all, the indestructible moral spirit of Soviet soldiers, their selfless devotion to the Motherland. The monument to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad is a monument to the greatest historical event. And therefore we were looking for large-scale, especially monumental solutions and forms that, in our opinion, would allow us to most fully convey the scope of mass heroism.”
However, the size of the complex is determined not only by the author’s vision, but also by Khrushchev’s direct instructions: the Motherland should be higher than the American Statue of Liberty. Higher means higher. Business...
Sisters in arms
After the death of Evgeniy Vuchetich, the construction of the second Motherland was completed: in Kyiv. The statue itself is smaller than the Volgograd one, but it stands on a 40-meter pedestal, inside of which there is a museum. Therefore, the colossus can be seen from afar.
Initially, they planned to cover the figure with gold leaf, but then this idea was abandoned. In general, Vuchetich’s project underwent some changes, since after his death the Kiev master Vasily Borodai, who had his own vision, took up the matter.
The metal statue was built using a crane specially made for this construction site. They did not have time to dismantle that crane before the commissioning of the facility and simply cut it with an autogenous gun. And the ends go into the water. In the literal sense: the metal frame was drowned in the Dnieper so as not to be an eyesore to the party authorities.
Sometimes residents of Volgograd and Kiev argue about whose Motherland is better. Residents of other cities in Russia and Ukraine are being drawn into the controversy. From sculpture they break into politics. But both buildings have their admirers. In addition, both “mothers” have the same father: Evgeniy Vuchetich. And he did not design his statues in order to pit nations against each other. After all, the Motherland at that time was one for everyone. And both “daughters” of Vuchetich, it seems, look at each other calmly and affably. They know better from above...
Sculpture “The Motherland Calls!” — the compositional center of the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. One of the tallest statues in the world.
Above the Square of Sorrow rises a huge hill, which is crowned by the main monument - the Motherland. This is a mound about 14 meters high, in which the remains of 34,505 soldiers - defenders of Stalingrad are buried. A serpentine path leads to the top of the hill to the Motherland, along which there are 35 granite tombstones of Heroes of the Soviet Union, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad. From the foot of the mound to its top, the serpentine consists of exactly 200 granite steps 15 cm high and 35 cm wide - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Mamayev Kurgan in the winter of 1945. In the foreground is a broken German RaK 40 cannon.
The end point of the path is the monument “The Motherland is calling!”, the compositional center of the ensemble, highest point mound. Its dimensions are enormous - the height of the figure is 52 meters, and total height of the Motherland - 85 meters(along with the sword). For comparison, the height of the famous Statue of Liberty without its pedestal is only 45 meters. At the time of construction, the Motherland was the tallest statue in the country and in the world. Later, the Kiev Motherland with a height of 102 meters appeared. Today, the tallest statue in the world is the 120-meter Buddha statue, built in 1995 and located in Japan, in the city of Chuchura. The total weight of the Motherland is 8 thousand tons. In her right hand she holds a steel sword, which is 33 meters long and weighs 14 tons. Compared to the height of a person, the sculpture is increased 30 times. The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the Motherland is only 25-30 centimeters. It was cast layer by layer using special formwork made from plaster materials. Inside, the rigidity of the frame is supported by a system of more than a hundred cables. The monument is not attached to the foundation and is held by gravity. Motherland stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. To enhance the effect of the monument being located at the very peak point of the mound, an artificial embankment 14 meters high was made.
Stalingrad, Mamayev Kurgan. In the foreground is the Renault UE Chenillette, a light French armored personnel carrier that was in service with the Wehrmacht.
As soon as the cannonade subsided in Stalingrad, the grateful country began to think about what the monument to the creators of this great victory should be like. Drawings and sketches were sent not only by professionals, but also by people of completely different professions. Some sent them to the Academy of Arts, others to the State Defense Committee, some personally to Comrade Stalin. Moreover, everyone saw the future monument as grandiose, of unprecedented size, to match the significance of the victory itself.
The All-Union competition was announced immediately after the war. All prominent Soviet architects and architects took part. The results were summed up ten years later. Although few doubted that Stalin Prize laureate Evgeniy Vuchetich would win. By that time, he had already created a memorial in Berlin's Treptow Park and enjoyed the trust of the top officials of the state. On January 23, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to begin construction of the monument-ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan. In May 1959, construction began to boil.
In his work, Vuchetich addressed the theme of the sword three times - the sword is raised by the Motherland on the Mamayev Kurgan, calling for the expulsion of the conquerors; A victorious warrior cuts a fascist swastika with a sword in Berlin's Treptow Park; the worker forges the sword onto the plow in the composition “Let’s beat swords into ploughshares,” expressing the desire of people of good will to fight for disarmament in the name of the triumph of peace on the planet. This sculpture was donated by Vuchetech to the United Nations and was installed in front of the headquarters in New York, and a copy of it was given to the Volgograd gas equipment plant, in whose workshops the Motherland was born). This sword was born in Magnitogorsk (during the war, every third shell and every second tank was made of Magnitogorsk metal), where the monument to the Rear Front was erected.
During the construction of the monument motherland Many changes were made to the finished project. Few people know that initially on the top of the Mamayev Kurgan there was supposed to be a sculpture of the Motherland with a red banner and a kneeling soldier on a pedestal (according to some versions, the author of this project was Ernst Neizvestny). According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to the monument. But subsequently Vuchetich changed the basic idea of the monument. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the country faced more than 2 years of bloody battles and Victory was still far away. Vuchetich left the Motherland alone, now she called on her sons to begin the victorious expulsion of the enemy.
He also removed the pompous pedestal of the Motherland, which practically repeated the one on which his victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. Instead of monumental stairs (which, by the way, were already built), a serpentine path appeared near the Motherland. The Motherland itself has “grown” relative to its original size - its height has reached 36 meters. But this option was not final either. Soon after finishing work on the foundation of the main monument, Vuchetich (on Khrushchev’s instructions) increases the size of the Motherland to 52 meters. Because of this, the builders had to urgently “load” the foundation, for which 150 thousand tons of earth were placed in the embankment.
In the Timiryazevsky district of Moscow, at Vuchetich’s dacha, where his workshop was located and today the architect’s house-museum, you can see working sketches: a reduced model of the Motherland, as well as a life-size model of the statue’s head.
In a sharp, swift impulse, a woman stood up on the mound. With a sword in her hands, she calls on her sons to defend the Fatherland. Her right leg is slightly laid back, her torso and head are vigorously turned to the left. The face is stern and strong-willed. Knitted eyebrows, a wide open, screaming mouth, short hair blown by gusts of wind, strong arms, a long dress that fits the body, the ends of a scarf blown by gusts of wind - all this creates a feeling of strength, expression and an irresistible desire to move forward. Against the background of the sky, she is like a bird soaring in the sky.
The sculpture of the Motherland looks great from all sides at any time of the year: in summer time, when the mound is covered with a continuous grass carpet, and on a winter evening - bright, illuminated by the rays of searchlights. The majestic statue, protruding against the background of the dark blue sky, seems to grow out of the mound, merging with its snowy cover.
The work of the sculptor E.V. Vuchetich and engineer N.V. Nikitin represents a multi-meter figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling its sons to fight the enemy. In an artistic sense, the statue is a modern interpretation of the image of the ancient goddess of victory Nike, who calls on her sons and daughters to repel the enemy and continue the offensive.
Construction of the monument began in May 1959 and was completed on October 15, 1967. The sculpture at the time of its creation was the tallest sculpture in the world. Restoration work on the Main monument of the monument-ensemble was carried out twice: in 1972 and 1986, in particular in 1972 the sword was replaced.
The prototype of the sculpture was Valentina Izotova (according to other sources, Anastasia Antonovna Peshkova, a graduate of the Barnaul Pedagogical School in 1953).
68-year-old Valentina Izotova was the model for the creation of the famous Russian Motherland memorial. For almost 40 years she did not talk about the fact that she participated in its creation.
Could I refuse when the sculptors asked me to sit for a statue in memory of the enormous losses suffered by the Red Army at Stalingrad? But I was horrified when they said I had to pose nude.
It was the early 1960s, and decent women didn't take their clothes off in front of anyone but their husbands. Artists, even such respected and famous ones as Lev Maistrenko, who worked on the memorial, meant nothing to the 26-year-old woman.
It was Lev who approached me. I worked as a waitress in the main restaurant of the city, Volgograd - it is still there - and usually served the room reserved for high-ranking party functionaries and delegations. Lev said that I was beautiful and embodied all the physical and moral qualities of an ideal Soviet woman. Of course, I was flattered, how could it be otherwise?
Curiosity got the better of me and I agreed to pose. None of us had any idea how famous “Motherland” would become. Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) is as famous for this sculpture as for the battle that took place here.
My husband did not like the fact that I would pose for a group of artists sent from Moscow. He was terribly jealous and took me to every session to the studio they set up in an old gas apparatus factory.
After a while it became a job like any other, I hardly thought about the fact that I was standing in a swimsuit, and I was glad that I was paid three rubles a day, since at that time it was a decent amount. But only six months later I finally gave in to the sculptors’ persuasion to take off my bra and expose my breasts. But that was all. I was unshakable in my determination to maintain the remnants of modesty and not pose completely naked. It was unthinkable.
No one except relatives and closest friends knew about this. Soon after the sessions ended, I went to receive my first higher education: I have two diplomas - an economist and an engineer. Then I left Volgograd and began to live and work in Norilsk.
After the opening of the memorial in 1967, I thought little about it and moved on with my life.
In October 2010, work began to ensure the safety of the statue.
The sculpture is made from prestressed concrete blocks - 5,500 tons of concrete and 2,400 tons of metal structures (excluding the base on which it stands).
The total height of the monument is 85-87 meters. It is installed on a concrete foundation 16 meters deep. The height of the female figure is 52 meters (weight is over 8 thousand tons).
The statue stands on a slab only 2 meters high, which rests on the main foundation. This foundation is 16 meters high, but it is almost invisible - most of it is hidden underground. The statue stands freely on the slab, like a chess piece on a board.
The thickness of the reinforced concrete walls of the sculpture is only 25-30 centimeters. Inside, the entire statue consists of individual chamber cells, like rooms in a building. The rigidity of the frame is maintained by ninety-nine metal cables that are constantly under tension.
The sword, 33 meters long and weighing 14 tons, was originally made of stainless steel covered with titanium sheets. The huge mass and high windage of the sword, due to its colossal size, caused the sword to sway strongly when exposed to wind loads, which led to excessive mechanical stress at the point where the hand holding the sword was attached to the body of the sculpture. Deformations in the sword's structure also caused the titanium plating sheets to move, creating an unpleasant sound of rattling metal. Therefore, in 1972, the blade was replaced with another one - consisting entirely of fluorinated steel - and holes were provided in the upper part of the sword, which made it possible to reduce its windage. The reinforced concrete structure of the sculpture was strengthened in 1986 on the recommendation of the NIIZHB expert group led by R. L. Serykh.
There are very few similar sculptures in the world, for example, the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the “Motherland” in Kyiv, the monument to Peter I in Moscow. For comparison, the height of the Statue of Liberty from its pedestal is 46 meters.
The most complex calculations of the stability of this structure were carried out by Doctor of Technical Sciences N.V. Nikitin, the author of the calculation of the stability of the Ostankino TV tower. At night, the statue is illuminated by spotlights.
“The horizontal displacement of the upper part of the 85-meter monument is currently 211 millimeters or 75% of what was allowed by calculations. Deviations have been going on since 1966. If from 1966 to 1970 the deviation was 102 millimeters, then from 1970 to 1986 - 60 millimeters, until 1999 - 33 millimeters, from 2000-2008 - 16 millimeters,” said the director of the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve. Battle of Stalingrad" Alexander Velichkin.
Interesting Facts
- The sculpture “Motherland” is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculpture-statue in the world at that time. Its height is 52 meters, arm length is 20 meters and sword length is 33 meters. The total height of the sculpture is 85 meters. The weight of the sculpture is 8 thousand tons, and the sword - 14 tons (for comparison: the Statue of Liberty in New York is 46 meters high; the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters). Currently, the statue ranks 11th on the list of the tallest statues in the world.
- Vuchetich told Andrei Sakharov: “The bosses ask me why her mouth is open, because it’s ugly. I answer: And she screams - for the Motherland... your mother! - shut up."
- There is a legend according to which, shortly after its creation, a man got lost in the sculpture; after that no one saw him. But it's just a legend
- The silhouette of the sculpture “Motherland” was taken as a basis when developing the coat of arms and flag of the Volgograd region
During construction, Vuchetich made changes to the project more than once. Little known fact: At first, the main monument of the ensemble was supposed to look completely different. At the top of the mound, the author wanted to place a sculpture of the “Motherland” with a red banner and a kneeling soldier. According to the original plan, two monumental staircases led to it. They managed to be built when Vuchetich went to Khrushchev, the then leader of the country, and convinced him that it would be better if people began to climb a serpentine path to the top.
But these are not all the changes that the master made to the finished project. Valentina Klyushina, who was the deputy director of the memorial for many years, told me about how all this happened. During the years of the complex’s creation, she worked in the Volgograd City Executive Committee and supervised the construction.
- “Motherland” Vuchetich decided to leave alone. He also removed the pompous pedestal, almost identical to the one on which his Victorious Soldier stands in Treptower Park. The main figure became taller - 36 meters. But this option did not last long. The builders barely had time to make the foundation when the author increased the size of the sculpture. Up to 52 meters! In the competition between superpowers, it was necessary for the main monument of the USSR to be higher than american statue Freedom. It was necessary to urgently “load” the foundation so that it could support the 85-meter (including the sword) sculpture, weighing 8 thousand tons. 150 thousand tons of earth were then placed in the embankment. And since the deadlines were pressing, a military battalion was assigned to help the brigades.
There is also a problem with the current Hall military glory. It was planned to install a panorama canvas there. As soon as the “box” of the building was built, Vuchetich decided that the panorama should be placed separately. Which is what they did then. And in the finished structure along the perimeter of the walls there are mosaic banners with the names of the fallen defenders of the city. The author also quickly passed this question through the CPSU Central Committee.
There was also an embarrassment with these same banners. Here's what Klyushina said:
Masters from Leningrad worked with mosaics. And the art glass was supplied from the Ukrainian city of Lisichansk. Mosaicists laid out the interior as material became available. When everything was ready and the scaffolding was removed, everyone gasped. The tones on the wall were so different that it resembled a chessboard. The deadline for the project was approaching. And Vuchetich had no choice but to call “up.” This time to Brezhnev. He immediately dialed the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Shelesta, and explained the task to him. In short, a few days later the cars were delivered to Volgograd with new glass.
Now imagine: it’s June, there are four months left before the opening of the memorial. And we need to restore the forests again, prepare and lay more than a thousand square meters of multi-colored glass pieces. Here the legendary commander of the 62nd Army Vasily Chuikov helped a lot. By the way, he was Vuchetich’s main consultant on the project. 500 soldiers were assigned to the construction headquarters. The fighters worked like Stakhanov. Within three weeks, the interior of the hall acquired its intended form.
But these are not all the difficulties faced by the creators of the complex. On one of the spring days of the same 1967, a critical situation arose with a 33-meter sword.
...As usual, the chief engineer of Volgogradgidrostroy, Yuri Abramov, went to work at the headquarters in the morning. On the way, he came across a flock of boys arguing... why is the sword in the hand of the “Motherland” swinging so much? Abramov raised his head and was horrified. They immediately carried out an operational investigation, and the very next day a special commission arrived from Moscow. It soon became clear that the designers did not take into account the data from many years of observations of the wind rose. So it turned out that the sword turned out flat in relation to the wind. We urgently had to make several holes in it so that it could ventilate freely. In addition, the commission generally recommended replacing the heavy titanium sword with a lighter steel one.
At the very end of the construction, 50 powerful spotlights were needed to illuminate the sculpture. They couldn't get them anywhere. The country at that time was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - and everything that was produced went to Moscow and Leningrad according to orders. Klyushina was sent to the capital to see the Chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee, Promyslov. He said that Moscow was unable to help. And he advised me to go to the manufacturing plant. And Klyushina rushed to the city of Gusev, in the Kaliningrad region. The director of Elektromash also just threw up his hands at the request. Then he thought and invited Valentina to speak on the factory radio in front of the workers and ask them to work beyond the norm. Two additional shifts were organized and the Saira searchlights went to Volgograd. On October 15, 1967, the monument-ensemble was inaugurated.
Construction continued for eight years and five months. The memorial remains standing for another forty years. He always looked decent. Even when everything in the country was collapsing and falling into disrepair, the grass on the mound was neatly trimmed. But only the people who work here know what this order costs. And how you have to extort money from authorities of all ranks in order to patch up and repair a huge unique farm.
Someone carelessly said that “Motherland” was so tilted that it might soon fall. This is nonsense. “Any structure of this type,” says the director of the memorial, retired general Vladimir Berlov, “can tilt. This is even provided for by the designers. Let's say the design of our monument is designed for a deviation of 272 millimeters. The figure, Berlov continues, is constantly examined for the formation of cracks and roughness, and its position is analyzed. And an analysis of concrete chips, carried out in a German laboratory, showed the excellent condition of the structure and the presence of the necessary safety margin. It is supported from the inside by 99 tension ropes. Believe me, says the director, this system will never allow the monument to tilt to a critical level.”
You can take a walk with Sergei Dolya inside the monument
And here is a walk with Artemy Lebedev
At the end of June 1941, perhaps the main graphic work of the Great Patriotic War, which was subsequently included in all history textbooks, was released - the poster by Irakli Toidze “The Motherland Calls”. By the artist’s own admission, the idea of creating a collective image of a mother calling her sons for help came to his mind completely by accident. Hearing the first message from the Sovinformburo about the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, Toidze’s wife ran into his workshop shouting “War!” Struck by the expression on her face, the artist ordered his wife to freeze and immediately began sketching the future masterpiece. Subsequently, the very concept of “Motherland” became almost the cornerstone of all Soviet propaganda, embodied in countless imitations and migrated to related areas visual arts, including monumental ones.
] sourceshttp://www.volgastars.ru
http://www.glavagosudarstva.ru
http://waralbum.ru
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
