Mound of Glory
Location: Minsk, Belarus
Constructed: 1967-1969
Architect: O. Stakhovich, L. Mitskevich (architects), A. Bembel and A. Artimovich (sculptor)
Genre: War memorial, Soviet architecture, former USSR
Located on the Moscow Highway, the memorial complex was erected to honour Soviet soldiers who fought during the Great Patriotic War (World War II). The monument was inaugurated in 1969 to mark the 25th anniversary of the liberation of the Byelorussian SSR from German forces during Operation Bagration (23 June – 19 August 1944).
The 70.6-metre memorial (including the hillock) is located on the site where, in July 1944, approximately 150,000 German troops were encircled and defeated by soldiers of the Red Army. The four titanium-faced bayonets represent the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts on which the offensive was fought, whereas the gold-coloured ring depicts the faces of Soviet warriors. The inside of the ring is decorated with mosaic artwork and the words “Glory to the Soviet Army, the Liberator Army!”
The Mound of Glory was subject to large-scale reconstruction between 2003 and 2004.
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