Description of the attraction
The famous memorial complex dedicated to the exploits of Russian weapons is located on the Malakhov Kurgan. This is a strategic height above the city, around which fierce battles unfolded in 1854-55. - in the Crimean War and 1941-42. - during the Great Patriotic War.
Defense of Sevastopol
This place got its name from the man who lived here in the 1830s and commanded one of the workers' companies captain Mikhail Malakhov … He was considered a truthful person, ready to help everyone - and became so famous that the people began to call this hill by his name, and then the name was officially fixed.
The defense of Sevastopol became one of the key episodes of the Crimean War. This is a height that the allied forces stormed for several months before the city was finally captured. It was Malakhov Kurgan who defended the city, first of all, the area that was called the Ship Side. Docks, warehouses and other important facilities were located there.
The height of the mound - 97 meters: almost all of Sevastopol can be seen from here. The main fortifications began to be built here at the beginning of the war under the guidance of an engineer. E. Totleben … These were two bastions and a defensive tower. All this was being built in the summer of 1854 in anticipation of imminent hostilities.
The first bombing raids began in October 1854. On October 17, while inspecting the fortifications, the admiral was wounded in the leg V. Kornilov - the main organizer of the city's defense. The wound was fatal. Some of the fortifications were destroyed, but they were rebuilt at almost the same rate as they were destroyed. When the bombing almost ceased after a November storm that swept away the Allied ships, the fortifications were rebuilt and rebuilt. The ingenious engineer E. Totleben supervised the construction. But the fire intensified and people died: on March 19, 1855, the rear admiral died on these fortifications. Vladimir Istomin, Died on June 28 P. Nakhimov … E. Totleben was wounded in the summer and was soon forced to leave Sevastopol.
In late August - early September, 110 heavy allied guns for the fortification of the Malakhov Kurgan and Sevastopol itself almost turned into ruins from the fire of 110 heavy allied guns. On September 8, the last assault began and by evening the Malakhov Kurgan fell. After that, the Russian troops left the city, blowing up the depots of the remaining ammunition and sinking warships in the bay.
The Great Patriotic War
By the 1940s, Sevastopol was one of the most defended Soviet cities. Three coastal artillery divisions were concentrated here, fortified gun positions were created, and military production was established in the city itself. Several defense factories were engaged in the production of mortars, mines, grenades and the repair of military equipment.
In the fall of 1941, the Germans began to attempt to seize the city. The land garrison was small, and the Wehrmacht forces were advancing not only from the sea, but also from land. The city was blockaded, but continued to defend itself. During the first half of 1942, several assaults followed with the support of aviation: the 8th corps of the Luftwaffe was transferred here. German aircraft made several hundred sorties a day. Heavy siege artillery was used to destroy coastal fortifications. In June, the last assault began and June 30, 1942 Malakhov mound fell.
The occupation of Sevastopol lasted almost two years. The population has decreased several times. Partisan detachments were operating in the surrounding catacombs and ruins. And in April 1944, fighting broke out again - this time the Soviet army liberated the city. Sevastopol was liberated exactly one year before Victory Day - May 9, 1944.
Memorial Complex
Initially, the memorial complex was created in 1905 year to the fiftieth anniversary of the defense of this city in the Crimean War. During the bombing of 1941-42.commemorative signs and the very remnants of the former batteries suffered. The complex received its modern appearance in 1950s.
Now the memorial complex includes the following objects:
The front gate-propylaea and the staircase leading to the top of the mound … The gate was created in 1905 and recreated in the 20th century. The gate architect is A. M. Weisen.
One of the very first monuments of the Crimean War - common grave of French and Russian soldiers who died near Sevastopol in August 1855 … The monument was created in 1872 and restored in 1962. There are two inscriptions on it - in Russian and French, with the general meaning: "the war divided them, but death united them." The mass grave was originally created by French soldiers in Battery Area 127. At first there was a simple wooden cross on it, then a monument appeared, and already in the Soviet years it was decided to restore it - after personal consultation with NS Khrushchev. The author of the new monument was A. L. Sheffer.
In total, in 1905, nine commemorative signs at the sites where batteries were once located … In 1854-1855. it was these batteries that defended the bastions of the Malakhov Kurgan. The signs are made of cast iron. The names of the commanders and the numbers of the batteries are indicated on them. Of particular interest are the memorial signs on the site of the anti-assault battery and battery No. 17 of Senyavin - they are marked with rows of 19th century guns. The place on the former Glasin battery, where on June 25, 1855, admiral P. Nakhimov was mortally wounded, is marked with a memorial plaque.
In 1895, they installed at a height monument to Admiral V. Kornilov who died here - exactly in the place where he was once wounded. The first monument - a cross made of enemy nuclei - was made by order of P. Nakhimov almost immediately. Almost at the same time, the bastion at which this happened began to be officially called Kornilovsky. And the present monument was made according to the project of the artist A. Bilderling at the end of the 19th century. It was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and was recreated already for the memorable date, the 200th anniversary of the founding of Sevastopol, in 1983.
Metal monument-plan of defensive fortifications of the height during the Crimean War … It was staged in 1958 according to the project of E. Zherebtsov, V. Kuznetsov and A. Schaeffer.
Defense of Sevastopol in 1941-42 the following monuments are dedicated:
Monument to battery No. 111/701 with 130-mm guns B-13 … These guns took part in the defense of the city in 1941. They were removed from the destroyer Boykiy. During the restoration of the 50s, the gun yards, cellars and the command post were restored.
Monument to the pilots of the 8th Air Army. This is one of the first Soviet monuments to appear in Crimea. It was installed here in the summer of 1944, a month after the liberation of the city. The monument is a rock from which the Yak-3 plane takes off. It was the support of the 8th Air Army under the command of T. Khryukin on such aircraft that provided the ground forces with a bridgehead for the liberation of the city. The author of the project was V. P. Korolev.
The complex also includes museum dedicated to the defense and liberation of Sevastopol … Its exposition is located in a defensive tower. This tower is part of the fortifications that were built here in 1854 in preparation for the defense on the initiative of Admiral Nakhimov. On the upper tier of the tower there were five cannons, and from the lower tiers, through fifty-two loopholes, it was possible to fire rifle fire. During the first assault on Sevastopol, there were ammunition depots, and then a dressing station. During the second assault, the tower with several defenders heroically defended itself for several hours. In Soviet times, the tower came in handy again - it housed the command post of one of the batteries. The tower was badly damaged and was fully restored as a memorial in the 1950s. The project was developed by architects Yu. N. Belkovich and AT Filimonov. Shields appeared on the tower with the designation of the parts that defended it in the Crimean War, and in 1958 the Eternal Flame was lit here. This was the second Eternal Flame lit in the USSR (the first was in Leningrad on the Field of Mars). Already from him, such fires were lit in Kerch, in Odessa and Novorossiysk. Inside the tower there is a museum exposition dedicated to the defenders of the city in 1854-55: lithographs, uniforms, preserved personal belongings, material from excavations and dioramas created in the 20th century.
And finally, one more object is the famous Friendship Alley of Peoples, founded in 1958. There are many trees planted by leaders of different countries and representatives of international delegations in the post-war years. There are trees planted personally by NS Khrushchev, Ho Chi Minh, K. Voroshilov, Yuri Gagarin and many others. Since 2016, the alley has been reviving: part of the plates with the indication of the type of tree, the year of planting and the name of the planted have been restored. Aged and dried trees are removed and new ones of the same species are planted in their places.
The memorial complex continues to be replenished with new monuments. Most recently, in 2016, during restoration work, the barrel of a 68-pound bombing cannon, cast in 1846, was found. Such cannons could be installed both on battleships and on land - one of them just defended the Malakhov Kurgan. Now the cannon is placed on a pedestal.
Interesting Facts
Muscovites can admire the memorial linden tree planted on the Friendship of Peoples Alley in 2001 by the then mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov.
NS Khrushchev gave permission to restore the French monument when he was told that he was literally a few meters from the trees that they planted together with Maurice Torez on the Friendship of Peoples Alley.
On a note
- Official website:
- How to get there: by buses No. 4, 26, 17, 71 and trolleybuses No. 4, 1, 22, 17 from the center of Sevastopol to the stop "Malakhov Kurgan".
- Opening hours: daily from 07:00 to 22:00. Defensive Tower - 10: 00-18: 00.
- The cost of a ticket to the museum in the Defensive Tower: adults - 200 rubles, children - 100 rubles.
