Description of the attraction
The monument is located at the intersection of avenues - Kirov Avenue and Kolsky Avenue. The monument was opened in August - 10th of 2001. The opening took place on the eve of the anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine. The monument is dedicated to the residents of Murmansk who died performing their military duty in conflicts and local wars.
The opening ceremony of the monument was attended by relatives and friends of the dead servicemen, those who took a direct part in hostilities on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad, veterans and home front workers of the Great Patriotic War, townspeople, as well as border guards and sailors from the North Sea. To the sound of the National Anthem, a white veil slowly descended from the granite monument. A minute of silence was completed by a weapon salute. Many flowers were laid at the foot of the monument.
The construction of the monument began on the initiative of the first mayor of Murmansk, Oleg Petrovich Naydenov. Architects E. Khasanova and N. Zheleznyak became the authors of the project. The monument is quite original both in concept and implementation. The composition is made of red, which has a dark shade, polished granite and is a symbolic heart that breaks the tree from the inside. One half of the tree is covered with leaves, which symbolizes life, the other half of the leaves is devoid and means death. The tree is made of cast iron, the weight of the tree is 150 kilograms, it reaches a height of 2 m 40 cm. The total height of the composition is slightly more than three meters. On the black granite ribbon located in the lower part, there is an inscription in gold: "To the Murmansk people who died in the line of military duty and defending the interests of the Fatherland." Two not very high stone slabs - round-shaped steps serve as a pedestal for the memorial. The ensemble is complemented by original lamps. The monument does not press with its size and looks very organic. The simplicity and grandeur of the monument have a great emotional impact on everyone who comes to its foot.
The second half of the last century for our country turned out to be an endless series of local wars and various armed conflicts. Angola, Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, Hungary, Egypt, Nicaragua, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia - in these, as well as in other countries, at different times there were our troops performing military duty. Sometimes they were full armies, sometimes only small contingents - they were united by only one thing - they all carried out the combat order. Many ordinary soldiers and officers, faithful to the oath, carrying out combat orders, fell in battles that are unknown to the general public.
The collapse of the USSR was also accompanied by a series of immense military conflicts. New hotbeds of tension arose on the borders of the former state, new conflicts flared up: Abkhazia, Karabakh, Transnistria, Tajikistan and, of course, Chechnya. And again Murmansk loses its best sons in distant wars. Afghanistan and Chechnya, as well as the names of other, more distant, countries have become for many residents of Murmansk a symbol of boundless grief.
In the fall of 2000, in a solemn atmosphere, a stone was laid at the site of the construction of the future monument. According to the promise of the mayor of Murmansk, Oleg Naydenov, the construction of the monument was completed in a year. In summer, the obelisk is almost invisible behind the wall erected by dense mountain ash and northern birch trees. But moving slightly away from the noisy highway, you find yourself in an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Here, in a cozy park, you can forget that the city is noisy nearby, living with its dynamic and intense rhythm.
