Description of the attraction
A memorial monument called "Mask of Sorrow" is one of the main monuments of the city of Magadan. The monument on the slope of the Krutoy hill was erected in memory of the victims of political repression. Magadan Oblast, popularly called “Kolyma”, is a symbol of the USSR camp system and Soviet political repression.
The official opening of the memorial took place in June 1996. The funds for the installation of the sculpture were donated by the President of Russia B. Yeltsin, the Magadan City Administration, as well as some funds were allocated by the administrations of various Russian cities, private enterprises and individuals. The initiator and author of this project was the famous sculptor of Russia - Ernst Neizvestny, whose parents were among the victims of the massive political repressions of the 1930s.
The main sculpture of the "Mask of Sorrow" monument-memorial represents the face of a man. If you look closely, you can see tears flowing from the left eye in the form of small masks. As for the right eye, it is depicted as a window with a lattice. On the back of the mask is a bronze sculpture of a weeping woman under a crucifix. This monument is complemented by a wind bell, which makes amazing sounds when the wind blows.
Inside the memorial monument there is a narrow corridor and two small rooms. In one you can see an imitation of a slaughter (pick, stones and other tools), and in the second - a copy of a typical prison cell. Everything in this room is for real - barred windows, bunks and a leaky pea jacket.
On the slope leading to the "Mask of Sorrow" memorial monument, on both sides of the path there are gray stones carved with symbols of different religions. And a little further away are the slabs, where the names of the Soviet concentration camps are indicated. Not far from here there is an observation deck, which offers an amazing panorama of the city of Magadan and its environs.
