On the right and left banks of the Oka River, at a distance of about 200 km from Moscow, is the wonderful city of Kaluga, founded in 1371. In the XVII century, the city was badly damaged by the defeat organized by the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, and later by strong fires and epidemics. And only in 1775, when the Empress visited the city, the territory of Kaluga began to expand, and the city itself developed.
Today, among many attractions and memorable places, Victory Square in Kaluga deserves special attention. The memorial was erected in honor of the fallen soldiers during the Second World War.
How did Victory Square change?
This memorial complex is located at the intersection of the main streets: Stepan Razin, Kirov and Marshal Zhukov. It has several symbolic sculptures and monuments. The main monument, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the city from German invaders, was opened in 1966 on December 28th. After 4 years, the Eternal Flame was lit on the square, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who died during the fighting for the city. In 1973, in Kaluga, Victory Square was supplemented with a bronze statue mounted on a monument 30 meters high. It represents the Motherland, holding in one hand a model of the first satellite of the Earth, personifying space exploration, and in the other developing ribbon, as a symbol of the Oka River. In the spring of 1975, the remains of a soldier transferred from the Ilyinsky borders were buried under the monument. Also on the square there is a monument in honor of the prisoners of concentration camps and a monument dedicated to the Soviet commander Marshal G.K. Zhukov.
Currently, Kaluga Victory Square is decorated with bright flower beds and alleys. In the shade of the trees are convenient benches for visitors and strolling citizens. Around the monument built a pool with fountains.
What is more remarkable city?
Kaluga is a historical part of Russia. Many political and cultural figures, such as Tsiolkovsky, Gogol, Chizhevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin and others, are associated with this city. In addition to Victory Square, there are monuments in Kaluga that deserve special attention.
At the entrance to the city on the Oka coast, there is a monument that was opened in 1977 and dedicated to the 600th anniversary of Kaluga. Artistic and architectural composition is a sphere that personifies the planet Earth. Nearby is a tall obelisk, in the center of which there is a bas-relief of titanium in the form of a profile of a man conquering space. A marble slab with the image of K. E. Tsiolkovsky and 5 pedestals with images of significant historical events of the past are also installed on a wide viewing area. The observation deck offers stunning views of the Gagarinsky bridge and the right bank of the river. The panorama fascinates with its view in the evening, when spotlights and backlight are lit.
Space connection
Many monuments in Kaluga are devoted to astronautics, since it was in this city that the great scientist and inventor K. E. Tsiolkovsky lived and worked on space exploration. Several monuments were erected in his honor, but the main sculpture is located in the square of Peace. It is a rocket, at the foot of which stands a figure depicting a scientist looking up. The composition was established in 1958.
Part of the space museum is in the open air, where exhibits of various rockets are exhibited, among which the Vostok rocket occupies the main place on a separate site. It is visible at the entrance to the historical part of the city and from the side of the Yachen reservoir.
First flight
There are also monuments in Kaluga dedicated to the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. One of them is located opposite the entrance to the space museum. The figure depicts Gagarin as a young man in simple clothes with outstretched arms trying to cover the whole sky. The monument is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first man’s flight into outer space. Yuri Gagarin visited Kaluga several times and was present when laying a stone in the foundation of the future museum. He threw a coin of 5 cents, which is currently in the building among many exhibits dedicated to space.
