Cemeteries are not only burial places of people, but also part of the history of our country. Even on a rural graveyard you can find something informative, not to mention the large city necropolises. In our article, we will talk about the Shirokorechenskoye cemetery located in Yekaterinburg.
First graves
In early 1941, the land allocated for burial was just beginning to fill up, there was a lot of free space. Therefore, it was here that soldiers and officers who died during the Great Patriotic War, or, more precisely, who died in Sverdlovsk hospitals, found repose. Shirokorechenskoe cemetery is a special place. It is here, according to the decision of the Sverdlovsk Executive Committee of 1978 and the decree of the head of Yekaterinburg of 1995, that only military personnel who died in the performance of their duty to their homeland, folk artists, honorary citizens of the city, members of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences are buried. Also on its territory was built the church of St. Mark Pechersky.
Two sides of the coin
The Shirokorechenskoye cemetery (Yekaterinburg) is the place where the memorial built in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War is located, in 1985 an obelisk was attached to it. Currently, the memorial is looked after as an object of cultural heritage. In 2015, its restoration was completed. At the same cemetery there is a monument in honor of the Germans who died in captivity during the war. Shirokorechenskoe cemetery became the site of their last resting place. However, in 1952, the site that was specially allocated for these purposes was liquidated along with graves and tombstones.
Need help
Interestingly, in order to maintain the Shirokorechenskoye cemetery in order, a special charity fund was created. He is engaged in collecting money not only for the maintenance of the churchyard and memorial. One of its main goals is the social support of veterans, disabled people, retirees, family members of dead military personnel.
Of course, budget money is allocated for the maintenance of the cemetery, but it is not enough to cover all the necessary expenses. For example, to cut down trees that threaten monuments, additional funds are needed to pay for the work of special services.
Heroes of his time
It's no secret that the 90s of the XX century were difficult for the whole country. But among its inhabitants there were those who did not want to put up with poverty and preferred to strive for a good life at all costs. Often such a struggle led to the death of people, then they were buried in specially designated sections of the cemetery. We are talking about bandits who died in a showdown between two groups.
In Yekaterinburg, power in the city was divided between the "central" and the "Uralmashevsky." The burial place of the members of the first group was the Shirokorechenskoe cemetery (Yekaterinburg). The graves of gangs are a sign of that time. Therefore, it is not surprising that burial sites of this kind become a landmark of necropolises. There are also marble and granite monuments in the Shirokorechensky cemetery, erected in honor of the dead gang leaders and ordinary fighters.
Many of us died
Members of the groups most often died young. The leaders of such organizations arranged a rich funeral for everyone. The coffin and other attributes of the farewell ceremony were to be very expensive, but, of course, in accordance with the status of the deceased bandit.
The most magnificent wires were at the very heads of the organized criminal group. To emphasize the power of the organization and the “love” for the deceased, a huge stone slab was placed vertically on his grave, on which he was depicted in full growth. Such monuments of marble and granite make up the avenue of "heroes" at the Shirokorechensky cemetery.
Look good
Local gravestones differ from those standing in other cemeteries in that the dead bandits are depicted on them in their usual clothes, without embellishment, as they appeared in front of members of their gang daily. And this, of course, is a tracksuit, sneakers, a leather jacket, a cap.
But authorities look spectacular on gravestone images. Looking at such portraits, one can doubt that a man in an expensive suit is the head of a gang. Also on the monuments depicted luxury goods of the time: cell phones, cars, gold jewelry. It was emphasized on the tombstones that the deceased was a believer, therefore icons, crucifixes, crosses or signs of another religion were often depicted.
