The monument to the pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Nurken Abdirov was erected in Karaganda on the initiative and with funds raised by local Komsomol members. Modern youth, like all residents of the city, honors the name of the hero, remembers his feat. Near the monument, located in the center of Karaganda, wreaths stand in winter, flowers bloom in summer. Kazakhstan is proud of its fellow countryman and is preparing to solemnly celebrate its anniversary.
Monument in the city center
In 1958, the city authorities announced a competition for the best design of the monument to Nurken Abdirov, a native of the Karaganda region, who died near Stalingrad. The work was chosen by the young sculptors A.P. Bilyk and Yu.V. Gummel, a German by birth. The architect of the project was L.E. Vorobyov.
The authors raised the figure of a pilot sitting at the controls of an airplane, high above the ground. A pedestal made of marble soars up. A combatant pilot looks around, evaluating the situation. The height of the monument is 9 meters.
The monument is visible from afar, as there is a lot of open space around. The high pedestal on the city square, at the beginning of Nurken Abdirov Avenue, organically combines with the environment, emphasizing the architectural ensemble of the city complex.
High above the ground
The monument is a landmark of Karaganda. In 1982, he was included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of Kazakhstan of republican significance. Visitors to the city often come here, and locals come to city events and take a walk in a well-groomed public garden.
The question often arises as to why the pilot’s figure is so high above the ground. Unfortunately, there is no documentary answer about the authors' idea. But there are assumptions of people who visited the monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union Nurken Abdirov.
“He saw the earth down, just as he sees it now, ” the veteran of World War II said. And the student who came to the monument with the class answered this question for himself like this: “He is higher than us in terms of his sacrifice. And then, he made the most important decision in life, being high above the ground. I have to stay that way. ” You can’t say better.
Biography of Nurken Abdirov
Born in the village, which today is the state farm of his name, May 17, 1919. The family was engaged in cattle breeding, and Nurken went to a local school. When the time came for the guy to choose a profession, his parents moved to Karaganda. After the shift at the mine, he fled to the flying club, where he was pleased to study the structure of aircraft and the basics of piloting.
At the age of twenty, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet army and was trained at the Chkalovsky Military Flight School. When the war began, he was sent to the place of formation of the 267th assault air division in the city of Chapaevsk. The Komsomolets took the first battle over the Don steppes.
