"Green Belt of Glory", memorial constructions complex

Subject / Architecture/Sculpture, monuments, memorials
"The Green Belt of Glory" is a memorial construction complex at the line of the battle of Leningrad in 1941-1944. The complex was created to immortalize the memory about its heroic defenders. The first construction of the future complex had been appeared at the period of the World War II, it was a stele between Ligovo and Sosnovaya Polyana (1944; architects K.L. Iogansen, V.A. Petrov); then an obelisc in Peterhof Road was constructed at the fork of roads to Krasnoye Selo and Petrodvorets (1946; the same architects). Now these monuments are included into the memorial "Kirovsky Val" ("Kirovsk Bank") in the territoty of St Petersburg. On 23 June 1956 the first decision of the city government about building monuments to heroes of the defence of Leningrad was published. According to this decision were constructed: the obelisk at Moscow Road (1957), now it was included into the memorial "Shturm" ("The Storm") (the architect M.K. Melikhova), the granite stele at the 32th km of Peterhof Road (1961; the architect O.I. Sokolova), later it was a part of the memorial "Primorsky" ("The Seaside"). An idea about the necessity of creating the united complex of military memorials around Leningrad was expressed in 1965 and had met with approval of the city government. A project of the memorial general layout was developed from 1958 to 1964 by employees of the architectural design department of Lengorispolkom (the Leningrad City Executive Committee) and the First workshop of the institute Lenproekt (G.N. Buldakov, V.L. Gaykovich, M.A. Sementovskaya formed the part of the work group). "The Green Belt of Glory" plan was based the defences where enemy troops were stopped in September of 1941. The work on the elaboration of the front line and forces deployment places was done by the Headquarters of the Leningrad Command. The memorial was been erecting with "the method of people building", residents and biggest enterprises of St Petesburg took place in its construction. "The Green Belt of Glory" general length is 200 km. It is divided in several stretches: 1) "The Big Blockade Ring" (the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland - near Ligovo - the Pulkovo Heights – to the north of the town of Pushkin – to the south of the town of Kolpino – the town of Kirovsk – the right bank of the Neva River – the west shore of Ladoga Lake – the villages of Verkhniye Nikulyasi and Nizhniye Nikulyasi – the settlement of Vaskelovo – the Sestra River – the northen coast of the Gulf of Finland). Memorials "The Kirovsk Bank", "The Pulkovo Line", "Members of the Home Guard", "The Unconquered", "The Storm", "The Izhora Ramming", "The Neva Barrier", "The Neva Spot", "The Break-through", "Unnamed Height", "Lembolovo stronghold", "The Garden of Peace", "The Sister" are located on that trritory. 2) "The Small Blockade Ring" (the town of Petrodvorets – Gostilitskoye Road – the village of Porozhki – the Voronka River – the village of Kernovo). Memorials "The Seaside", "The Attack", "The Anchor", "January Thunder", "Gostilitsky", "The Distant Line", "The Bank of the Strongs" are located on this area. 3) The western and eastern areas of "The Road of Life" (villages of Lednevo - Kobona - Lavrovo – Voykobalo) with monuments "The Flower of Life", "Rumbolovo Mountain", "Katyusha", "The Broken Circle", "The Crossing", "The Steel Way" and the memorial "Kronshtadsky" on the Island of Kotlin. Different architectural works that unite sculpture, memorable signs and preserved or restored defensive installation into a single composition were included into the complex of war memorials. Parks, public gardens and memorial alleys are connecting-links between monuments which are located a long way apart. The "Green Belt of Glory" first monuments building was completed in 1965, in the 20th anniversary of the Victory. Foundation stones were laying and the first trees were planted at the places of future memorials. In 1965 projects, which were developed by Leningrad architects and sculptors, were presented in the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Soviet and at the beginning of 1966 they were presented at the House of Architects. The Construction of memorials was done in some stages. The first monuments were built by 9 May 1967. From the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s works were continued, the most of objects were completed by May of 1975 (the 30th anniversary of the Victory). By that time more than 80 monuments, obelisks and other constructions had been on the former front line. Common military cemetery and burial places, example of defense technology, buildings and constructions marked with commemorative plaques (for example, the building in the settlement of Borisova Griva where an evacuation centre was placed from 1941 to 1942) as independent objects are included into "The Green Belt of Glory". In 1974 "The Green Belt of Glory" had got the status of the history monument of the republic significance and was taken under the state defence. Its symbolic centre is the Monument to Heroic Defenders of Leningrad that was opened on 9 May 1975 in Victory Square (ploshchad Pobedi) in St Petersburg. Building was continueing from the second half of the 1970s to the first half of the 1980s. During that period new memorials were created, built memorials were perfected, adjacent territories were equiped and trees were planted. Karpenko, Irina Aleksandrovna
Belyayeva, G.V.
Buldakov, Gennady Nikanorovich
Gaikovich, Vladislav L.
Iogansen, Kirill Leonardovich
Melikova, Maria Konstantinovna
Petrov, Vasily Aleksandrovich
Sementovskaya, Maryana Avenirovna
Sokolova, Olga Ivanovna
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vsevolozhsk District/Borisova Griva Village
Topographical landmarks/Gulf of Finland, the
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirovsk District/Kirovsk Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirovsk District/Kobona Village
Topographical landmarks/Ladoga Lake
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirovsk District/Lavrovo Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirovsk District/Lednevo Village
Topographical landmarks/Priozerskoye Shosse (Priozersk Highway)
Topographical landmarks/Sestra River, the
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Ust-Luga Settlement
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vsevolozhsk District/Vaskelovo Village
Topographical landmarks/Voronka River, the
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Лукьянов Ю.А. Рубежи стойкости и мужества. Л., 1985., 65-171
Семенова Т.М. «Каменная летопись» Великой Отечественной войны // Труды ГМИ СПб. Вып. 5. СПб., 2000, 324-343
"Anchor", a memorial
"Bank of Strong Man", a memorial
"Break-through", memorial
"Crossing", memorial
"Far Line", a memorial
"Gostilitsky", a memorial
"Izhora Ram", a memorial
"January Thunder", a memorial
"Katyusha" , a monument
"Kirovsky Fortification", a memorial
"Kronstadt", a memorial
"Members of the Home Guard", a memorial
"Nevsky Rapids", monument
"Nurse", a memorial
"Primorsky", memorial, the
"Primorsky", memorial, the
"Pulkovo Line", a memorial
"Rumbolovo Hill", a memorial
"Steel Way", monument
"Storm", a memorial
"Storm", a memorial
"The Broken Ring", memorial
"The Flower of Life", a memorial
"The Garden of Peace", monument, the
"The Lembolovo Fortification", memorial, the
"The Nevsky Patch", a museum
"The Unconquered", a memorial
"Unnamed Height", monument, the