Poklonnaya Gora (russian: Покло́нная гора́, literally "bow-down hill"; metaphorically "Worshipful Submission Hill"') is, at 171.5 meters, one of the highest natural spots in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Its two summits used to be separated by the Setun River, until one of the summits was razed in 1987. Since 1936, the area has been part of Moscow and now contains the Victory Park with many tanks and other vehicles used in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on display. Historically, the hill had great strategic importance, as it commanded the best view of the Russian capital. Its name is derived from the Russian for "to bow down", as everyone approaching the capital from the west was expected to do homage here. During the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

in 1812, it was the spot where

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in vain expected the keys to the

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

to be brought to him by Russians.

Victory Park

In the 1960s, the Soviet authorities decided to put the area to use as an open-air museum dedicated to the Russian victory over Napoleon. The New Triumphal Arch, erected in wood in 1814 and in marble in 1827 to a design by Osip Bove, was relocated and reconstructed here in 1968. A loghouse, where

Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov ( rus, Князь Михаи́л Илларио́нович Голени́щев-Куту́зов, Knyaz' Mikhaíl Illariónovich Goleníshchev-Kutúzov; german: Mikhail Illarion Golenishchev-Kut ...

presided over the Fili conference which decided to abandon Moscow to the enemy, was designated a national monument. The huge panorama "

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

" by Franz Roubaud (1910–12) was installed here in 1962. The and the Square of Victors are important parts of the outdoor museum. In 1987 the hill was leveled to the ground and in the 1990s an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

was added with a statue of Nike and a monument of St George slaying the dragon, both designed by

Zurab Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli ( ka, ზურაბ კონსტანტინეს ძე წერეთელი, russian: Зураб Константинович Церетели; born 4 January 1934) is a Georgian-Russian painter, sc ...

. The obelisk's height is exactly , which is for every day of the War. A golden-domed Orthodox church was erected on the hilltop in 1993-95, followed by a memorial

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and the Holocaust Memorial Synagogue. At the 60th V-day celebrations in 2005,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

inaugurated 15 extravagant bronze columns, symbolizing main fronts and navies of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. File:St. George Slaying the Dragon 2, Moscow, Russia.jpg, Sculpture of St. George Slaying the Dragon File:Поклонка.jpg, St. George's Church. File:Memorial mosque.jpg, The memorial mosque File:Eternal flame on Poklonnaya Hill.jpg, Eternal Flame File:Синагога на Поклонной горе.JPG, The memorial synagogue

War museum

Since the 1980s the hill also includes the monumental museum to the Soviet victory in the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

. The main building of the museum was constructed between 1983 and 1995. 'Hall of glory' holds reliefs of the 12 soviet Hero Cities, on its

marmor Marmor is a form of marble. It may refer to: * Marmor, Queensland, a town in Queensland, Australia * Judd Marmor (1910–2003) American psychiatrist * Kristian Marmor (born 1987), Estonian footballer * Marmorie, or Marmor, a warhorse in the French ...

walls are inscribed the names of several thousand Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded during the war. 'Hall of remembrance' downstairs contains 'Books of remembrance' with the names of more than 26 million soviet war dead. File:Unic-Kegresse P107 halftrack Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill 2.JPG, A

Unic Unic was a French manufacturer founded in 1905, and active as an automobile producer until July 1938. After this the company continued to produce commercial vehicles, retaining its independence for a further fourteen years before being purcha ...

- Kegresse

P107 The P107 was a World War II French half-track. History In the 1920s and 1930s Citroën developed a long line of half-tracks based on the Kégresse patent. In 1934, the company introduced its newest and more powerful P107 model as a successor t ...

half-track that was captured and used by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

, displayed in the

Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow The Museum of the Great Patriotic War, also known as the Victory Museum (Russian: ''Музей Победы'') is a history museum located in Moscow at Poklonnaya Gora. The building was designed by architect Anatoly Polyansky. Work on the museum b ...

, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park File:Unic-Kegresse P107 halftrack Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill 3.JPG, Tracks of a

- Kegresse

half-track that was captured and used by the

, displayed in the

, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park File:T44 Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill 3.JPG, T-44 displayed in the

, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park File:SU76i Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill 3.JPG, Su-76i displayed in the

, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park File:T48 57 mm GMC SU-57 Poklonnaya Hill Moscow 2.JPG, T48 57 mm GMC / SU-57 based on the M3 Half-track in the

, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park

References

External links

Report in English on exhibits at Moscow Victory Park

(in English) * Satellite photos of: *
The Moscow Triumphal Arch
*
Poklonnaya Hill main monument
*
War technics museum (ships - on the left, aircraft - on the right), tanks are hidden under trees
{{coord, 55, 43, 54, N, 37, 30, 24, E, region:RU_type:landmark_source:ruwiki, display=title Hills of Moscow Parks and gardens in Moscow Triumphal arches in Russia Military and war museums in Russia Soviet military memorials and cemeteries Museums in Moscow World War II museums in Russia