The Shtyki Memorial (russian: Мемориальный комплекс «Штыки», lit. ''

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

s''), also named the Monument to the Defenders of Moscow (), is a memorial complex in honour of those who defended

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...

. At the site are a common grave and an architectural complex. It is located on the 40th km of Leningrad highway, at the second entry into the city of

Zelenograd Zelenograd ( rus, Зеленогра́д, p=zʲɪlʲɪnɐˈgrat, lit. ''green city'') is a city and administrative okrug of Moscow, Russia. The city of Zelenograd and the territory under its jurisdiction form the Zelenogradsky Administrative O ...

heading south, and the road to

Mendeleyevo Mendeleyevo (russian: Менделе́ево) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Urban localities *Mendeleyevo, Moscow Oblast, a work settlement in Solnechnogorsky District of Moscow Oblast Rural localities * Mendeleyevo, Kal ...

heading north. The memorial complex obtained its name because of the central

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 ...

, which represents the stylized image of three

s held together. The first burials in the common grave were in the winter of 1941; the architectural features were completed on 24 June 1974.Памятники Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 годов на территории Зеленограда.
Памятник-монумент защитникам Москвы на 40-м километре Ленинградского шоссе
/ref> The architects of the project were I. A. Pokrovsky, and Y. A. Sverdlovsky, with sculptors A. G. Shteyman, and E. A. Shteyman-Derevyanko.

Components

The complex is composed of a

kurgan A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central Asi ...

, the Shtyki obelisk, and a

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...

with inscriptions. The kurgan contains the common grave known as Hill of Glory (russian: Холм Славы), which rises to a height of 27 meters.История Зеленограда: № 39 (1974 г.) Памятник — монумент на 41-м километре
/ref> The Shtyki obelisk is composed of three stylized bayonets that symbolize the rifle, tank and cavalry divisions. It is made of reinforced

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

and has a height of 42 meters from the apex of the barrow. The bas-relief triptych is on the southwestern side of the kurgan. Sculpted into three concrete

stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

are reliefs depicting a soldier in the helmet, a laurel branch, and the inscription: ''"1941 г. Здесь защитники Москвы, погибшие в бою за Родину, остались навеки бессмертны''" in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "1941 Here the defenders of

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 ...

, fallen in battle for the Motherland, remain forever immortal." Under the bronze wreath rest the ashes of hundreds of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

soldiers. On the wreath is inscribed: ''"Никогда Родина-мать не забудет своих сыновей"'' in English: "Never will the Motherland forget her sons".

Connections with other monuments

The Shtyki Memorial is connected with other monuments, particularly the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

at the

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

of the

Moscow 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. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...

, and the Kurgan of Glory in Minsk. On 3 December 1966, in the commemoration of the 25 summer anniversary of the defeat of Hitler's troops in the environs of Moscow, ashes of the soldiers were carried to the Kremlin. The Shtyki complex is sometimes confused with the Belarusian Kurgan of Glory complex due to their similarities. Both are memorial complexes built on kurgans. Zelenograd's memorial has 3 "bayonets", and the Belarusian memorial has 4. The names of the memorial mounds are also similar, where Zelenograd has the name "Hill of Glory", and the Belarusian "Kurgan of Glory".

Flag and coat of arms of Zelenograd

The monument has become an element of the flag of the city of Zelenograd, which is incorporated into the city's coat of arms. A stylized drawing of the monument in silver or white is displayed on the flag which is in turn displayed on the center shield of the coat of arms. It is on a red background in the lower right portion of the flag, which is divided into two portions by a gold and silver diagonal. On these two emblems the monument symbolizes the important boundary in the defense of the capital, and the beginning of the defeat of Hitler's troops in the environs of Moscow in 1941. Opposite the monument on the flag is a stylized golden image of a

microchip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny M ...

in the form of an equilateral cross.Зеленоград - Герб и флаг города
/ref>

References

{{coord, 56, 00, 53, N, 37, 12, 30, E, type:landmark, display=title World War II memorials in Russia Soviet military memorials and cemeteries Monuments and memorials built in the Soviet Union Matushkino District Buildings and structures completed in 1974 Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Moscow Monuments and memorials in Moscow