The Monument of Glory (, ''Monument slavy'') is the focal point of Slavy Square in

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

(former Kuybyshev),

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, overlooking the

Volga river The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

to the north-west. It is dedicated to the Kuybyshev workers of aircraft industry, who were working hard during and following the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

. The monument is one of the most prominent symbols of Samara. Moscow sculptors Pavel Bondarenko, Oleg Kiryuhin and architect A. Samsonov created a design of the thirteen-meter-tall figure, made from high alloy steel with wings raised over his head and forty-meter pedestal. The pedestal symbolizes ray of light rising to the sky. The monument was erected between 1968 and 1971 for donations of Kuybyshev workers and other staff members of production plants. Every worker could donate only one rouble. Kuybyshev mayor's office chose a place for the monument in the city centre in the Leninsky district. The opening ceremony took place on 5 November 1971.

Historical background

Kuybyshev was major aircraft-industry center of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 28,000

Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...

and

Ilyushin Il-10 The Ilyushin Il-10 (Cyrillic Илью́шин Ил-10, NATO reporting name: "Beast"Gunston 1995, p.108.) is a Soviet ground attack aircraft developed at the end of World War II by the Ilyushin construction bureau. It was also license-built in Cz ...

ground-attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pres ...

was made in Kuybyshev's factories No. 1 and No. 18., representing 80 per cent of inventory.

References

{{commons category, Monument of Glory in Samara Monuments and memorials built in the Soviet Union World War II memorials in Russia 1971 sculptures Statues in Russia Tourist attractions in Samara Oblast Buildings and structures in Samara, Russia Monuments and memorials in Samara Oblast Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Samara Oblast