A monument to a Russian soldier with a girl in his arms is located in Berlin. The author of this monument is sculptor E.V. Vuchetich. This is not the only monument in Berlin dedicated to the Soviet soldiers-liberators.
About the monument
“Warrior-Liberator” - this is the name of the monument to a soldier with a girl saved in her arms, which was erected in Treptower Park in Berlin. The monument was erected in honor of the victory of our great people over the fascist invaders. It weighs 70 tons, its height is 12 meters.
The creators of the "Warrior-Liberator":
- E.V. Vuchetich (sculptor).
- S.S. Valerius (engineer).
- I WOULD. Belopolsky (architect).
- A.V. Gorpenko (artist).
In this memorial lies the remains of 7 thousand Soviet soldiers who fell during the storming of Berlin. The names of only 1000 of them are known, and only 75,000 of them died.
The bronze monument “Warrior-Liberator” is made in the form of a figure of a Soviet soldier standing on the wreckage of a fascist swastika with his head held high. With one hand he holds a rescued girl, who confidentially clung to his chest, and in his other hand - a sword. But the sketch of the monument was somewhat different. Initially, the sculptor planned to put a machine gun in the warrior’s hand, but I.V. Stalin insisted that it be a sword. As a result, it was done as the leader desired. The sword that the liberator warrior holds in his hand is connected with two more monuments. This is “Motherland” in Volgograd and “Rear to the Front” in Magnitogorsk. It is understood that all the figures depicted on these three monuments hold the same sword. All of these monuments are dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.
The sword in the hands of the warrior-liberator is an exact copy of the weapons of Prince Gabriel. He fought against the "knight dogs" side by side with Alexander Nevsky. The sword in the hand of a Berlin warrior is omitted, which symbolizes the world, but, as I.V. Stalin, "Woe to the one who will force our hero to raise him again." Soviet soldier with a German girl in her arms is known throughout the world. A feat that was immortalized in bronze will forever serve as an example to posterity. A photo of the monument to a soldier with a girl in her arms is presented in this article.
Pedestal
The monument to the soldier with the girl in her arms is mounted on a pedestal, inside which is located the memory hall. On the walls - a mosaic panel depicting representatives of different nations, they lay wreaths at the grave of Soviet soldiers. An inscription was made above them in Russian and German, which reads: “Nowadays everyone recognizes that the Soviet people, through their selfless struggle, saved the civilization of Europe from the fascist pogroms. This is the great merit of the Soviet people to the history of mankind. ” This phrase is a quote from the report of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin.
The central part of the hall is a cube-shaped pedestal carved from black stone. On it stands a golden casket, inside of which is stored a parchment book in morocco binding in red. There are inscribed the names of all the soldiers who died in the battles for Berlin and rest in mass graves. The hall is decorated with a large chandelier of rubies and crystal, which is made in the form of the Order of Victory.
Monument Creation
May 8, 1949 is the opening date of the memorial complex. To get the right to create a monument to a soldier with a girl saved in her arms, sculptors and architects had to take part in the competition. 33 draft monuments were presented. The winners of the competition were E.V. Vuchetich and Ya.B. Belopolsky. Their project was chosen for implementation.
The construction of the memorial complex was attended by:
- German foundry called Noack;
- Puhl & Wagner workshops specialized in mosaics and stained glass;
- horticultural partnerships Späth nursery;
- 1,200 German workers.
A monument to a soldier with a girl in her arms was cast in Leningrad at a monumental sculpture factory , then sent to Berlin. Care of the monument was to be carried out by the Soviet military commandant's office. In 2003, he was under restoration, and in 2004 he was returned to his place.
The monument to a soldier with a girl over the years of its existence has become an integral part of Berlin. A contract was concluded between the victorious countries and Germany, in a separate chapter which states that the memorial "Warrior-Liberator" is given eternal status. The German authorities are obliged to look after him, restore, finance its safety. To this day, Germany is fulfilling the terms of the contract, and the monument is provided with proper maintenance. A Soviet soldier with a German girl in her arms is one of the most well-groomed monuments of the country. In 2003, Germany financed the restoration of the monument, which spent nearly three million euros.
Feat of a soldier
The monument to the unknown soldier with the girl in her arms was created on the basis of real events, and the name of this hero has survived to this day. The prototype of the warrior-liberator is Nikolai Masalov from the Kemerovo region, a Soviet soldier. During one of the assaults of Berlin, namely on April 30, 45, he heard a child cry. Under a front-line bridge, he found a fair-haired girl of about three who was sitting near a dead mother, tugging at her, crying and calling for a “mutter”. Without hesitation, the soldier grabbed the baby and ran with her in his arms to his. The Germans began to shoot, wounded Nikolai in the leg, but he did not throw the girl, carried her out of the battlefield, risking his life. On the Potsdam bridge, the very one from which N. Masalov brought the child out, in 2003 a sign was installed in memory of the feat that the Soviet soldier performed.
Prototype
The history of the monument to a soldier with a girl in her arms is known to many, but what was the fate of the one whose feat was captured in this bronze statue? Nikolai was drafted into the Soviet Army at the age of 17, took courses and received the specialty of a mortar man. It was hard to learn, because the soldiers had to master in one winter what it takes 2 years.
N. Masalov received baptism of fire in 1942 at the front near Bryansk. The fighting was so heavy that only five soldiers survived from the whole company where he served. After that, Nikolai Ivanovich served under the command of General Chuikov and defended Mamaev Kurgan. Of all his comrades, only one captain Stefanenko reached Berlin with him. N. Masalov himself suffered three wounds and was twice shell-shocked.
After the war, he returned to his native village, and then moved to the city of Tyazhin, where he worked as a supply manager in a kindergarten. Glory fell upon the hero 20 years after the last volleys of guns died out. A documentary was shot about him, all the newspapers wrote about his exploit. He managed to visit Berlin. He saw a monument, the prototype of which he became. The Soviet hero was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Berlin in 1969. Nikolai Ivanovich was modest, and he did not like that his act was called a feat. He himself said that he did not consider this a heroism. Now Nikolai Ivanovich is no longer alive.
About those who posed for the author
Monument to a Soviet soldier with a girl in his arms E.V. Vuchetich created from nature. There are several versions about who posed for the author, and perhaps all of them are true, because at different times different people could act as models. The sculptor sculpted a German girl with three-year-old Sveta, the daughter of General A.G. Kotikova, who was the commandant of the Soviet sector in Berlin.
According to some sources, as a model of a soldier E.V. Colonel V.M. posed for Vuchetich Gunaza. According to another version, it was Sergeant Ivan Odarchenko. It is captured on the mosaic panel inside the pedestal twice: in the form of a worker and in the form of a soldier-hero. According to the third version, the cook, who served in the Soviet commandant's office of Berlin, posed for the sculptor.
Sculptor
Monument owls. a genius man created a soldier with a girl in his arms. He was not only a sculptor, but also taught, for several years was the president of the Academy of Arts. And what war is, he knew firsthand. In 1941, he volunteered for the front. In 1943, due to a severe concussion, he was commissioned, and he returned to Moscow, where he began to work as a military artist. At the beginning of the war, Evgeny Viktorovich Vuchetich was ordinary. Commissioned already in the rank of lieutenant colonel. The artist created sculptures of leaders, prominent political figures, heroes of war and labor, outstanding commanders. All creations of E.V. Vuchetich’s life-affirming, they are filled with drama and romanticism. The sculptor died in 1974.
Copies of the monument
A monument to a soldier with a girl in his arms, or rather, smaller copies of it, was erected in the cities of Sovetsk (Kaliningrad Region), Vereya (Moscow Region), Tver, Moscow (at the entrance to the Night Wolves biker club). The layout of the monument, whose height is 2.5 meters, is still preserved. Until 1964, he was in Germany, then was transported to Serpukhov, where until 2008 he stood near the hospital, and in 2009 was transferred to the territory of the memorial complex "Cathedral Mountain".
Liberator Warrior in Faleristics and Numismatics
The monument to a soldier with a girl in his arms was often depicted on coins:
- 1 ruble of 1965 of release;
- coin in 10 marks of the GDR (1985);
- 10-ruble coin dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory (2015 release).
On medals:
- to the twentieth anniversary of the Victory (1965);
- 20 years of the Berlin Brigade (1982 release);
- Medal "Lviv Union" (1984).
Also, the image of the monument is present on the sign of the GSVG (group of Soviet troops in Germany).