Ukrainian Motherland Monument — Attraction in Kyiv

The Motherland Monument  is a monumental statue in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The sculpture is a part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.

The stainless steel statue stands 62 m (203 ft) tall upon the museum main building with the overall structure measuring 102 m (335 ft) including its base and weighing 560 tonnes. The sword in the statue's right hand is 16 m (52 ft) long weighing 9 tonnes, with the left hand holding up a 13 by 8 m (43 by 26 ft) shield with the State Emblem of the Soviet Union. Initially the image of the statue was drawn by Vutchetich from Ukrainian painter Nina Danyleiko,after the design was taken over by Borodai from another Ukrainian sculptor Halyna Kalchenko, a daughter of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Nikifor Kalchenko.

The memorial hall of the Museum displays marble plaques with carved names of more than 11,600 soldiers and over 200 workers of the home-front honored during the war with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Hero of Socialist Labor. On the hill beneath the museum, traditional flower shows are held. The sword of the statue was cut because the tip of the sword was higher than the cross of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

In the 1950s, a plan circulated of building on the spot of the current statue twin monuments of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, nearly 200 m (660 ft) tall each.However, this did not go ahead. Instead, according to legend, in the 1970s, a shipload of Communist Party officials and Soviet sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich looked across at the hills by the Lavra and decided the panorama needed a war memorial. Vuchetich had designed the other two most famous giant Soviet war memorials, The Motherland Calls in Volgograd and the Soviet soldier carrying German infant constructed after the war in East Berlin. However, Vuchetich died in 1974, and the design of the memorial was afterwards substantially reworked and completed under the guidance of Vasyl Borodai.

Final plans for the statue were made in 1978, with construction beginning in 1979. It was controversial, many criticised the costs involved and claimed the funds could have been better spent elsewhere. When director of construction Ivan Petrovich was asked to confirm the costs of 9 million rubles, he responded that this was a conservative estimate. The statue was opened in 1981 in a ceremony attended by Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, himself a Ukrainian.

In modern-day Kyiv, the statue remains controversial, with some claiming it should be pulled down and its metal used for more functional purposes. Financial shortages mean that the flame, which uses up to 400 m3 (14,000 cu ft) of gas per hour, can only burn on the biggest national holidays, and rumours persist that the statue is built on unstable foundations, something strongly denied by the Kyiv local government.

In April 2015, the parliament of Ukraine outlawed Soviet and Communist symbols, street names and monuments, in a decommunization attempt.But World War II monuments are excluded from these laws.Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Volodymyr Viatrovych stated in February 2018 that the state emblem of the Soviet Union on the shield of the monument should be removed according to the decommunization laws. To date however, it has still not...

The Motherland Monument in Kiev is a monumental sculpture that is the central object of the memorial complex of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II. The unique statue, which rises on the Pecherskaya Hills on the right bank of the Dnieper River, is viewed from almost anywhere in the city. It became the calling card of modern Kiev and was among the ten highest monuments of the planet. The grand opening of the Motherland in the entire museum complex took place on May 9, 1981. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party L. Brezhnev took direct part in the ceremony. The height of the Motherland monument is 62 meters. The height of the cone pedestal is 40 meters. The all-welded statue weighs almost 500 tons. The main frame is 20 meters deep.The size of the shield is 8 meters by 12 meters. The height of the sword is 16 meters. The structure has two elevators – an inclined angle of 75 degrees and a vertical elevator terminating at the head of the statue. They are used to lift visitors to observation decks, but above all for the maintenance of the Motherland.Another must visit if you are in Kyiv. The Motherland Monument towers over the city and really is a symbol of independence / resistance that many Ukrainians are proud of.

The park around the monument of free of charge to walk around and is very well kept. There are also a number of tanks on display , and for a small fee you can pay to visit the WWII museum next to the park. I am told the museum is very interesting but was closed during our visit due to the air raid siren going off.Standing proudly over the Kiev skyline is the 340-foot tall, stainless steel Soviet Mother Motherland statue. Originally intended to be even taller, the sword of the statue was cut because it was higher than the cross of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra - renowned Orthodox Christian Monastery. She ranks 18th on the list of the world’s tallest statues and for example a bit of comparison, The Statue of Liberty...

Motherland Monument, also known as Rodina Mat or Mother Motherland, is a colossal monument in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is a symbol of the city and stands majestically in the historical Park of Eternal Glory. The monument towers over 60 meters high, making it one of the tallest monuments in the world.

The sculpture depicts a majestic woman holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. She stands on a pedestal where the Museum of the Great Patriotic War is located, dedicated to the events of the Second World War.

Construction of the monument began in 1978, and it was unveiled in May 1981 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of victory over Nazism in World War II. This place has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyiv, where visitors can not only enjoy the spectacle but also honor the memory of those who died for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.

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The Motherland Monument Museum, located at the foot of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv, is an impressive cultural institution dedicated to the events of the Second World War and the heroism of the Ukrainian people. It is part of the National Museum Complex "Memory of the Fatherland War of 1941-1945".

The museum houses various exhibits reflecting different aspects of the war: from the participation of Ukrainian soldiers in battles to the life of civilians during the occupation. The exhibition includes military equipment, weapons, personal belongings of soldiers, photographs, documents, paintings, and other artifacts.

Visitors not only have the opportunity to learn more about the history of the war but also to feel the spirit of patriotism and respect for those who gave their lives for the freedom of their country. The Motherland Monument Museum has become an important place of memory and tribute to the Ukrainian people's courage in the most difficult...