Zhukov Memorial
The organizer of the fund to build the memorial was named Alexei Matsul, a veteran of the Battle of Berlin. In a newspaper interview he said, “The fire of memory burns in our hearts. Eternal flames burn at the Kremlin Wall, at the Field of Mars in Saint Petersburg, on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, on the embankment of the Angara river, and in hundreds of cities in Russia… Time will pass, but it is believed that the monument to Zhukov will attract people on weekdays and holidays. An example of selfless service to the Fatherland, like a fire ignited by the exploits of Marshal of Victory, should never die,” (Asanin, 2011).
The monument was completed the 60th iteration of Victory Day in 2005. It depicts Zhukov in full uniform while on his horse and holding a sword. He is meant to look as he did during the original Victory Parade in 1945. All of Zhukov’s victories from Moscow to Berlin are etched into the base of the statue. The memorial stands on a hill opposite several apartment buildings, as if he was a defender of the neighborhood. There are always flowers hanging nearby or at the base of the memorial.
In 2011 six commemorative plaques were put up next to the depiction of Zhukov. This area is called the Alley of Siberian Divisions. The plaques details the feats of many Siberian soldiers and nurses during the Great Patriotic War (Pamjatnik, 2014). For example, one plaque reads that in 1941 only four percent of the Soviet Population lived in Siberia or the Far East, but they formed 82 divisions, who participated in the Battles of Moscow and Stalingrad, among others. During the war, 39 military hospitals were operating in Irkutsk Oblast, where nearly 500,000 soldiers were nursed back to health.
Many Siberian veterans remember Marshal Zhukov fondly. According to an article published by the site “IrkupediaRU”, Marshall Zhukov wrote in his memoir, “Wherever the Siberians acted, I was always sure that they honorably and valor will perform the task assigned to them. It was this way throughout the great Patriotic war," (Pamjatnik). His memory is alive in Irkutsk and all over Russia.
Asanin, Roman. “Pamjatnik marshalu Zhukovu”. Oblastnaja Gazeta. 24 July 2011. http://www.ogirk.ru/2011/06/24/marshal/.
“Pamjatnik marshalu Zhukovu”. Novosibirskgid. 21 Dec. 2014. http://www.novosibirskgid.ru/architecture/monument/pamyatnik-marshalu-zhukovu.html. Accessed 20 July 2018.
“Pamjatnik Georgiju Zhukovu”. IrkipediaRU. http://irkipedia.ru/content/pamyatnik_georgiyu_zhukovu. Accessed 20 July 2018.
“V Irkutske pamjatnik marshalu Zhukovu ustanovjat v mae 2005 goda”. Regnum Informaconnoe agentstvo. 27 July 2014. https://regnum.ru/news/298709.html.
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