Statues - Hither & Thither

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Moscow - Москва

Prospekt Mira 111
Проспект Мира 111
(Cosmonauts Alley - Аллея Космонавтов)

Монумент «Покорителям космоса»

Monument to the Conquerors of Space

(Wikipedia)

Andrey Faydysh-Krandiyevskiy
Monumentskul'ptura (Leningrad)
1964

Moscow - Москва / Монумент «Покорителям космоса»

Description

The main part of the monument is a giant obelisk topped by a rocket and resembling in shape the exhaust plume of the rocket. It is 107 meters (350 feet) tall and covered with titanium cladding. The rocket it 11 m (35 feet) long.

Both sides of the monument base, in their front parts, are decorated with haut- and bas-reliefs of 4-7 x 23 m (13-23 x 75 ft) depicting men and women of the space program: scientists, engineers, workers, their occupations indicated by appropriate accoutrements of the professions. Notable figures include a computer programmer (or perhaps some other computing or telecommunications professional) holding a punched tape, a cosmonaut wearing a space suit, and Laika, the first space dog. No contemporary Soviet politicians are depicted in the monument either (that would violate the convention existing in post-Stalin's Soviet Union against commemorating living persons in this fashion), but the crowd on the right side of the monument are moving forward under the banner of Lenin.

East side

West side

Space dog Laila

Cosmonaut in a space suit

Moving forward under the banner of Lenin

Inscription(s)

On the front of the stone base of the monument base a poem by Nikolay Gribachev - Николай Грибачев:

И наши тем награждены усилья,
Что поборов бесправие и тьму,
Мы отковали пламенные крылья
Своей
Стране
И веку своему!

В ознаменование выда-
ющихся достижений
советского народа в
освоении космического
пространства сооружен
этот монумент
1964

And the reward for our efforts was that,
having triumphed over oppression and darkness,
we have forged wings of fire
for
our land
and our century!

To celebrate the out-
standing achievements of the
Soviet people
in space exploration
was constructed
this monument
1964

On the sides are five press-releases of the major moments of Russian Space Exploration written:

East side:

1957 "в результате большой напьяженной работы науцно-исследовательских
институтов и конструкторских бюро создан первый в мире
искусственный спутник земли.
4 октября 1957 года в ссср произведен успешный запуск первого спутника."

(сообщение тасс 4 октября 1957 года)

1961 "12 апреля 1961 года советском союзе
выведен на орбиту вокруг земли
первый в мире космический корабль-спутник
«восток» с человеком на борту"

(сообщение тасс 12 апреля 1961 года)

translation?

West side:

1965 "...18 марта 1965 года, в ii часов по московскому
времени при полете космического корабля
«восход-2» впервые осуществлен выход человека
из корабля в космическое пространство"

(сообщение тасс 18 марта 1965 года)

1966 "3 фебраля 1966 года в 21 час 45 минут по московскому времени
автоматическая станция «луна-9», запущенная 31 января осуществила
мягкую посадку на поверхность луны в районе океана бурь, западнее кратеров рейнер и марий,"
"... 4 февраля в 4 часа 50 минут по московскому времени станция «луна-9» начала обзор
ланд шафта и передачу его изображения на землю"

1966 "3 апреля 1966 года в 21 час 44 минуты по московскому времени
автоматическая станция «луна-10» была выведена на селено-центрическую
(окололунную) орбиту и стала первым в мире искусственным спутником луны"

(сообщение тасс 3 апреля 1966 года)

translation?

Signed (relief west side):
ск. андрей файдыш-крандиевский 1960-1964 г. отл. 4-д Монументскульптура 1964 г. пь
(relief east side):
ск. андрей файдыш-крандиевский
1960-64

Annotation

The monument was erected in 1964 to celebrate achievements of the Soviet people in space exploration. The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is located inside the base of the monument.

Cosmonauts Alley - Аллея Космонавтов

The Cosmonauts Alley is a 275 m long and 15 m wide pedestrian-only avenue in northern Moscow leading from the intersection Prospekt Mira / Ostankinskiy proyezd in the south to the Memorial Museum of Astronautics - Мемориальный музей космонавтики with the Monument to the Conquerors of Space to the north.
In the center of the avenue is a series of los granite form shaped as stars with on text plaques the history of Soviet Space Research. Further there are several monuments.

Click here for a interactive map with the locations of the statues.

The beginning of the avenue is flanked by large bronze celestial and terrestrial globes, sculpted by Salavat & Sergey Shcherbakov.
At 2/3 of the length is a roundabout with a bronze model of the solar system, sculpted by Salavat & Sergey Shcherbakov.
To the west of this Solar system model is a large bronze statue of Sergey Korolëv, sculpted by Salavat & Sergey Shcherbakov.
On the west side of the square in front of the the Monument to the Conquerors of Space are two granite statues, both by Yuriy Chernov and erected in 1981
- Valentin Glushko and
- Mstislav Keldysh
Originally, here was a third granite statue of Sergey Korolëv by Andrey Faydysh-Krandiyevskiy, this was with the reconstruction of 2008 placed in the museum. A new bronze statue of Korolëv was placed along the alley.
On the east side of the same square is the Alley of the Heroes of Space with five busts of Russian cosmonauts (Gagarin, Tereshkova, Belyayev, Leonov, and Komarov), placed in October 1967 for the 10th anniversary of launching the first artificial satellite.
On the north side of that square is a granite statue of Soviet rocket pioneer
and
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, sitting facing back down the avenue.
The avenue ends at the Monument to the Conquerors of Space.

Sculptor

Andrey Petrovich Faydysh-Krandiyevskiy - Андрей Петрович Файдыш-Крандиевский (1920-1967), Russian sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Clow.ru, Монументальная летопись, files 36-37.

Locatie (N 55°49'21" - E 37°38'23") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: ru167; Photograph: 14 July 2011
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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