GLORY MEMORIAL

This imposing monument was built as a tribute to the soldiers who fell in the Second World War during the defense of Moscow between November 1941 and January 1942. The men of the ^316th Division, commanded by General Panfilov, fought against the German armies to defend the capital and hold out until a counter-offensive was possible. It takes the form of an impressive stone statue designed in the purest tradition of Soviet realism, placed at the end of a stone walkway where an eternal flame burns. A soldier literally seems to emerge from the rock, while behind his outstretched arms stand out the faces and profiles of other soldiers of various nationalities. The main monument is framed by two frescoes in the same style, dedicated to World War II soldiers on the right, and to Russian revolutionaries on the left. The whole was inaugurated on May 9, 1975, for the 30th^{anniversary of} the victory. It is the work of Russian sculptors Andryushchenko and Artimovich, champions of Soviet realism who had already worked on other monuments of the same type in various republics of the Soviet empire. It was completely restored in 2012. The site is one of Almaty's must-sees, popular with newlyweds who come here to have their photos taken in full regalia. Every year on May 9, the date chosen for the end of the Second World War throughout the former USSR, the victory over fascism continues to be celebrated around the eternal flame.