Prague, a monument to Stalin. The history of the monument "The people of Czechoslovakia - its liberator"

The left bank of the Vltava, not far from Chekhov Bridge, has an amazing and in some ways even a mystical history. Here at one time was the largest monument of culture in the history of the USSR. "The people of Czechoslovakia - to its liberator" - this was the name of the sculpture dedicated to JV Stalin. She stood only 7 years, but left a bright imprint in the life of the people.

History of the creation of the masterpiece

In the late 40-ies of the twentieth century, the authorities put forward the idea: a monument to the great leader should be installed in a city like Prague. The Czech Republic, at that time constituted a single state with Slovakia, was socialist. This decision underscored the expression of gratitude to its residents for liberation from fascism. The monument was supposed to reflect the greatness of Stalin and to be in a place from where the whole city is seen as in the palm of your hand. The next step was to choose a successful location of the monument. The quay was proposed between the Charles Bridge and the National Theater, the Vilon Railway Station and the Leten Upland. After much debate and reflection, they finally made a decision. The monument should stand on Letna, opposite the Chekhov Bridge. The place was very successful: Stalin towered over the river, and surrounded by its famous sights: Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and Karel Kramář's mansion.

Hello! We are looking for talents!

Shortly after the approval of the location of the monument across the country, a competition was announced among the sculptors for the best project. More than 50 works were evaluated by the jury - many wanted to show themselves and their skills. But the best recognized project was the sculptor Otakar Shvets, who worked in collaboration with the then famous architect Jiri Strusa. The monument was a whole composition: a column of people stood behind the main leader of the USSR. On the right side were representatives of Czechoslovakia - a worker, a peasant, an inventor and a soldier. On the left - representatives of the Soviet Union (worker, collective farmer, scientist and Red Army man). This sculpture was supposed to symbolize the fraternal inviolability of two states and the unity of the leader with the proletariat. However, the people have established a more stable and accurate name: "The queue for meat."

The first steps to creating a great creation

After observing all the formalities, they began to erect a sculpture. To do this, organized the collection of stone from all over Czechoslovakia. The railway service department was subordinated to a single goal: the delivery of huge boulders to the site of installation of the sculpture (it is, as we already know, about a city like Prague). The monument to Stalin slowly began to form. The solemn laying of the first stone took place in 1949. The first task was to build a reliable and strong foundation. To this went tons of granite and concrete. However, the construction work itself began only in 1952, and three years later a solemn opening of the sculpture in the city of Prague took place. Monument to Stalin By right can be considered the largest and most expensive sculpture, created in the Soviet era. Its weight was 14,000 tons. Its length is 22 meters, width - 12, and height - 15 meters. The interior of the monument consisted of reinforced concrete structures, to which were attached the stone parts of all the statues made from the North Bohemian granite. A total of about 240 blocks were used. The creation, construction and installation of this monument took about 140 million crowns.

The long-awaited discovery does not bring happiness

In 1953, JV Stalin died, and without seeing the great monument created in his honor. The demise of the "leader of all peoples" entailed a number of unexplained deaths, involved in the creation of a monument to people. In the same year, after Stalin, Clement Gottwald, the president of the Czechoslovak Republic , dies. Not destined to see his creation and Otakar Shvets. The fifties were difficult for Czechoslovakia: perestroika, repression, forced collectivization. All this left a heavy imprint on the sculptor's family: in 1954 his wife committed suicide. And then, just before the opening of the monument, Otakar also passed away.

On May 1, 1954 the monument became accessible to the people. However, the joy of the accomplishment was no longer felt. Arrived at the opening, Khrushchev delivered a speech and presented the creators of the Order of Lenin. And in 1956 in Moscow, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, Nikita Sergeevich made a report exposing the cult of the personality of Stalin. Faith in the great leader staggered. Mass dismantling of monuments erected in honor of Joseph Vissarionovich began. Prague did not stay aside. The monument to Stalin in 1961 was ordered to be destroyed.

The fate of the sculpture is solved!

First, the inscription "The people of Czechoslovakia - to its liberator" disappeared from the monument. And after some time a terrible sentence was pronounced: "Stalin" needs to be liquidated. The monument was decided to dismantle with an explosive. The statues and the foundation did not cause difficulties. The main problem was the liquidation of Stalin's head. It weighed about several tons. There were fears that this part of the monument could seriously damage Chekhov's bridge, located below. Therefore, the team of masons needed several more weeks to turn their heads into rubble.

Then came the turn of the demolitions. The interior of the sculpture was filled with ammunition, but after the explosion it became clear that this was not enough. Only the facing part suffered. In order to destroy the monument finally, it took two more explosions.

Finally, the monument, which existed for only 7 years, was liquidated. And for a long time there was a vacant place on Letna in such a beautiful city as Prague. Czechia at that time experienced the impact of changes in the USSR, caused by Khrushchev's policies. This affected the architectural appearance of the country. Virtually all monuments in Prague, established by the former "leader of the peoples", were destroyed.

A holy place is never empty

Almost until the mid-60s of the 20th century, the personality cult of Stalin was exposed not only in the USSR, but in the Czech Republic. Participated in this and Prague. The monument to Stalin has long been demolished. But this place was still empty. A huge dungeon under the monument was adapted to a vault for vegetables, which existed for almost two decades. In the early 90's, there was not long a rock club first, then a radio station.

Before the General Czechoslovak Exhibition, it was decided to install the metronome on the site of the monument to Stalin. For the implementation of the project took Vratislav Karel Nowak. It was assumed that a huge pendulum, symbolizing the inevitable flow of time, would mark the opening of the exhibition. However, the metronome was left after its termination. Now it is included in many excursions in Prague.

Instead of an epilogue

Now the capital of the Czech Republic is one of the most beautiful European cities. Here, almost every building can be called a work of architectural art. Prague in June is a wonderful sight: the flowering gardens, the abundance of sunlight. Even the sudden start of rain can not prevent your mood, because the air temperature remains at around 16-20 degrees. In summer, a large number of different festivals, concerts and holidays are held. Excursions in Prague are available to anyone who would like to feel all the hospitality and benevolence of this bright city.