Museum of Military and Labor Glory (Saratov). Part 1.
It so happens that I translate reports into English about large museums, located primarily in Moscow and its suburbs. This is understandable: Moscow is not only the largest city in Russia, but also in all of Europe. Its location and population can ensure the required flow of visitors.
However, our country also has large museums outside the capital region. I’ve previously introduced you to one of these, the museum in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, and I continue to share news about its exhibitions. Today, I’d like to introduce you to another provincial museum of considerable size: the Museum of Military and Labor Valor in Victory Park in Saratov.
This isn’t the most well-known museum in our country. Personally, I only learned about it while preparing for my trip. What struck me most was the size of this park. I told you about Moscow’s G.O.R.A. Park. Well, these two parks are practically the same size.
Moscow Park – 95,553 square meters:
Saratov Park – 95,498 square meters
The maps are presented at the same scale.
Trying to understand how this was possible, I was surprised to discover that Saratov is the second-largest city in Russia by area, after Moscow. In terms of population, it’s only 17th, with a population of about 886,000.
A distinctive feature of this report is that it is not a translation of the Russian version, but rather a separate and specially created one. And this was done because I want to try to take you for a walk through the park, and not present it as a list of exhibits and their signs. Firstly, there’s quite a lot of equipment here. Secondly, they’re quite common. I’ll provide descriptions of rare or unique exhibits. Thirdly, there are no bilingual plaques here, and I’m too lazy to translate them all.
I think this list of arguments is sufficient. At least for me.
Well, let’s begin!
It’s practically impossible to miss the turnoff to Victory Park—it’s marked by a Yak-38 airplane perched on a pedestal. Everything is explained very simply – these planes were made in this very city.
This is what the plaque on the pedestal informs us about.
Further on, a fairly long alley leads into the park.
Text on the banner: “Victory Park“.
The first thing that greets us is an armored train.
Text in white: “Forward! For the Motherland!“
Text in red: “Death to the fascists!“
It has a very simple combination of railway cars: the first car has an anti-aircraft gun, the last one has a howitzer. And they protect the ambulance car,
which can be visited for a small additional fee (adults – 60 rubles, students – 30 rubles, schoolchildren – 20 rubles).
Next comes the expected armed boat. The city is situated on the Volga, and we will see the river later.
Text on the ship: “For Mother Volga!“.
The park’s territory is large, so, as in other establishments of this size, a shuttle disguised as a steam locomotive runs for children and seniors.
And further on, a small anti-aircraft battery awaits us, camouflaged, as it should be, among the fir trees.
On the other side is a small island of rocket artillery, complemented by a searchlight and a trailer kitchen.
It’s worth noting that most of the exhibits here are distributed among similarly compact thematic locations, with rare exceptions.
This location is directly adjacent to the central square, on the other side of which is the Eternal Flame and the Cranes memorial stele.
which, as one of the main dominant features of the city, is reflected in all city commemorative products: from magnets to postcards. Similar to Poklonnaya Hill, the monument is accessed via a five-tiered ascent, corresponding to the number of war years. The steps are inscribed with the names of the cities first defended and then liberated.
Text on the terrace steps:
1941 Brest * Smolensk * Odessa * Yelnya * Volokolamsk * Yelets * Tikhvin * Kalinin * Kaluga
1942 Mozhaisk * Moscow * Yukhnov * Kharkov * Stavropol * Rostov * Novorossiysk * Stalingrad
1943 Voronezh * Leningrad * Rzhev * Kursk * Belgorod * Kyiv * Dnepropetrovsk * Bryansk
1944 Riga * Petrozavodsk * Minsk * Vilnius * Chisinau * Sofia * Bucharest * Novgorod * Tallinn
1945 Berlin * Konigsberg * Warsaw * Prague * Dresden * Bratislava * Belgrade * Budapest * Vienna * Port Arthur * Pyongyang
Cranes are frequent guests at memorial sites.
This is thanks to the lyrics of Rasul Gamzatov’s famous Soviet song, “White Cranes.” It was originally written in Avar—the poet’s native language—then translated into Russian, and here I offer you an English translation.
Sometimes it seems to me, each fallen soldier,
Who never came back home from fields of gore,
In fact, did never perish, as they told you,
But turned into a crane as white as snow.
You can find and listen to a performance of this translation on YouTube.
The area around the stele also serves as a city viewpoint, offering a panoramic view that is, while not spectacular, certainly wide.
This is why I need a camera with a long zoom. Photo from the same point as the previous one.
Incidentally, on the other bank is not a continuation of Saratov, as one might expect, but a completely different city—Engels. There’s a wonderful strategic aviation museum there, but it’s not worth even thinking about visiting these days.
We will continue along the central alley (it is clearly visible on the map), along which a variety of military equipment is displayed, but it all starts with artillery.
I couldn’t wait for the moment when this woman left here, so I had to take pictures like this. Sorry. But for her, it’s just a park, and she’s in no hurry.
To be continued: Museum of Military and Labor Glory (Saratov). Part 2.