Alley of Hero Cities and Cities of Military Glory
The Alley of Hero Cities and Cities of Military Glory is a memorial complex located at the Kremlin wall on the territory of the Alexander Garden.
The dominant feature of the complex is a composition made of bronze, representing a soldier’s helmet, a laurel branch and a regimental banner lying on a tombstone. The memorial is engraved with an inscription with the phrase “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal”, the authorship of which belongs to S. V. Mikhalkov. These lines contain our vow of eternal memory about all the soldiers who died and disappeared during the Great Patriotic War. Here, in their honor, the Eternal Flame burns without extinguishing.
To the right of the complex there is an alley consisting of granite blocks, each of which bears the name of the hero-city and the image of the Gold Star medal, as a symbol of services to the Fatherland. Inside the blocks are capsules with earth taken from the memorial site of each of these cities. In total, thirteen hero cities were noted, including Moscow, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, Kerch, Odessa and others.
A granite stele rises near the alley.
This is a monument to the cities of military glory. Along the entire length of the block, which is about 10 meters, the names of more than 40 cities, which were awarded this honorary title, are inscribed.
On the left side of the memorial complex there is an obelisk made of scarlet quartzite, on which there is an inscription: “1941-1945 To those who fell for their Motherland.”
There is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – the place where the ashes of an unnamed soldier were transferred from a mass grave on the 41st kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway.
Every year, on the days when we remember the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and mourn this tragic period in the history of our country, many people gather here, including representatives of official delegations, honorable persons of the city and ordinary residents of the capital. They lay wreaths and pay tribute to those who fought for our Motherland.