RLOPCUkraineBlog: Monument

Showing posts with label Monument. Show all posts

01 September 2017

Budapest and Moscow Have Figured It Out!

One of the highlights of my trip to Budapest was a trip outside the city to a place called Memento Park. This is an open-air museum that was created to house statues of the former Communist regime. Anyone who knows the history of Hungary, especially 1956, will understand that the era of Soviet rule was far from pretty. But other than tearing down a statue of Stalin in 1956 (and leaving his boots), there appears not to have been a slate of desecrating monuments from the ‘bad-old-days’. It was decided that these statues and reliefs would be best served as a museum of remembrance. Russia, as well, was left with many statues from the USSR days. Although there appears to be a Lenin still standing in most major cities (and perhaps towns as well), many of the older monuments have been removed. In Moscow Muzeom Park along the river is where you will find many of these far-from-forgotten characters.

Like my first day in St. Petersburg, my initial day in Moscow was spent walking and seeing the city. I started in Red Square, and what a mess! Unlike twenty-five years ago, when things were less touristy, I felt like I had the place all to myself. Not today, or ever again. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sight of dozens of tourists snapping pictures in the Revolution Square metro stop while Muscovites attempted to get on with their day. I finally made a dash for the stairs and emptied out in to Red Square where I was met with more tour groups and the closing of the square. Apparently, there was some sort of major event in the offing and Red Square was filled with tents, fencing, and more tour groups jostling for limited space. This is where I decided it was best to begin my trek down the Moscow River towards…who knows.

Peter the Great

As I strolled along the river, I noticed the constant construction. I’m guessing this is in anticipation of World Cup 2018, right around the corner. But it seems like the construction has been going on for years. Soviet buildings have been replaced by modern edifices and clean, new parks. I was drawn further down the river towards, what appeared to be an enormous statue of a man steering a boat. Yes, indeed, I had come upon the horrible statue of Peter the Great. Muscovites hate this monument for many reasons, the least of which is how ugly it is. It smacks of the Soviet/Russian predilection for gigantism. There is literally no purpose for this statue…except one thing, if I had not seen it I might have missed Muzeom Park.

Although I had head of YYYY Park, I didn’t know where it was located and I had not made solid plans to visit. But I seem to have come upon it at the perfect time; I was tired of walking and I found lots of benches and lush grass to sit upon. As I was sitting, chugging my water, I began to notice the statues. Hey, it looks like Lenin over there! No surprise as Lenin is still accepted here, if not venerated, over twenty-five years after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Hey, it's Lenin!

Then I saw the other heroes of the Soviet state: Marx, Engels, Brezhnev, and even Felix Derzhinsky. Yes, the same founder of the NKVD, who helped both Lenin and Stalin institute the organs of terror. Mixed in with the horrific Communist rabble, there were statues of poets, writers, and dissidents like Andrei Sakharov. As someone who loves history and photography, I had a field day at the park. I was taking pictures left, right, and center. I kept taking photos until I was just too hot and exhausted. When I sat down, I looked around and began to observe the locals. I saw office workers on their lunch breaks, bikers, skateboarders, parents with children, and other tourists. It was the things I didn’t see which struck me the most. Many of these statues were of quite horrible people; yes, there were even some Stalin statues. But no one seemed to mind. The statues blended in with the people’s daily life and seemed not to affect them. I didn’t see protests. There were no plaques designed to describe their crimes, real or imagined. It didn’t even appear that people were silently judging which statue offended them the most. Also, the statues were clear of any graffiti by those looking to grind an axe or two. And believe me, Russians have many axes to grind if they so choose. With all this going through my mind, I wondered why we can’t do something similar. Instead of erasing history for fear of offending others, why can’t we do like the Hungarians and the Russians: save the history, make a park, if you don’t like it…don’t go. Not a very revolutionary idea, but does it need to be?

Global Soviet

Stalin

Mr. Excitement - Brezhnev (#1)

Mr. Excitement - Brezhnev (#2)

Sakharov

Iron Felix Dzerzhinsky

14 July 2016

Will Not Forget Babi Yar...If I Can Ever Find It!

It's been over a month since my last post but I am back to tell more of my adventures as a second time Peace Corps Ukraine Volunteer. Hopefully all my computer and Internet issues have been solved for the time being. On to the update!

As I have come to know Kyiv better I have tried to move beyond the better know historical attractions located in the downtown area. This time I was ready to go to Babi Yar, the site of one of the first and worst massacres of the Holocaust. The problem seemed to be less difficult than looking for similar sites in the Baltics, for example. In Riga I had to do copious online research and then plot and plan my way on maps. There were no signs nor information in guidebooks. Conversely, Babi Yar is mentioned in guidebooks and there is ample knowledge by locals that the place does indeed exist. But physically getting there from the nearest metro station was a chore. First, the ravine where hundreds of thousands of Jews, Roma, mental patients, etc. were brutally gunned down is located in a park across a busy road. But there are no signs that say this. Second, there is another part of the park right next to the metro station where other monuments are located. Once again there are no signs or maps to show visitors where to go. For such an important piece of history is this a coincidence, an oversight, or a passive aggressive way to pay lipservice to remembering (while discouraging people from actually finding the site)? It's hard to know...or is it?

Until Ukraine became an independent nation in 1991, there was severe omissions at Holocaust sites such as Babi Yar; specifically any mention of Jews. Remembrance sites talked of 'Soviet Citizens' who are died at the hands of Nazi oppressors. But time after time Jews were purposely not mentioned even if the site contained a majority of Jewish victims. The post-Soviet leaders tried to rectify the situation by building a menorah memorial and having Jews mentioned at the main monument at Babi Yar. But, after searching for the menorah (which was torched on the first night of Rosh Hashanha in 2015) I came to find that it was at the far end of the park....in a parking lot! Additionally there was not much more information regarding the monument and the importance of remembering it's victims. For an event that many claim was a testing ground for the Final Solution, this omission seems bewildering.

Fortunately, I was finally able to get orientated. I spent a blazing hot morning walking from one side of the overgrown park to the more manicured main massacre site. Looking at the site today and you can understand why the Nazis used it. The ravine is long and wide and at one time the site was covered in forest. And of course it was on the outskirts of town. But even though it is now surrounded by busy streets and large apartment buildings people walk by and don't seem to notice. Just like in 1941, citizens don't pay it any mind. I think that is a shame. The Babi Yar's of the world need to be remembered. And the way to remember is to let people know it is there and encourage them to visit and share their memories. Menorahs in parking lots won't do the trick.

More on Babi Yar: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/babiyar.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babi_Yar

Menorah memorial at Babi Yar...in a parking lot far from the massacre site.

Cross with further explanation of the site. This, for some reason, is much closer.

Inscriptions in Hebrew.

Main memorial at Babi Yar, built during Soviet times, I believe.

Another view of the Babi Yar Memorial. Note the three plaques describing the events.

Third plaque that actually mentions the Jews intead of only "Soviet Citizen" on the other two plaques. You do the math.

19 April 2016

Happy International Aviation and Cosmonautics Day! (A Little Late)

I bet you didn't know this was a holiday, did you? And neither did I! Yes indeed, 12 April is celebrated, mainly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, as the day of space travel and cosmonauts. (http://noosphereglobal.com/international-aviation-and-cosmonautics-day/) This is a special day for many reasons, chief among those is that on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin flew the first manned (not dogged) space flight and further freaked out the non-Soviet nations still reeling from Sputnik several years before. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmonautics_Day) This holiday is even more significant in my city of Zhytomyr because it is the home of Sergei Korolev, who many consider to be the father of practical astronautics. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Korolev) For years his name was kept secret for fear by the KGB that the CIA would assassinate him. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, his vital role in the early success of the Soviet space program was slowly revealed. Not only is his home a museum but there are streets and squares named after him. On this day his home is open to the public and there are special events at the space museum across the street. Having that museum there must have inspired him to do his work, don't you think? Or was it mere serendipity?

There was a special buzz in the town on this day. It started with a flower-laying ceremony at his statue in the main square. It was impressed by the respect that this town pays its heroes even many years after they have passed on. I expected a mainly older crowd but I was excited to find many young people there to watch the festivities. It stated at the stroke of ten when the bells chimed on the city clock. At that moment, a line of people marched towards Korolev's statue and placed flowers at the base. Next, an honor guard marched forward and then split to either side of the statue to stand guard. Finally, who units of troops smartly trooped the colors across the square. And with that the ceremony was over. But the festivities continued with a children's event at the space museum. Among the events was a picture exhibition. You can see some of the works of art displayed below. All in all it was a fascinating day.