Going to Extremes

After Nizhnyi Novgorod, my next big stop was in the city of Yekaterinburg, officially past the Ural Mountains, in Asia. Now I was heading into new territory. I had never been to Asia before and I didn’t know what to expect from the first city outside the immediate radius of Moscow. I was also curious to see the changes in the ethnicity of the inhabitants. Would it be a total change from European to Asian, some sort of mix, or no change at all? I was surprised to find it much more European in flavor with a definite uptick in the Asian influence. What surprised me more than the people, was how much there was to do and see in the city. Once again, my planning was a bit off. Not only is Yekaterinburg good for two or more days in the city, there is also much to do outside in the Ural Mountains (next time!). 

Arrival

Heroes' Welcome 

For a city on the verge of Siberia, Yekaterinburg is a pretty happening kind of place. And who better than this “happenin” kind of guy to scope the place out? Actually, my main interest in the city is probably the same as many tourists', it was the city where the Bolsheviks murdered Czar Nicholas II and his family and entourage. It’s a pretty grim reason to visit but it is an important reason nonetheless. The actually murders took place on July 17, 1917 in the basement of a local city merchant’s home (Ipatiev House). Even during Soviet times, many people came there to lay flowers so city mayor, Boris Yeltsin, had the home knocked down and a small sign or memorial was left in its place. This failed to discourage the pilgrims and when the Soviet Union fell (again, the right people weren’t in place to make that great idea work!) a church was built on the site. And it’s a mighty fine church at that!

Cathedral on the Blood

The day I visited the Cathedral of the Blood the upper part was closed for repairs (?) but visitors could still go to the chapels in the basement. But before going inside, there are the huge pictures of the Czar and his family at the back of the church. This is the first time you get the feeling that the site is more than just a religious building, it’s a shrine. The pictures are more than sympathetic to the Czar but what takes things over the top is the statue representing the last of the Romanov rulers and his family. There they are, below a cross, striking heroic and/or defiant poses. The czar himself is holding the famous anemic, Crown Prince Alexei, swaddled in his arms. In fact, this image of Alexei as a Christ-like figure is quite dominant in the icons throughout the church.

Myrtardom begins before entry

Romanovs' as Religious Icons

Chapel of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara

Speaking of the church, it is all quite beautiful on the inside. Like all Orthodox churches, the inside is filled with icons that are surrounded by candles as the smell of incense wafts through the air. There is a bit of a different feel in this church, first because it is quite new, not ancient like many of the others throughout the country. The other difference is that also is a museum. As you move from the main altar to the side rooms you find various displays about the czar, his family, and the city during those days. I’m not sure if it is the exhibition changes but my guess is that this one is representative of the 100^th anniversary of the Czar’s death. As I made my way through the chapel and museum, I came about the spot where the Nicholas and his family were brutally murdered. There are plaques dedicated to all members of the family and the servants who died with them. Visitors are not allowed to come too close, nor are they allowed to take pictures. I was once again taken aback by the icons showing the Romanovs in a holy light. There they stand, surrounded by angels above, and family members nearby. (No sign of Rasputin at all) Crown Prince Alexi is front and center, the Chosen One, under rays of soft light. 

Example of Martyr Iconography

The more I look at these icons and museum displays I wonder who was checking their history books. While family was cruelly murdered, we should not forget that there was a Russian Revolution for a reason. The Romanovs were autocratic rulers who were quite out of touch with their (mainly) peasant subjects. Nicholas II, in particular, was a hapless ruler who got his country involved in a disastrous World War I. I’m unsure whether he was cruel or evil but he definitely was no saint. Therefore, I was of two minds when it came to the church. While it is important to remember the past (are we listening, America?), we shouldn’t do these complete one-eighties. Nicholas II’s tragic death should be remembered but he, and his family, should not be elevated to the level of saints. But, with the history books so often destroyed or tampered with in Russia, I’m not totally surprised that one extreme always seems to win out at the expense of the middle. But ain’t that how many want to view history?

Behind the Doors of 'Number One'

How often we walk through our cities and towns, past buildings that display no sign of their purpose. I never ask myself what is behind the door of the yellow house on the corner or the imposing building on the main street. We might actually be surprised or shocked at what goes on behind closed doors and high walls. This is certainly the case with One Lonstsky Street in Lviv.  Starting in 1918 with the Polish and ending in 1991 when the KGB skipped town for good, this nondescript building with the high walls was a prison and, virtually, a death camp for political prisoners. Today, if you know where to go, it is a museum of remembrance for future generations. I was lucky enough to read a few guidebooks and look at some maps so I knew where to find the National Museum and Memorial to the Victims of the Occupation. (http://www.lonckoho.lviv.ua/)

Much like memorials to the Holocaust in Riga, memorials to those killed by the NKVD and its successor, the KGB, are often difficult to find. Whether it's from a conscious decision (http://www.lucorg.com/news.php/news/4554), negligence, or a will NOT to remember, I am unsure. Either way, it took some time to make my way to the museum on a street I had walked upon in January. At that time I was looking for the Cat Cafe but little did I know that the building I was standing beside while waiting for a tram was the same place the NKVD killed between 1,300 and 1,700 political prisoners in late June 1941 as the Germans were preparing to roll into town. Many of these prisoners were Ukrainian nationalists, from religious orders, or people at the wrong place at the wrong time. (http://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine/lviv-museum-recounts-soviet-nazi-atrocities-66675.html). It's not surprising I didn't identify the place as a museum since there were no markings on the wall besides a wreath adorned with blue and yellow ribbons and flowers. (Clue #1) The real entrance is around a side street where you find an entrance with some printed information and a flag over the door.

When I went to the museum on a Saturday afternoon, I was one of the only people there. It was free of charge and a man in what I took to be a police officer's uniform let me in with a polite greeting. Once inside the place looked as it should, uncared for. The wooden floors creaked and paint was peeling from the walls. I had a feeling that this was intentional as much as for a lack of funds to pay for renovations. Either way, the effect was chilling. There was no doubt this was a prison. Walls were papered over to keep out the sun and cobwebs filled what passed for toilets. Then there was the door leading out to the courtyard. While there were plenty of exhibits in English, many were not. I was trying out my Ukrainian when I was approached by an older woman who appeared to work there. Oksana, as she was called, initial spoke to me in Ukrainian but soon switched to English. As we chatted she offered to show me around. She was a wealth of information and her English was very good despite her objections to the contrary. What she could not explain in English she said in Ukrainian and we split the difference. I was thankfully she offered to show me around as I got to see some places that are not open to the public;  including the basement where the condemned waited to die.

I will not go on and on but it was an important experience on my trip to Lviv. This is a city that has been tossed between the Poles, the Soviets, the Germans, and the Soviets once more. The previous governments still do not seem to want to invest in these types of memorials to events that need to be remembered and discussed. It has been suggested that recent events in Ukraine could have been prevented or altered if discussions about the Soviet past had been taking place. (https://euromaidanberlin.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/kgb-archives-in-ukraine-will-be-open-to-public/) Regardless, this is a place that more people, especially Ukrainians, need to see.

Papered-over Windows - No light in or Out

Door Out to the Courtyard

The Long Hallway

"Luxury" Quarters

From the Photo Room

Inside Looking Out

Bathroom Facilities

Propaganda Room

Sinks and Peeling Paint

Once You Go Out, You Don't Go Back In

In the Cellar

The Padded Room

Solitary

Wall of Death

Remembering to Forget Victory Day

Sorry for the long wait. I have been having computer problems so I could not post for some time. I'm hoping this will make up for it.  Read on!

Twenty years ago, when I was first a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, May 9^th meant nothing to me. Only after a friend came up to me later that day, breathlessly describing how she and her friends had cheered, yelled, and threw flowers at the veterans, did I realize I missed an important Ukrainian holiday. Victory Day (День Перемоги) celebrates the Allied Victory over the Nazi’s in World War Two, or as Ukrainians called it, The Great Patriotic War (In Russian: Великая Отечественная Война). As with many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Ukraine has forever been surrounded by belligerents on both sides, usually Germany and Russia/USSR. Therefore, when hostilities broke out, Ukraine frequently became the prime battleground as wars ebbed and flowed in either direction. In the case of World War II, when the Germans initiated Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the initial hope of some Ukrainians that the conquering Nazis would soon offer Ukrainian independence was quickly and harshly dashed. Throughout the course of the war, Ukraine was devastated as cities and towns were scorched not only by the Nazis but by retreating Soviets as well. When the war finally ended, as many as eight million Ukrainians lay dead (5.5 million civilian and 2.5 million military), according to some accounts. Anyway you slice it, Ukrainians suffered tremendously under the Nazis and the Soviets. For this reason, May 9^th has always been a day of remembrance, a potent mix of joy and sadness. That I missed the parade twice when I was first in Ukraine, made me determined to celebrate the holiday this time around. With more veterans dying every year, soon these days may be a memory.

But times have changed and so has this important holiday. As Ukraine is embroiled in another war, May 9^th has taken on a new significance. There are now pointed connections made between the Great Patriotic War and the war simmering in Donbas. The name of the holiday has also changed from Victory Day to Victory over Nazism in World War II (День перемоги над нацизмом у Друній світовій віній). In fact, the term “Great Patriotic War” was removed from Ukrainian legislation altogether and replaced with the term World War II. Due to recent legislation, as of 15 May 2015, Communist and Nazi symbols are no longer allowed in Ukraine. Instead of the Hammer and Sickle flags and the Ribbon of St. George (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_of_Saint_George)and other Soviet symbols, Ukrainians now wear a red poppy. (http://uatoday.tv/society/ukraine-celebrates-daly-of-victory-over-nazism-in-world-war-ii-645162.html)

So how have these changes affected the citizens of Ukraine? From new reports and my own observation, feelings seem to be mixed. Many of the older citizens, especially veterans, do not want to forget the Soviet Red Army who saved them from Nazi aggression. How can people turn their backs on history and forget how this country was saved by German domination by the Communist Party and the USSR despite some other unpleasant history? There are many others who see it differently. Ukraine was forcibly taken over by the Soviet Union, and then by Germany, followed by a return of the USSR. What is there to celebrate?  So it may take many years and the deaths of the last veterans to finally dictate the future of this holiday. It seems to reason it will also take a definitive answer to the war in Donbas as well. Perhaps the victory of 1945 will be superseded by a new victory and a united nation in the coming years.

But what is still important is for people to remember loved ones. That is why citizens still were leaving flowers by the tank monument in Victory Square. They also walked up the hill to lay more flowers and listen to the bands playing at the Eternal Glory Memorial. Everywhere you could see the remaining veterans, smartly dressed in uniform with chests full of medals. For those who were no longer alive, loved ones carried pictures. What astonished and heartened me the most was the respect shown both the living and the dead. Citizens would walk up to soldiers and ask to take a photo or went up to a widow to offer condolences. And I guess that was the message of the day in Zhytomyr. Remember and respect those who came before even though time and old ideals have passed. I think there is a lesson here for all countries dealing with their pasts.

 Living Memory

 Non-Forgotten Soldier

Tanks for the Memories

Pictures from the Past

Victory Column

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.

 Lining Up, Not Quite 'Parade Rest'

 Getting Ready to Lay a Tree at the Base of Statue

 Flowers to Follow

Initial Guard

Marching! 

 Next the Public and Flowers

 At Attention, Awaiting Color Guard

 Picture Time 

 Special Space Gift

 Future Cosmonaut 

 Space and Imagination 

Cats in Space? Of Course!