Asia

[Visited: July 2010]

After entering Victory Square from the north, I first saw the remarkably shaped Circus before crossing the street to the centre of the square. This square once was the market of Bishkek, but it has taken on a different function. Several people were busy taking care of the flowers in the brightly coloured flowerbeds. The contours of the Victory Monument were visible from here. I expected the Soviet-style war monument that I had seen countless times in other cities and villages.
Oh yes, there they were: the statues of labourers working hard, or the two soldiers doing hard work while dragging themselves forward. But while these are certainly part of the Victory Monument, the main focus is on the three granite half-arches. They are supposed to represent a yurt, the national big tent for nomads, and with some fantasy, you can see the yurt shape. Where the half-arches meet, a wreath is held with a star inside. Under the middle arch, a statue of a female figure stands, looking in a distance. The mother, or wife, waiting for her son or husband to return from battle. Are those soldiers and labourers on the other statues the ones she is waiting for?
An eternal flame right in front of the female figure, even though quite small, completes the monument. All together, a place to reflect, to be silent, to realize again the enormity of the Second World War. The monument was erected at the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in 1985. A young couple was standing against one of the granite half-arches, holding hands and shyly kissing each other before they left; this place is often used by wedding parties for paying respects to the fallen of the war, and also to have pictures taken. Today, the Victory Monument was virtually empty.

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Victory Monument > Kyrgyzstan > Asia

[Visited: July 2010]

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