Poklonnaya Hill

Poklonnaya Gora(Russian:Покло́нная гора́,literally "Bow-Down Hill"; metaphorically "Worshipful Submission Hill" ') is, at 171.5 m, one of the highest natural spots inMoscow.Its two summits were separated by theSetun Riveruntil one of the summits was razed in 1987. Since 1936, the area has been part of Moscow, and it now contains the Victory Park, with many tanks and other vehicles that were used duringWorld War IIon display.

Historically, the hill had great strategic importance, as it commanded the best view of the capital ofRussia.Its name is derived from theRussianfor "to bow down" since everyone approaching the capital from the west was expected to do homage here.^[1]During theFrench invasion of Russiain 1812, it was the spot in whichNapoleonin vain expected the keys to theKremlinto be brought to him by Russians.

Victory Park[edit]

In the 1960s, theSovietauthorities decided to put the area to use as anopen-air museumdedicated to theRussianvictory overNapoleon.TheNew Triumphal Arch,erected in wood in 1814 and in marble in 1827 to a design byOsip Bove,was relocated and reconstructed here in 1968. A loghouse in whichMikhail Kutuzov presided over the Fili Conference,which decided to abandonMoscow,to the enemy, was designated a national monument. The huge panorama "Battle of Borodino"byFranz Roubaud(1910–1912) was installed here in 1962.

TheVictory Park[ru]and the Square of Victors are important parts of the outdoor museum. In 1987, the hill was levelled to the ground, and in the 1990s anobeliskwas added with a statue ofNike,and a monument ofSaint George slaying the dragon,both of which were designed byZurab Tsereteli.The obelisk's height is exactly 141.8 metres (465 ft), which is 10 centimetres (3.9 in) for every day of the war. A golden-domed Orthodox church was erected on the hilltop in 1993-1995, followed by a memorialmosqueand theHolocaust Memorial Synagogue.

At the 60thV-Daycelebrations in 2005,Russia President Vladimir Putininaugurated 15 extravagant bronze columns, symbolizing the main fronts and navies of theRed ArmyduringWorld War II.

Structures
Sculpture of St. George Slaying the Dragon
St. George's Church.
The memorial mosque
Eternal Flame
The memorial synagogue

War museum[edit]

Since the 1980s, the hill also includes the monumental museum to the Soviet victory during theGreat Patriotic War.Themain building of the museumwas constructed between 1983 and 1995. The Hall of Glory holds reliefs of the 12 SovietHero Cities,and on itsmarmorwalls are inscribed the names of several thousandHeroes of the Soviet Unionthat were awarded during the war. The Hall of Remembrance downstairs contains books of remembrance with the names of more than 26 million Soviet war dead.