The National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War

There has never been a more terrible place on earth than the Eastern Front of 1941-45. This catastrophic clash of two tyrannies will in all probability never be surpassed in the annals of human misery, simply because we will never see an armed conflict on so gigantic a scale again. While Hitler's war in the West was a more or less conventional conflict with diplomatic aims and limited objectives, the war in the Eastwas a 'crusade' or 'war of ideologies' in which all conventions were ignored and tens of millions slaughtered.

The rise of Hitler made a major conflict in Eastern Europe almost inevitable. The Nazi creed of racialism set down in Hitler's 1924 bestseller 'Mein Kampf' in practice meant the supremacy of the Germans over the Slavs, who were dubbed 'subhuman'. Tied in closely to this idea was the oft-cited objective of achieving 'Lebensraum' or living space for the German people. This Germanic empire was to be acquired via a campaign of conquest in the Slavic lands to the East.
After basking in the afterglow of his many victories across Europe Hitler finally moved to realise his nightmarish prime objective in 1941. For this purpose he gathered the mightiest invasion force the world has ever seen and launched a surprise June attack on the Soviet Union, catching the Red Army off-guard and taking millions of troops prisoner in the initial months of the campaign.
Ukraine felt the brunt of Operation Barbarossa because Hitler sought to secure this famous 'bread basket of Europe' for his extended Germanic Empire and also because he needed the industrial and mineral wealth of Ukraine's eastern Donbass region to maintain his massive war machine. As a result in August 1941 Hitler overruled his leading generals, the majority of whom favoured an all-out attack on Moscow, and ordered that the priority be the capture of Kyiv. The result was a massive pincer movement swinging down from the Moscow front which enabled the Germans to capture Kyiv and record a massive success. Although historians now argue that this strategic decision played a key role in costing Hitler the war, at the time it was hailed as the greatest victory ever secured by arms, thus encouraging the German dictator's megalomania and belief in his own military genius.
Prior to the onset of the invasion Hitler had labeled the coming conflict a 'war of annihilation' where accepted norms of warfare no longer applied. As a result this total war in the Eastwas like none the world had ever seen before, with the civilian population exposed to unimaginable horrors.
At the front and behind the lines no mercy was given and atrocities committed on an unprecedented scale. Millions were deported as slave labour, thrown into concentration camps, subjected to mass execution or starved to death. Others still were killed in the constant fighting that simmered throughout Ukraine during the years of occupation as nationalist insurgents and Soviet partisans in large numbers clashed with regular troops on both sides.
Foreign students of the war between the USSRand Nazi Germany often find it hard to comprehend the issues facing the many nationalities who were caught between the two totalitarian states. Indeed, patriotism is a highly complex subject when one talks of the Eastern Front and Ukraine in particular. Anyone new to the subject should bear in mind that the Eastern and Central regions of Ukraine had been extensively Russified thanks to three hundred years of Tsarist rule, while the west had no experience of being governed from Moscow prior to the Soviet seizure in 1939. Naturally enough attitudes to the war varied accordingly from region to region. In Western Ukraine many people actually welcomed the German invaders in 1941, seeing them as liberators from the Soviet yoke, and as the true nature of the new regime became clear thousands would take to the countryside to mount a guerrilla campaign against both the Soviets and the Nazis. Others, meanwhile, signed up to fight in Ukrainian SS Waffen divisions or served in the Wehrmacht. However the vast majority of Ukrainians who took part in the fighting were Red Army troops. Although we will never know the exact figure it is estimated that around 23% of all Soviet forces were Ukrainian nationals.
To most of today's Ukrainians the Eastern Front is known simply as the 'Great Patriotic War' and it continues to occupy a central role in the national psyche, serving to bring Ukrainians together and on occasion divide them. Once the fighting was over the country found itself geographically united for the first time ever, albeit under Soviet rule, so the war may also be viewed as a major stepping stone along the road to the  establishment of an inclusive, independent Ukraine. Kyiv was the greatest prize captured by the Germans during the conflict, so it is perhaps particularly fitting that the Ukrainian capital should be the site of a national memorial complex dedicated to the millions who lost their lives in this darkest of human calamities.

Kiev most iconic Lady

The 'Motherland' monument dominates the skyline and is one of Kyiv's most recognisable landmarks. This classic of Soviet monumental design is one of the first things that any visitor to the Ukrainian capital sees whether they arrive by rail, road, air or boat! The work of Vasily Borodai, this final design was chosen following a long selection process in the late 1970s during which everything from a female carrying a child to a soldier with a shield were considered as options. From the ground to the top of the sword the whole structure measures 102 metres, while the lady herself measures 62 metres in height, with a weight of 500 tonnes! The many parts that together form Kyiv's 'Motherland' sculpture were constructed at the Kyiv 'Paris Commune' metal works, with help from the Paton institute. The separate blocks used to make the complete figure weigh between 25 and 30 tonnes each, with stainless steel used to bind the sections together. A special devise has been attached to the tip of the sword to help neutalise the effect of strong winds on the monument. Inside the monument itself there are two operational elevators, one running diagonally, the other vertically. While it is undoubtedly the Ukrainian capital's most striking landmark, to many Kyivites the' Motherland' monument is an icon of mixed meaning, tied inexorably as it is to both the terrible and heroic losses of the war itself and to the extended period of Soviet domination prior to Ukrainian independence in 1991.

History of Memorial Complex and Museum

The idea to establish a memorial museum dedicated to the Great Patriotic War in Ukraine first surfaced during the war itself. The Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist Party approved a motion to establish a memorial museum on 12 June, 1943, but as the first priorities remained rebuilding the economy and national infrastructure in the face of massive wartime destruction, construction plans were shelved indefinitely. One of the first exhibitions that helped pave the way for the creation of a museum collection proper was the April 1946 exhibition of relics from the partisan war against the German occupiers in Kyiv. At the time the collection contained thirteen thousand exhibits, and was visited by almost one hundred thousand people annually. The museum was closed down in the early 1950s with all exhibits passed on to the Ukrainian National History Museum. Using these materials as a basis, a working group was set up in 1970 to create a museum dedicated to the 1941-45 conflict. In October 1974 the first Ukrainian State Museum dedicated to the Great Patriotic War opened in Klovskiy Palace. However, it soon became apparent that the venue was not sufficient to house such a monumental collection and work began on plans for a much grander memorial complex. legend has it that today's site was identified by top Communist party bigwigs while out on a boat cruise along the Dnipro, with the hills just along from the lavra monastery complex offering the perfect location for a monument of such huge national importance. Construction of the memorial complex involved citizens and institutes from across the USSR,with military formations and student groups also involved in this enormous undertaking. On 9
May (Victory Day) 1981 the complex was officially opened with a gala ceremony.

Inside the Memorial Complex

Today's museum exhibits include the original collection together with items added to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of victory in 1995.
The total number of items on display exceeds fifteen thousand spread throughout sixteen halls. The concept behind the museum exhibits was to create a general impression by focusing on everyday things that are easy to understand and hard to forget. You will find personal belongings, official communications, contemporary posters and newspapers, letters from the front and items of civilian clothing as well as military equipment on display. Every hall is topically and chronologically laid out, beginning with the road to war and finishing with the capture of Berlin, victory celebrations, and the melancholy aftermath of the conflict. The major battles for Kyiv, Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kursk, the Dnipro, and Berlin are all graphically depicted, while Ukraine's role in the conflict is vividly illustrated. Other important aspects of the war in Ukraine are also remembered such as the role played by the UPA nationalist guerrillas in West Ukraine who fought against both Nazis and Soviets. Any visitor's trip to the museum finishes in the Hall of Glory, a quasi-religious area directly below the 'Motherland' sculpture featuring Soviet murals and the names of every single soldier to be awarded the prestigious 'Hero of the Soviet Union' award. Their names are engraved in gold on white marble walls, with Marshal Zhukov and his four 'Hero of the Soviet Union' medals occupying first place!