Monuments to Czechoslovak legionaries were erected in memory of Czechoslovak legionaries who fought on the side of the Russian Empire in World War I in 1914-1917 and participated in the Civil War in Russia in 1917-1920.
The agreement between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Czech Republic on the mutual maintenance of military graves was signed on April 15, 1999. The agreement is implemented by the War Memorials Association [1] .
Content
Settlements
Buzuluk
October 30, 2007 a monument was opened in Buzuluk, Orenburg region [2] .
Upper Uslon
The monument was unveiled on October 24, 2013 by Czech Deputy Minister of Defense Lenka Melikharova-Ptachkova and Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Kamaltynov. The monument is an arch in the form of the letter "P", which stands on the very top of the Verkhneuslonskaya mountain [3] .
Vladivostok
The cemetery of Czechoslovak legionnaires is located in the Sea Cemetery of Vladivostok . 163 legionnaires are buried on it. In 2005, the cemetery was reconstructed with Czech funds. In May 2006, the cemetery was reopened [4] .
Yekaterinburg
The monument was unveiled in 2008 at the Mikhailovsky Cemetery . The largest Czechoslovak military necropolis in Russia is located in Yekaterinburg. The names of 360 Czechoslovak legionnaires are embossed at the memorial [5] .
Irkutsk
It was planned to restore the sculpture "Czech Republic", which once towered above the grave of Czechoslovak legionnaires in Irkutsk [6] .
Kansk
The installation of the monument in Kansk was discussed in 2013-2014 [7] .
Some residents opposed the installation of the monument. December 11, 2013 an open letter was published by teachers of the Kansk Pedagogical College, who opposed the installation of the monument:
| ill-considered and not coordinated with the residents of our city, the placement of the monument will provoke an increase in nationalist sentiments [8] . |
Krasnoyarsk
The monument was unveiled on November 9, 2006 at the Trinity Cemetery . The opening was attended by the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Khloponin and the President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gasparovic .
The installation of the monument was hidden from the public, the ceremony itself was closed to the media. The entire controversy of the installation of this monument was expressed by the Krasnoyarsk Territory of the Union of Communist Youth in an open letter to the President of the Slovak Republic [9] .
Kultuk
The monument was erected in the village of Kultuk, Irkutsk Region [10] .
Kungur
The monument was opened in October 2012 and is located on the territory of the historical and landscape complex "Ascension Necropolis". The monument is made in the form of a heating car. The names of 121 Czechoslovak warriors are engraved on the memorial [11] .
Mound
A discussion of the installation of a monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires was held between representatives of the Czech delegation and the head of the Kurgan, Sergei Rudenko, in June 2016 [12] . The erection of a monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires Rudenko called "preservation of historical memory."
Against the publicist Nikolai Starikov and the head of the regional branch of the Communist Party Vasily Kislitsyn:
| At the beginning of the century, whites killed here our ancestors, shot a group of activists once led by Natasha Argentovskaya [13] . |
Miass
A meeting of representatives from the Czech Republic with the head of Miass, Stanislav Tretyakov, on the installation of a monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires took place in September 2014.
The initiative turned into a major scandal, some residents equated the Czechoslovak legionnaires with the Nazi invaders, in their opinion, Czechoslovak legionnaires were noted in the South Urals as killers of civilians. A resident of Miass tried through the court to achieve the dismantling of a monument to captured Germans and Hungarians, as well as a ban on installing a memorial to Czechoslovak legionnaires. The satisfaction of the claim to the citizen was denied in full. The decision did not enter into legal force [14] . An official appeal to the Miass authorities was made by the representative of the “Essence of Time” movement Alexei Gurevich. Against the publicist Nikolai Starikov spoke:
| The whites became a torch, with the help of which the "allies" of the Entente set fire to Russia and threw it into the Civil War. The Czechs did nothing good for Russia [15] . |
Mikhailovka
In the summer of 2013, opposite the Orthodox Church of St. Vasily the Great, a monument opens in Mikhailovka, Irkutsk region. Tomas Zipfel, military attache of the Czech Republic, arrived at the opening. The names of 30 Czechoslovak legionnaires are engraved on the monument.
On the eve of the delegation’s arrival, unidentified persons doused with red paint the base of the pedestal. A number of citizens of Mikhailovka turned to the Czech ambassador to Russia with a request to relocate the monument to the cemetery or even dismantle it [16] .
Nizhneudinsk
The burial places of Czechoslovak legionnaires in the area of 2nd Znamenskaya Street as a result of expansion went under the railway tracks of the station. The protesters for the monument addressed through the ministries of foreign affairs of Russia and the Czech Republic to Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin , who ordered that a plot of land be allocated for this on the forecourt. In October 2012, the installation of the monument was discussed at a meeting of the Duma of Nizhneudinsk.
Public activists opposed the installation of the monument on the forecourt. Many are sure that the erection of a monument at the station is sacrilege towards the Nizhny Udins who died during the Civil War [17] .
Nizhny Tagil
The monument was erected on November 24, 2009 in the territory of the orphanage No. 1 (Krasnogvardeiskaya St.), where the city’s defense line passed in the autumn of 1918. The author of the monument is Yekaterinburg architect Gennady Belyankin. The design of the monument was based on drawings from the sculptural workshops of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic at the beginning of the 20th century. The names of 67 Czechoslovak legionnaires are stamped on the monument [18] .
Penza
In March 2015, in Penza, at the Penza III railway station, a memorial sign was set up - a cenotaph of Czechoslovak legionnaires who died in 1918 in battles with the Bolshevik garrison of Penza who tried to disarm them . The inscription on the monument reads:
| Czechoslovak legionnaires who fell on the way to their homeland. Penza 03.21 - 05.30.1918 |
The memorial contains the names of all Czechoslovak legionnaires who died in Penza: both those who fought with the local Bolsheviks, and who sided with the Bolsheviks. The names on the memorial are in Czech.
The official opening of the memorial took place on October 23, 2015 [19] . The official delegation of the Czech Republic headed by the deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic [20] took part in the opening ceremony.
Representatives of local left parties and movements opposed the erection of the monument: the youth organization Generation of a New Time [21] and the Communist Party [22] .
Ambassadorial
In the summer of 2008, a commemorative sign (steel plate with an inscription) dedicated to the Ambassadorial landing operation on August 15, 1918 was installed at the Embassy Monastery in Buryatia [23] .
Pugachev
On May 19, 2012, a monument was opened in Pugachev, Saratov Region. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Czech Ministry of Defense, Slovakia, the organization “Society for the Memory of Legionnaires of the Czechoslovak Corps”, the Government of the Saratov Region, and the heads of the district and city administrations of Pugachev [24] .
Samara
In 2008, an agreement was signed between Russia and the Czech Republic, which stipulated the construction of a monument in Samara. The Czech side said that “the most optimal option is to complete the previously begun work on the installation of a monument in Samara on the street. Krasnoarmeyskaya , 133, the place where Czechoslovak soldiers were buried during the Civil War . "
In 2013, SamSU professors who supported the installation of the monument were doused with water [25] . On February 16, 2013, a picket was held on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street against the installation of a monument to Czechoslovak legionaries in Samara [26] . On December 1, 2016, the granite slabs of the future memorial sign were damaged by unknown persons [27] . On the same day, the Communists, together with the residents of the nearest houses, held a picket against the installation of the monument. The next day, the plates were taken away in an unknown direction [28] . Against the installation of the monument were local residents, representatives of the Communist Party and activists of the Samara cell movement " The essence of time ." The collection of signatures against the installation of the monument has begun. The State Duma deputy from the Communist Party L.I. Kalashnikov sent letters regarding the installation of a monument to the Governor of the Samara Region N.I. Merkushkin and the Head of the Samara City District O. B. Fursov [29] . A statement was also made by the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party , headed by G. A. Zyuganov [30] . Meanwhile, the city hall plans to complete the installation of the monument in September 2016 [31] .
Syzran
Since 2011, the Association of International War Memorial Cooperation “War Memorials” has been involved in the installation of a commemorative sign [32] . In October 2015, a monument to the “Fallen Czechoslovak Legionnaires” was erected at the old city cemetery in the area of the brick factory. The names of 54 Czechoslovak legionnaires are embossed on a granite slab [33] .
The installation of the monument caused a lot of controversy among local historians and residents. Initially, it was planned to erect a monument on the forecourt, but a number of members of the commission strongly opposed it. As a result, a monument to the Lebedyanka steam locomotive was erected on the square [34] .
Tyumen
On June 6, 2016, the Head of the City of Tyumen, A. V. Moor, met with the delegation of the Czech Republic and representatives of the Russian War Memorial Association on the search for Czech burials and the installation of a memorial to Czechoslovak legionnaires.
On June 8, 2016, the National Liberation Movement of Tyumen sent a letter of appeal to the head of the city, Governor of the Tyumen Region V.V. Yakushev , expressing his negative attitude to the installation of monuments to Czechoslovak legionnaires. It was also noted there that in Tyumen there are no official Czech military burials [35] .
Ulyanovsk
The cenotaph of Czechoslovak legionnaires was established on October 22, 2015 at the Voskresensky necropolis [36] .
Chelyabinsk
The first monument to Czechoslovak legionaries in Chelyabinsk was unveiled in September 1918. A sketch of this monument was made by the commander of the Czechoslovak Corps, General Jan Syrova . However, this monument did not last long - in the summer of 1919, after the capture of the city by units of the 5th Red Army , it was destroyed.
A modern monument to Czechoslovak legionaries was erected on the forecourt of the city on October 20, 2011. The opening ceremony was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Russia Peter Kolarge, together with the First Vice Governor of the South Urals Sergey Komyakov and City Manager of Chelyabinsk Sergey Davydov. The project of the monument was developed by the Ekaterinburg architect Ekaterina Udovik according to the sketches of the Czech author Pavel Golego. The monument is made of black and red granite, with engraved names of 262 Czechoslovak legionnaires. At the opening came people protesting against the installation of such monuments [37] .
The installation of a monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires in Chelyabinsk caused controversy. The Chelyabinsk regional branch of the Liberal Democratic Party made an open appeal to the ambassadors of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Russia:
| Our party insists that the installation of a monument to the Czechoslovak legionnaires, who came to Chelyabinsk as invaders and occupiers and left behind bad fame, contradicts common sense and desecrates the memory of Russian soldiers whose bones still lie in the ground throughout Europe in nameless graves [38] |
See also
- Czechoslovak Corps
- Uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps
Notes
- ↑ War Memorials - Russian-Czech Agreement . Date of treatment August 1, 2016. Archived August 1, 2016.
- ↑ The Belochekhs blew up the bridge, the Czechoslovak military restored . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Czech legionnaires near Kazan: 97 years ago, the Reds recaptured Verkhny Uslon From the White . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ In Vladivostok, a monument was opened to the “squirrels” . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ Monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires in Yekaterinburg . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Monuments to Czechoslovak legionnaires Will be restored in Irkutsk . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Will a monument to Czechoslovak legionaries be erected in Kansk? . Date of treatment August 3, 2016.
- ↑ Will Czech legionnaires “enter” again in Kansk? . Date of treatment August 3, 2016. Archived on August 3, 2016.
- ↑ Open appeal of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Committee of the SCM to the President of the Slovak Republic . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Ignorance. Baikal News
- ↑ A monument to legionaries was unveiled in Kunger // Rossiyskaya Gazeta . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ "On our land, they looted and killed." Following Chelyabinsk and in Kurgan, they decided to erect a monument to the white-winged interventionists . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ The Communist Party issued a statement on the erection of a monument to the white whales in Kurgan: "This is worship of aggressors and murderers" . Date of treatment August 1, 2016. Archived August 1, 2016.
- ↑ A resident of Miass tried through the court to achieve the dismantling of the monument to captured Germans and Hungarians until May 9 . Date of treatment August 1, 2016. Archived August 1, 2016.
- ↑ The head of Miass wants to erect a monument not only to the whites, but also to German prisoners of war? "What is he carrying ?!" . Date of treatment August 1, 2016. Archived August 1, 2016.
- ↑ A monument to Czechoslovak legionnaires in Mikhailovka was doused with paint . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Residents of Nizhneudinsk oppose the installation of a monument to the white whales who died in the Civil War in Siberia . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Their name is Legion! The newspaper "Tagilka" dated 03.12.2009 . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ The Czech delegation arrived in Penza in secret from the public and the media . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ Česká delegace odhalila v ruské Penze další legionářský pomník . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ Monument to the executioners has no place in Penza . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ People’s control: the Penza monument dedicated to the white-wings caused a public outcry . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ Will we praise and honor war criminals? . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Speak about the Czech soldiers . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Cold showers for the defenders of the white-cherries . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ Samara. What's next - a monument to the Nazis? . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ Vandals damaged a monument to Czech legionnaires in Samara . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ In Samara, in an unknown direction, the plates for the monument to the white- were taken away . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ L.I. Kalashnikov sent letters to the Governor of the Samara Region and the Head of the Samara City District regarding their intention to erect a monument to the "white whales" . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Statement by the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation “There is no place for monuments to the invaders in Russia” . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ In Samara, a picket was held against the installation of a monument to Czech legionnaires . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ A sign of respect and memory still needs to be earned . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ A monument to the “Fallen Czechoslovak Legionnaires” Appeared in Syzran . Date of treatment July 27, 2016. Archived July 27, 2016.
- ↑ Monument to the Squirrels in Syzran: opinion of local historians and residents . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ GCD / Shares / We will not allow - to distort the history of our country . Date of treatment August 1, 2016. Archived August 1, 2016.
- ↑ The cenotaph was set to white whales at the graves of Catholics . Date of treatment July 29, 2016. Archived July 29, 2016.
- ↑ The Czech ambassador unveiled the most controversial monument in Chelyabinsk. At the monument, he was greeted with signs: "The white-cheeks and" United Russia "have a lot in common - so they open a monument to the stranglers of freedom and working people." . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.
- ↑ Chelyabinsk LDPR: The erection of a monument to the white whales contradicts common sense and desecrates the memory of Russian soldiers . Date of treatment July 28, 2016. Archived July 28, 2016.