The Motherland Monument is the highest monument in Kyiv. It is erected on one of Kyiv’s highest spots on the right bank of the Dnieper and can be observed from any part of the city. This is one of the most popular landmarks of Ukraine’s capital. The monument is part of the "National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", dedicated to Victory Day in World War II.
The monument and the museum opened the doors to the visitors in 1981. There is an opinion that the idea of erecting a grandiose monument came to Leonid Brezhnev, when he visited Kyiv noticed that, looking at the city’s hills, a person can see only the domes of churches and temples, and not just a monument of the socialist era. According to the legend, during the erection of the monument, the Kyiv metropolitan had talks with the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Volodymyr Scherbytsky regarding the height of the sculpture. He said that the sculpture shouldn’t be higher than the Great Lavra Bell Tower, which is located near the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Allegedly after that, it was decided to shorten the sword of the statue, which is now below the top of the bell tower by 12 meters. However, architects say that this was done to balance the buildings of the museum and the Lavra.
The monument is really impressive. The figure of a woman with a shield and a sword in her hands was installed on the tapered pedestal of 40 meters high (total height is 102 meters, weight is 500 tones), sculpture height is 62 meters. A small shield has a size of 12x8 meters, and the sword length is 16 meters. The sculpture "Motherland" is a unique whole-welded metal structure consisting of three layers: the basic steel carcass weighing more than 280 tones, the auxiliary carcass with plating of 108 tones and one and a half millimeter stainless steel coverage weighing 90 tones, which is made of 27 large-tonnage blocks. The Special technology of welding was developed by the Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kyiv. The leading experts say that the monument "Motherland" will stand more than 150 years. According to calculations, the monument can withstand even an earthquake of 9 points.
Can I get to the top of the Motherland Monument? The museum has 2 observation decks. The first one called “Outlook” is 36,6m. The climbing is accessible to visitors of all ages except for children of preschool age (up to 6 years). The observation deck “Extreme” is 91 m. Only visitors older 18 and accompanied by the instructor can visit it. Here, you’ll have an opportunity to see the part of the left and the right banks of Kyiv and the Dniper River, and enjoy a beautiful view.
Address: Lavrska Str., 33, Kyiv. How to get there: from the Arsenalna metro station turn left and walk for 30 minutes or take a trolleybus #38 or a bus #24. Get off on the "Museum of the Great Patriotic War" stop.