The very first eternal flame. Why does the Eternal Flame not go out?
Every year on May 9, Muscovites go to the Eternal Flame to bow to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. However, few people already remember the people who created this memorial. Eternal flame It has been burning for 46 years. It seems like he has always been there. However, the story of its ignition is extremely dramatic. It had its own tears and tragedies.
In December 1966, Moscow was preparing to solemnly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the defense of Moscow. At that time, the first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee was Nikolai Grigorievich Egorychev. A man who played a significant role in politics, including in the dramatic situation of the removal of Khrushchev and the election of Brezhnev to the post of Secretary General, one of the communist reformers.
The anniversary of the victory over the Nazis began to be celebrated especially solemnly only in 1965, when Moscow was awarded the title of Hero City and May 9 officially became a non-working day. Actually, then the idea was born to create a monument to ordinary soldiers who died for Moscow. However, Yegorychev understood that the monument should not be Moscow, but nationwide. This could only be the monument to the Unknown Soldier.
One day at the beginning of 1966, Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin called Nikolai Yegorychev and said: “I was recently in Poland, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Why is there no such monument in Moscow?” “Yes,” Yegorychev answers, “we are thinking about this right now.” And he told about his plans. Kosygin liked the idea. When work on the project was completed, Yegorychev brought the sketches to the “premier”. However, it was necessary to familiarize Brezhnev with the project. And at that time he left somewhere, so Yegorychev went to the Central Committee to Mikhail Suslov and showed the sketches.
He also approved the project. Soon Brezhnev returned to Moscow. He received the Moscow leader very coldly. Apparently, he learned that Egorychev had reported everything to Kosygin and Suslov earlier. Brezhnev began to wonder whether it was worth building such a memorial at all. At that time, the idea was already in the air to give exclusivity to the battles on Malaya Zemlya. Moreover, as Nikolai Grigorievich told me: “Leonid Ilyich understood perfectly well that the opening of a monument close to the heart of every person would strengthen my personal authority. And Brezhnev did not like this even more.” However, in addition to the issue of the “struggle of authorities,” other, purely practical problems arose. And the main one is the place for the monument.
Brezhnev insisted: “I don’t like the Alexander Garden. Look for another place.”
Two or three times Yegorychev returned to this issue in conversations with the General. All to no avail.
Yegorychev insisted on the Alexander Garden, near the ancient Kremlin wall. Then it was an unkempt place, with a stunted lawn,
the wall itself required restoration. But the biggest obstacle was something else. Almost on the very spot where the Eternal Flame now burns stood an obelisk built in 1913 for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov. After the revolution, the names of the reigning house were scraped off the obelisk and the names of the titans of the revolution were knocked out.
The list was supposedly compiled by Lenin personally. To evaluate what follows, let me remind you that at that time touching anything connected with Lenin was monstrous sedition. Egorychev proposed to the architects without asking anyone highest resolution(because they won’t allow it), quietly move the obelisk a little to the right, to where the grotto is located. And no one will notice anything. The funny thing is that Yegorychev turned out to be right. If they had started to coordinate the issue of moving the Lenin monument with the Politburo, the matter would have dragged on for years.
Egorychev appealed to the common sense of the head of the Moscow architectural department, Gennady Fomin. Convinced to act without permission. By the way, if something went wrong, for such arbitrariness they could easily be deprived of all positions, or worse...
And yet, before starting global construction work, the approval of the Politburo was required. However, they did not intend to convene the Politburo. Yegorychev’s note on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier had been lying in the Politburo since May 1966, without movement. Then Nikolai Grigorievich once again resorted to a little trick.
He asked Fomin to prepare materials for the monument project: models, tablets - by November 6, the anniversary of the revolution - and display them in the presidium lounge in the Palace of Congresses. When the ceremonial meeting ended and members of the Politburo began to enter the room, I asked them to come and look at the models. Some were even surprised: after all, they had nothing to do with the anniversary of the revolution. I told them about the monument. Then I ask: “What is your opinion?” All members of the Politburo unanimously say: “This is great!” I’m asking if it’s possible to get started?
I see that Brezhnev has nowhere to go - the Politburo spoke in favor...
The last most important question is where to look for the remains of a soldier? At that time, a lot of construction was going on in Zelenograd, and there, during excavation work, they found a mass grave that had been lost since the war. The secretary of the city committee for construction, Alexei Maksimovich Kalashnikov, was assigned to conduct this matter. Then even more thorny questions arose: whose remains would be buried in the grave? What if it turns out to be the body of a deserter? Or a German? By and large, from the heights of today, no matter who ends up there, anyone is worthy of memory and prayer. But in 1965 they didn’t think so. Therefore, they tried to check everything carefully. As a result, the choice fell on the remains of a warrior whose military uniform was well preserved, but which did not have any commander’s insignia. As Yegorychev explained to me: “If it had been a deserter who had been shot, the belt would have been taken off him. He could not have been wounded or captured, because the Germans did not reach that place. So it was absolutely clear that this was a Soviet soldier, "who died heroically defending Moscow. No documents were found in his grave - the ashes of this private were truly nameless."
The military developed a solemn burial ritual. From Zelenograd the ashes were delivered to the capital on a gun carriage. On December 6, from early morning, hundreds of thousands of Muscovites lined Gorky Street. People cried as the funeral cortege moved past. Many old women quietly overshadowed the coffin sign of the cross. In mournful silence, the procession reached Manezhnaya Square. The last meters of the coffin were carried by Marshal Rokossovsky and prominent party members. The only one who was not allowed to carry the remains was Marshal Zhukov, who was then in disgrace...
On May 7, 1967, in Leningrad, a torch was lit from the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars, which was carried by relay to Moscow. They say that all the way from Leningrad to Moscow there was a living corridor - people wanted to see what was sacred to them. Early morning On May 8, the motorcade reached Moscow. The streets were also filled to capacity with people. The Hero accepted the torch at Manezhnaya Square Soviet Union, legendary pilot Alexey Maresyev. Unique chronicle footage has been preserved that captured this moment. I have seen crying men and women praying. People froze, trying not to miss the most important moment - the lighting of the Eternal Flame.
The memorial was opened by Nikolai Egorychev. And Brezhnev was supposed to light the Eternal Flame.
Leonid Ilyich was explained in advance what needed to be done. That evening, in the final news program, a television report was shown of the Secretary General accepting the torch, approaching the star with the torch, then a cliff followed - and in the next frame they showed the lit Eternal Flame. The fact is that during the ignition an emergency occurred, which was witnessed only by people standing nearby. Nikolai Egorychev: “Leonid Ilyich misunderstood something, and when the gas started, he did not have time to immediately bring the torch. As a result, something like an explosion occurred. There was a bang.
Brezhnev got scared, recoiled, almost fell." Immediately came the highest order to cut out this unpleasant moment from the TV report.
As Nikolai Grigorievich recalled, because of this incident, television covered the great event rather sparingly.
Almost all the people involved in the creation of this monument had the feeling that this was the main work of their lives and it was FOREVER, FOREVER.
Since then, every year on May 9, people come to the Eternal Flame. Almost everyone knows that they will read the lines engraved on a marble slab: “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal.” But it never occurs to anyone that these lines had an author. And it all happened like this. When the Central Committee approved the creation of the Eternal Flame, Yegorychev asked the then literary generals - Sergei Mikhalkov, Konstantin Simonov, Sergei Narovchatov and Sergei Smirnov - to come up with an inscription on the grave. We settled on the following text: “His name is unknown, his feat is immortal.” All the writers signed these words... and left.
Egorychev was left alone. Something in the final version did not suit him: “I thought,” he recalled, “how people would approach the grave. Maybe those who have lost their loved ones and do not know where they found peace. What will they say?
Probably: “Thank you, soldier! Your feat is immortal!” Although it was late in the evening, Yegorychev called Mikhalkov: “The word “his” should be replaced with “yours.”
Mikhalkov thought: “Yes,” he said, “this is better.” So the words carved in stone appeared on the granite slab: “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal”...
It would be great if we no longer had to write new inscriptions over new graves of unknown soldiers. Although this, of course, is a utopia. One of the greats said: “Time changes, but our attitude towards our Victories does not change.” In fact, we will disappear, our children and great-grandchildren will leave, and the Eternal Flame will burn.
To the point:
Do you love looking at candle fire? Probably few of us will say no. For some reason, the flame has a magical, bewitching effect on a person.
And the flame itself has been something magical since ancient times; one second we see the flame, the next it disappears, only to appear again. Therefore, the ancients believed that fire easily and simply unites the worlds.
When a person dies, the flame of his heart slowly fades away to be rekindled in another world. This is, of course, an image, but from it arose the tradition of lighting a fire in honor of the dead and dead.
To put it even more simply, fire is our memory, eternal fire is eternal memory.
Now, probably, in every city you can see a memorial or monument with an eternal flame.
For the older generation, this is not just a symbol of worship of a feat. This is an eternal connection with the dead, no matter how long ago it happened.
Fire has been considered a symbol of purification since ancient times. Do you think you just keep looking at the candle flame? No.
It turns out that our thoughts, passing through this flame, are also purified, everything superficial, everything unnecessary is burned, everything that remains is your truth. So it is very useful for a person to look at the fire from time to time.
Remember May 9... How the whole country freezes in mute silence, without taking its eyes off the flame of the eternal flame. This minute is a moment of strength for the whole country. At this moment there is an energetic unification of the entire family. Somewhere in some dimension, the gazes of the living and the dead meet.
This is just how they say that the gaze is unseeing..... What a seeing one, just not with an ordinary human eye, but rather with the soul.
In ancient times, when moving to a new house, it was a tradition to bring a pot of fire from the old house. This was done for a reason. This tradition had great meaning. With this fire, the connection with the ancestors, with the lineage of this family, was transferred to the new home.
Remember that a woman is the keeper of the family hearth? We're just used to thinking now that it's just a metaphor. And in ancient times, the fire in the house had to be constantly maintained, so the family connection was not lost.
It's like looking for someone in the dark with a flashlight. You'll find him faster if he also lights a flashlight, right?
We must always remember that certain traditions do not arise just like that. And if we don’t know something, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and never happened.
We are simply given the opportunity to forget. Sometimes this gift is useful, sometimes it is not. But we must remember and honor those who have passed on.
And we must not only remember those who gave their lives so that you and I could live and rejoice now. We must be worthy of them.
And when your gaze once again freezes on the flame of a burning fire, you mentally send gratitude and bow. You can rest assured that you will be seen and heard.
It seems to us that the main role fire to warm our homes, make our lives more comfortable and cozy. It seems so to us...
And FIRE itself only smiles at human naivety. After all, human knowledge is already at the “warm” level, but it is still far from “hot”.
I am always glad to see you on the pages of the site
For 50 years now, the flame of the Eternal Flame near the walls of the Kremlin has not been able to blow out the wind, cover the snow and pour in the rain. It is inextinguishable. However, this is not a miracle, but a complex technical device. On February 22, late in the evening, I was able to observe a unique moment - the ceremonial maintenance of the burner of the Sacred Flame, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Eternal Flame in the Alexander Garden.
A little educational history. The first “Eternal Flame” in the USSR was lit in the village of Pervomaisky, Shchekinsky district Tula region May 6, 1955 in memory of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War. However, it cannot be called Eternal in the full sense of these words, since its combustion regularly stopped. The first truly Eternal (never stopped burning) fire in the USSR was the fire lit on November 6, 1957 on the Field of Mars in Leningrad. Three Eternal Flames are currently burning in Moscow.
The eternal flame at the walls of the Kremlin was solemnly lit on May 8, 1967 by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev, who accepted the torch from the Hero of the Soviet Union military pilot Alexei Maresyev. Historical photo:
The MOSGAZ museum still preserves the portable gas torch with which Brezhnev lit the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The torch consists of a metal body, inside of which there is a liquefied gas cartridge and a burner. The torch is still operational.
In order to maintain the constant burning of the flame of the Eternal Flame, it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance of the unique gas burner device. By the way, from the very first day of the lighting of the Eternal Flame at the walls of the Kremlin, for half a century now, the MOSGAZ company has been servicing it.
To prevent the flame from extinguishing during maintenance work, it was transferred to another burner using a special torch. The torch was carried by the developer of the Eternal Flame burner, Honored Inventor of the Russian Federation, Kirill Reader.
The temporary gas burner device is a smaller copy of the main burner. And it also has its own unique history, because it was thanks to him that in 2010 the sacred flame returned to the Alexander Garden after the reconstruction of the memorial from its temporary stay at Poklonnaya Hill.
Just in case of a fire, a candle is also lit nearby.
The star is lifted and taken to the side.
The star, by the way, is also not simple, but was created using space technologies at the country’s leading rocket enterprise - now RSC Energia named after Korolev.
Locksmiths of the highest level are allowed to perform the work. They check the igniters, which are under high voltage.
In total, the burner design provides three igniters, which provide triple redundancy so that the Eternal Flame burns in any weather.
The burner of the Eternal Flame is supplied with ordinary natural gas, which is present in the homes of Muscovites. But it burns not with blue, but with bright yellow flames near the Kremlin wall, precisely because of the design of the burner.
I found an infographic on the Internet that clearly shows the burner design. Thanks AiF
After the procedure was completed, the entire structure was reassembled.
At the end, the flame of the Eternal Flame was lit by the head of MOSGAZ, Hasan Gasangadzhiev, and a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and the gas industry, Viktor Volkov.
The current inspection of all systems is special - timed to coincide with Defender of the Fatherland Day and the half-century anniversary of the monument itself, so all Russian federal television channels decided to capture this moment.
On February 23, as always according to the old tradition, at the Eternal Flame, Vladimir Putin honored the memory of the fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...
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Slide captions:
Eternal Flame Compiled by: teacher-defectologist Kirchenkova E.A. Ryazan, 2015
The eternal flame is a constantly burning fire that burns in winter and summer, day and night. It symbolizes that the memory of the feat of the defenders of the Motherland will live forever.
On Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (May 9), and on other days, they bring flowers to the Eternal Flame, come to stand, be silent, and bow to the memory of the heroes...
In the main city of our country - the city of Moscow - three Eternal Flames were installed in memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War. One of them is located at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” in the Alexander Garden (it is the main component of the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” complex).
The memorial architectural ensemble “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” was opened on May 8, 1967. L.I. Brezhnev lights the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (1967)
Since 1997, State Post No. 1 has been transferred to the Eternal Flame from the Mausoleum, to which the honor guard of the Presidential Regiment takes over. The Honor Guard Post at the Eternal Flame in Moscow at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Post No. 1) is the main guard post in Russian Federation. In accordance with the Decree of Russian President Boris Yeltsin (dated December 8, 1997), the Guard of Honor stands guard in the Alexander Garden near the Eternal Flame every day from 08.00 to 20.00. Post No. 1 Changing of the guard
There are many such graves on our land. These graves contain the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Great Patriotic War. Many soldiers died in that war. Not all of the dead could be identified, and not all of them had documents. The ashes of one of these soldiers are buried near the Kremlin wall in Moscow. Therefore, on the tombstone it is written: “Your name is unknown.” - Why do you think the grave is called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? - What does the second part of the inscription mean: “Your feat is immortal”? - This inscription means that people will always remember: the soldiers buried here died defending the Motherland, their relatives and friends, their children and grandchildren.
Two other Eternal Flames in Moscow are installed on Poklonnaya Hill and Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery. Eternal Flame (Fire of Memory and Glory) on Poklonnaya Hill Eternal Flame at Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery
The eternal flame in memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War burns in many cities of the former Soviet Union. The Eternal Flame on the Champ de Mars is the first Eternal Flame in the Soviet Union. All other eternal fires throughout the territory of our country were lit precisely from this fire. Eternal Flame on the Champ de Mars (St. Petersburg). Year of creation of the Eternal Flame on the Champ de Mars: 1956.
It is interesting that Post No. 1 in the city of Rostov-on-Don is one of the few, and perhaps the only place in Russia where high school students perform the guard of honor. The changing of the guards takes place every 15-20 minutes. The guards are dressed in full dress uniform and armed with machine guns. Schoolchildren study the charter, engage in marching, drill exercises and take a solemn oath. The post has been in effect since 1975. The Eternal Flame and Post No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don (are part of the memorial complex “Fallen Warriors”)
In our city (Ryazan) the Eternal Flame is located on Victory Square.
At the Eternal Flame, the tulips are drooping and looking at the ground. The ninth of May is the holiday of soldiers: So that you and I could live, they fought... Tulips are burning - flowers are like fires. The fire blazes at the mass graves, So that no one forgets the feat of the dead: The color is scarlet - the color of blood shed by war... But the fire is eternal - that means the hero is eternal! N. Samoniy Many poems, songs, and stories have been composed on the theme of the Eternal Flame.
Eternal flame Eternal flame. Alexander Garden. Everlasting memory heroes. Who was he, the unknown soldier, Honored by the Great Country. Maybe he was still a young cadet, or a simple militiaman. Maybe he was killed because he did not kneel before the enemy. Maybe he went on the attack full height, The bullet reached its end. Or he was an unknown sailor, the one who died at the helm. Maybe he was a pilot, or maybe a tanker; It doesn't matter today. We will never read this sheet, That paper triangle. Eternal flame. Alexander Garden. Monument to thousands of lives. The eternal flame is the memory of soldiers who honestly served their homeland. Yu. Schmidt
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in 2005, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation issued a 10 ruble coin, on the reverse of which the Eternal Flame is depicted and the inscription “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten.”
The eternal flame remains, despite all political changes, a symbol of heroism, national independence and true love for the Motherland. We will disappear, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will leave, and the Eternal Flame will burn. “Time changes - but our attitude towards our Victories does not change” (c)
Thank you for your attention!
On May 8, 1967, the Eternal Flame was lit at the Kremlin wall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in memory of the people who fell in the bloody struggle against fascism.
51 years ago, in May, a symbol of memory and tribute to those people who gave their lives in the fight against the German invaders lit up near the Kremlin wall.
Since then, the fire has burned continuously and constantly - reminding us of the price at which our ancestors gave us freedom. And even though dozens of veterans remain with us now, the memory of their feat will live forever.
However, few people know that the tradition of maintaining fire in special burners at various memorials, monuments and cemeteries originated in Ancient Rome. The symbol of fire was described in ancient myths, where both people and gods appeared. It is interesting that the initial possession of fire is attributed to women, and men received it later. This prescription is reflected in modern times - now a woman is considered the keeper of the family hearth (fire).
From the point of view of sacraments and symbolism, the “fire sign” also carries a lot within itself. Thus, earlier in mythological systems fire was classified as an object of purely religious relation, which was worshiped by people. Since ancient times, light has always carried the symbol of the “divine” and illuminated the human path. Moreover, the first people on earth considered the flame to be a manifestation of God himself, who was accessible to perception. At its core, fire has always been considered a symbol of purification, transformation and renewal of life, as well as the family (which gathers around its light and warmth) and patriotism.
For the first time, the eternal flame was lit in Paris at the Arc de Triomphe at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in which the remains of a Frenchman who died in the battles of the First World War were buried. The flame of memory has been burning in Paris since January 28, 1921. After this, the tradition of lighting a fire was borrowed by many states and countries. Thus, in the 1930s and 1940s, flames were lit in Belgium, Romania, Portugal and the Czech Republic in memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War.
The first “Eternal Flame” in the USSR was lit in the Tula region in the village of Pervomaisky on May 9, 1957 in memory of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War. However, the first one state level The eternal flame in the USSR appeared on November 6, 1957 on the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg.
There are currently three Eternal Flames burning in Moscow. The first was lit at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery on February 9, 1961 from the flames on the Field of Mars. The second is located near the Kremlin wall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Heroes of the Soviet Union took part in the ceremony of lighting the fire at the Kremlin wall: A.P. Maresyev and G.F. Muslanov. Then Maresyev passed the torch with fire into the hands of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L.I. Brezhnev, who lit the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ashes of the unknown soldier were transferred from the mass grave at the 40th kilometer of the Leningrad Highway in Zelenograd to the Alexander Garden on December 3, 1966. The third fire appeared on April 30, 2010 on Poklonnaya Hill.
At the moment, the Eternal Flame has been lit in many cities of Russia. And while the symbol of victory, heroism and perseverance will burn, we will remember the great feat of our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and those who won this Victory over Nazism.
