 The monument to Motherland is one of the main symbols of the capital of Ukraine. It is a symbol of the invincibility of the people, who defeated Nazi invaders by a cost of millions of lives. Motherland of Kiev can withstand a powerful earthquake and a hurricane as a great nation stands before the heaviest trials and will remain undisturbed.
The statue was built in 1981 on the territory of the museum complex dedicated to the history of Ukraine in the Second World War. The first author of the monument was Eugene Vutechic. He worked on a memorial complex in Volgograd. The death interrupted a work of this great figure in a culture. Vasyl Borodaya was appointed to his place, who was destined to complete the project, which was immediately subjected to changes. At first it was planned that the monument, made of Zaporozhye stainless steel, was covered with gold. However, later this idea was abandoned. Also, from the both sides of the Motherland mother a cascade of water had to drop, which would be forced by the warriors made of stone.
The cross and the sword
 During the process of building of the memorial, according to the city legend, the clergy intervened. The height of the historical monument was corrected. At the moment, there are two versions directly connected with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which explain why the blade in the hands of the statue was lower than it was intended.
The first version: the fact that the sword of the project might be over the cross of the Great Lavra bell tower. However, the soil under the statue settled. Then the clergy advised to decrees the sword. When the necessary changes were made, the problems with the soil ceased.
According to the second version, the Metropolitan of Kiev had a vision: the war could begin if the weapon would be higher than the cross. Metropolitan presented his vision to Shcherbytsky the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. By his direction, the plan of the project was changed.
In fact, the sword was tested in an aerodynamic tube. Moscow scientists have determined which height would be the most optimal. As a result, the blade was reduced to 4 meters.
With the construction of the Motherland, many interesting facts are connected:
The length of the welds is 30 kilometers;
The weight of the shield is 13 tons, the sword - 9, and the whole statue - more than 450 tons;
Separate blocks weigh 25-30 tons;
For the erection of the monument to the Motherland of Kiev, a crane with a height of 102 meters was created. However, before the opening of the memorial complex, the architect did not have time to disassemble the crane and simply cut it off with autogeny. Parts of this crane are still in Kiev at the bottom of the Dnieper;
The total height from the base to the sword tip is 102 meters;
Annual researches of cultural monuments revealed that the statue did not stick to a millimeter;
The statue should stand for 150 years;
To maintain the monument, it is provided the lifts, one of which moves along the slopes;
From the height of 36 meters you can make a view of Kiev. Previously, the upper observation decks were open. But after an accident, the tourists are not allowed above the mark of 36 meters.
Decommunisation
 Since 2014, all over Ukraine it was provided a decommunisation. It is intended to destroy all the symbols and references to a totalitarian state - the USSR. Massively there were demolished the monuments to Lenin, other Soviet leaders. Streets, villages and the entire cities have got new names.
The list of the objects under decommunisation includes the museum complex in Kiev, dedicated to the Second World War. Motherland is an object of culture. Therefore demolition of the monument was not planned. Instead, there will be held certain works: it is necessary to remove the emblem of the USSR from the shield. Technical advice on this issue was provided by the Paton Electric Welding Institute. Employees of the same institute advised the founders of the motherland.
But everything is not simple, as it seemed at first. According to the legislation of Ukraine, amendments to the monument are prohibited. In addition, if the emblem is removed, there may be a deformation of the arc, on which the arms of the statue holding the shield and the sword are mounted in counterweight. This will lead to the destruction of the entire design of the monument.
While scientists, historians, activists and officials argue, the emblem is still there where it was installed more than 35 years ago. And motherland, still mournfully looking away, remaining one of the main attractions of the capital.
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