Kumzhensky memorial, War memorial in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
The Kumzhensky memorial is a war memorial on the northwestern edge of Rostov-on-Don, made up of five marble-clad pylons, four Glory steles, and a central monument called 'Storm' that shows soldiers moving forward. Granite plates around the site carry the engraved names of fallen soldiers and the military units that took part in the city's liberation.
The memorial was inaugurated in 1983 on a site where some of the fiercest fighting took place during the battles for Rostov-on-Don in 1941 and 1943. Control of the city changed hands during those years, making the location a direct reference to the events it commemorates.
The sculpted faces at the memorial are modeled after real soldiers, including political instructor Alexandra Nozadze and lieutenants Vladimir Milovidov and Alexei Filippov. Visitors can read their names on the nearby plaques and see whose faces were chosen to represent the fallen.
The memorial sits in a flat part of the city and is easy to reach on foot without any major slopes or obstacles along the way. Visiting during daylight makes it easier to read the engravings on the granite plates and see all parts of the monument clearly.
Rising from the central monument, an 18-meter metal arrow points skyward to mark the exact direction of the Soviet Army's main offensive during the battles for the city. This arrow is visible from a distance and is the first element most visitors notice before reaching the sculptures.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
