Solovki stone - the place of expression of political protest

A lot of shocks were experienced by the Russians. Among them, total repression for political and religious reasons on the territory of the Soviet Union in the twentieth century remains terrible and incomprehensible for many people.

Lubyanka is a mournful place where people tortured and carried out death sentences to innocent people. Complete echelons of the repressed were sent to the camps and prisons on the Solovetsky Islands. These lands for the vast number of Soviet people became the last refuge. And it is Solovetsky stone rightfully considered a memorial, not allowing to forget the millions of ruined lives.

In memory of the tortured and executed

For a long time it was not accepted to discuss and mention these shameful times for Russia. But the pain and uncertainty make many think about and remember those terrible years. The main associates for perpetuating the heavy events taking place on the Solovetsky Islands in the camps (ELEPH) and prisons (STON) for special purposes were members of the public organization "Memorial". This society was created by academician and human rights activist Sakharov Andrei Dmitrievich.

The public and relatives of the repressed appealed to the authorities of the capital with a request to allocate a site in Moscow for the installation of a memorial that remembers the victims of political repression. This memorable place was the Lubyanka Square, where the Solovki Stone was located.

History of the monument

To stir up the public and talk about perpetuating the memory of people who were victims of political repression was possible in perestroika years. And this happened in 1990. After agreement with the Moscow government and allocation of funds, the foundation was laid for the installation of the monument, which later became the Solovetsky stone.

Granite block was selected Mikhail Butorin - historian and journalist, and Gennady Lyashenko - the chief architect of Arkhangelsk, before sending it was in the village of Solovetsky, which is in the Tamarin quay.

Cargo ship "Sosnowiec" boulder was forwarded to Arkhangelsk, where by rail it was delivered to Moscow. The creation of the memorial monument was also attended by the designer VE Korsi and the artist-architect SI Smirnov.

The Solovetsky stone was set up on the Lubyanka in 1990, on October 30. The chosen place is very significant for many Russians. It was here that the "menacing" buildings were located, first the NKVD, then the KGB. Here, with the help of ruthless servants, documents were signed for mass arrests of people and sentences for execution or exile of the accused for treason and for undermining the communist system.

Since 2008, Solovetsky stone is a landmark of Moscow. He is in the Moscow park near the Polytechnic Museum. Earlier in front of him towered a monument to the "iron" Felix Dzerzhinsky. But it was dismantled during the days of the putsch events in August 1991.

Memorial day

A monument was opened in the crowd of thousands of Muscovites and guests of the capital. Among them were the former political prisoners of the Solovki camps: Oleg Volkov, Sergei Kovalev and Anatoly Zhigulin.

In far 1974 (October 30) the first day of the political prisoner was marked by the ignition of many candles in memory of thousands of innocents killed, a joint hunger strike was declared. The initiators were Kronid Lyubarsky and many prisoners of the camps of Perm and Mordovia.

Since 1990, October 30 is considered the official Day of Political Prisoners in the USSR. Later it was renamed and began to be celebrated as a Memorial Day for victims of political repression.

Prisoners of the Gulag

A gift from former political prisoners in memory of the victims of repression received and the northern capital - St. Petersburg. Solovetsky stone on September 4, 2002, activists of the "Memorial" society established in the park near Troitskaya Square. The opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The authors of the memorial are the artists Uhnalev EI and Yu. A. Rybakov.