Memorial "To the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War" (Alyosha)

In a raincoat tent with a submachine gun over his shoulder, our "Alyosha" stands with his back to the city, protecting it, covering it with himself. The gaze is directed to the west, from where the trouble-the war-came to our land in 1941. A hero soldier on guard of the hero city.

The memorial appeared in 1974 thanks to the sculptor Isaac Davidovich Brodsky and the architect Igor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky. From the first days of its opening, the residents of Murmansk lovingly call it "Murmansk Alyosha", because the main figure of the monument is the figure of a warrior, a soldier. The memorial is one of the main attractions of Murmansk and is an integral part of the sightseeing tour of the city.

The monument belongs to one of the highest monuments in Russia — the figure of a soldier of 35.5 meters rises on a seven-meter pedestal, it is the second highest monument after the "Motherland". Therefore, it is not easy to photograph it, but you can see it from different points of the city. From the monument itself, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the city and the Kola Bay.

The memorial, along with the figure of the warrior, includes the podium "Eternal Flame", a three-sided pyramid symbolizing the lowered battle banner. Near two anti-aircraft guns-on this hill were anti-aircraft batteries that covered the city and the port from the air, and a stele with the inscription: "To the defenders of the Arctic-soldiers of the 14th Army, the 19th Army, the Red Banner Northern Fleet, the 7th Air Army, border detachments No. 82, 100, partisan detachments "Soviet Murman", "Bolshevik of the Arctic", "Polarnik", "Stalinist", "Bolshevik". Glory to those who defended this land!"