Eternal Flame (Yoshkar-Ola)

The Eternal Flame in Yoshkar-Ola is a memorial complex in the Central Park of Culture of the capital of the Mari El Republic, dedicated to the memory of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. The complex opened on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Victory Day, in April 1975, and the Eternal Flame itself was lit on May 9 of that year.

The complex's central element is a six-meter figure of a victorious soldier, mounted on a twenty-meter column, symbolizing the Mari people killed or missing in action, as well as workers evacuated to the republic. The memorial stele, made of granite, concrete, and wrought copper, depicts a soldier with a submachine gun and a billowing shelter-cape behind him, embodying courage and valor.

Next to the monument stands the Eternal Flame memorial itself, shaped like a five-pointed star. A "Walk of Heroes" leads to it, lined with memorial plaques bearing the names of soldiers, Heroes of the Soviet Union, who died during the war; blue spruces planted behind the plaques symbolize the gratitude of later generations. In the days around Victory Day, a guard of honor and mass commemorative events are held at the Eternal Flame.