Monument to Border Guards of All Generations (Samara)

The Monument to Border Guards of All Generations stands in Victory Park in Samara, in the block bounded by Aerodromnaya, Entuziastov, Maurice Thorez and Karbyshev streets. The bronze group of a soldier, a service dog and a border post was unveiled in May 2018 for the centenary of Russia's border service and has become the main gathering place for border guard veterans of the Samara region.

History

The monument was unveiled on Sunday, 27 May 2018, the eve of Border Guards' Day, marking one hundred years of the border service, which dates its history from 1918. The idea came from border service veterans who wanted to honour everyone who had guarded the frontier over many years and generations. The regional authorities backed it, and Dmitry Azarov, then acting governor, spoke at the ceremony.

The money was raised by public subscription: residents of Samara and other regions sent donations, which is why it is often called a people's monument. Vladimir Yachmenev, a reserve colonel and chairman of the Samara Region Border Guard Veterans organisation, called it a sacred place for everyone who served on the border.

What to see

The sculpture is cast in bronze and stands about three metres tall (some descriptions say four). The border guard wears full uniform of the early 1940s and stands by a border post with a watchdog, an East European Shepherd, at his side. The group speaks of devotion and courage, and the faithful dog recalls that on a frontier post a dog was always a soldier's partner.

Guides to Victory Park also describe the memorial details around it: 11 marble slabs bear the names of cities near which Samara border guards fought and died, and, according to local press, artillery shell casings filled with soil from the places where soldiers fell are laid under the cubes of the base. Nearby runs an alley planted in 2001 by survivors of the Siege of Leningrad.

Victory Park itself was conceived for the 30th anniversary of the Victory and opened in 1977; it covers more than 10 hectares. Every year on 28 May, Border Guards' Day, veterans and serving officers gather at the monument to lay flowers. Visitors' reviews say the monument was made with heart.

Getting there

The nearest metro station is Sportivnaya, about a kilometre's walk from the park entrance. The monument stands inside the park to the left behind the police building; on maps it is marked as "To Border Guards of All Generations". Entry to the park is free.