13.08.13 Museum of the Great Patriotic War.

Today was our last full day in Moscow and we wanted to try and see as much as we could.  We had narrowed down a long list of potential places to visit to three which we set of to find.

The first place we wanted to visit was the Museum of Matryoshka were we were hoping to see different painting patterns and a VERY large Matroyshka doll.  However, after wandering the streets and consulting several maps (as well as a nice lady in Tony and Guy's) we found the entrance only to be told that the museum was "shut, for ever!"




Despite this initial setback we wandered on to our next stop which was the Muzeon Park of Arts which is a Sculpture park on the banks of the river.  The park has over 700 sculptures including some of Lenin and Stalin.  Some of the sculptures even featured in the opening of James Bond's Golden Eye!  While in the park we had some lunch in a small café and lazed on bean bags under the massive trees.

 

 

 

 
After visiting the park we went back to the Metro to head towards the Museum of the Great Patriotic War.  This was one of the most impressive things we had seen during our time in Moscow. 

 
The outside has a giant obelisk that every 10cm represents a day that Russia was involved in the war - it's massive!  It is really ornately decorated with the names of all the areas represented shown on the sides. 

Inside the museum there was lots to see but the most impressive was the Hall of Glory and the Hall of Remembrance and Sorrow.  The Hall of Glory has the names of nearly 12,000 recipients of the Hero of the Soviet Union distinction on the walls with images of the main Russian cities around the top and a giant bronze sculpture called the "Soldier of Victory" stood in the middle.  The Hall of Remembrance and Sorrow gives a very different feeling and honours the Soviet people who died in the war.  The hall has little lighting and has metal chains with glass beads hanging from the end suspended from the ceiling - these represent the tears shed for the dead.

The Hall of Remembrance and Sorrow

Inside the Hall of Glory

The entrance to the Hall of Glory

For dinner we returned to GUM and the Soviet style café that we had visited on the first day.  We then packed our bags so that we could fit in some last minute shopping in the morning.