Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan (Russian Federation)

Description

The serial transnational nomination “Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan” (Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation) includes two large-scale memorial complexes associated with the beginning and the turning point of military operations on the Eastern Front of the World War II.

World War II is the most significant event of the 20th century that laid the foundation for the modern world order. Due to a number of factors (economic, military, spatial, and ideological), the most difficult and fierce was the struggle between the USSR and Nazi Germany with its allies on the Eastern Front, known as the Great Patriotic War.

On June 22, 1941, the Wehrmacht launched a massive invasion on the borderlands of the USSR. One of the first to feel the aggressor's blow was the Belarusian city of Brest. The heroic defense of the Brest fortress was the beginning of the tragic chronicle of the struggle between the USSR and the fascist-militaristic bloc. The culmination of this confrontation was the Battle of Stalingrad on the banks of the Don and Volga Rivers, which ended with the crushing defeat of the German troops on February 2, 1943. The USSR's victory at the Battle of Stalingrad radically changed the course of World War II, tipping the scales in favor of the Allies.

In the post-war period, large memorial complexes – memorial complexes “Brest Hero Fortress” and “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan – were created by leading Soviet architects and sculptors on the sites of the brutal battles in Brest and Stalingrad (in 1961, the name of the city was changed to Volgograd).

Authors of the memorial complexes, paying tribute to the tragic military events, tried to express the ideas of humanism and creativity, which became widespread in the world during the period from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. The chief architect of the Mamayev Kurgan complex, Yevgeny Vuchetich, described his design of the memorial as follows: “The warriors laid down their heads in the name of the triumph of life, in the name of victory over the forces of evil, violence and death. This was the meaning of their sacrifices and heroic deeds. And this makes up the meaning of the ensemble.”

The memorials form a unique artistic language combining realistic (academic) techniques, complex engineering solutions, unusual materials (concrete, steel, titanium) and a landscape approach.

The memorial complexes of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan, designed to immortalize the deeds of the victorious Soviet people and to honor the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland who fell in the bloodiest conflict of the 20th century, became the model and the source of inspiration for numerous military monuments from Central Europe to East Asia.

Name(s) of the component part(s)

Memorial Complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan N48 44 32 E44 32 14

Description of the component part(s)

1. Memorial Complex “Brest Hero Fortress” (Belarus)

Memorial Complex “Brest Hero Fortress” is located in the city of Brest, Brest Region, Republic of Belarus. Built between 1836 and 1842 at the confluence of the Mukhavets and Western Bug Rivers, the Brest Fortress was situated on the western border of the USSR at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and was attacked by Nazi troops in the first hours of the War on June 22, 1941. The defenders of the fortress demonstrated courage and determination, holding out for nearly a month against vastly superior enemy forces, despite having limited medical, food, and water supplies.

The Brest Fortress and its surrounding buildings were repeatedly targeted by intense artillery and air attacks. There were fierce battles throughout the territory not only in 1941, but also in 1944 during the liberation of Brest from the Nazi invaders by the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front during the Lublin-Brest Offensive which was the part of the Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (Operation Bagration).

After the war, due to extensive damage and loss of its defensive significance, it was decided not to restore the fortress in its original state, but to create the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex on this place in memory of the heroic deed of its defenders.

The architectural and artistic ensemble of the Memorial created in 1969-1971 under the guidance of the People's Artist of the USSR Alexander Kibalnikov, occupies the territory of the Citadel, the main fortification of the Brest Fortress, and the north-eastern part of the Kobryn fortification, covering an area of more than 70 hectares. The complex includes several sculptural compositions such as the Main Monument, the Bayonet Obelisk and the sculptural structures of the Main Entrance, the “Thirst” Sculpture, as well as the buildings ruined as a result of warfare and the surviving defensive earthworks.

The main entrance to the memorial complex is an embedded in the main earthwork reinforced concrete parallelepiped with a five-pointed star carved through it. Ruins of the casemates of the main earthwork of the fortress, partially melted as a result of the enemy’s use of flamethrowers in 1941, served as the central support for this ensemble. The walls of the passage, lined with polished dark granite, stand in stark contrast to the potholed and scorched bricks of the ruins. The heaviness and massiveness of the entrance ensemble, as if welded onto the ruins of the fortress, serves as an expression of the pressure that the defenders of the fortress had to endure and live through.

The collective image of the fortress defender is embodied in the Main Monument - a sculpture of a warrior's head against the background of a flying banner. The concept of the monument is extremely simple and holistic: the warrior's shoulders and head are inseparable from the banner. This banner with a hammer and sickle carved on it symbolizes the Motherland, in whose name the defenders fought to death. It embodies not only the strength of the fortress walls, but also the spirit of the fighters. At the base of the sculptural composition are the conserved ruins of the Engineering Department: harmonious connection with the architectural constructions of the fortress is one of the most important aspects of the ideological and artistic design of the monument. On its back side are relief images that portray main episodes of the defence of the fortress.

Another iconic item of the memorial is the Bayonet Obelisk - a stela in the shape of a tetrahedral needle bayonet of a Russian rifle, referring to the strength and courage of the defenders of the fortress. An incredible symbolic impact is achieved through an extreme laconicism of the form, created with an original technical solution - the use of rolled titanium. The Bayonet Obelisk stands out against the background of the other elements of the complex, emerging as a high-rise accent in a predominantly flat spatial structure.

The Main Monument and the Bayonet Obelisk form a symbolic and compositional core of the complex, perceived together from many points of the Brest Fortress. At the same time, despite their size, they do not disturb the overall balance of the architectural and sculptural volumes, but rather add into it harmoniously thanks to the skill of the architects and the thoughtful interaction of the main elements of the ensemble.

A reminder of severe conditions of the defense of the Brest Fortress is the “Thirst” sculpture, installed on the bank of the Mukhavets River. Despite the fact that the fortress was located at the confluence of two rivers, the new types of Wehrmacht weapons, tactics of their use as well as collapse of the water supply system in the cause of the battle resulted in acute shortage of water during the defense of the Brest Fortress. The “Thirst” sculpture depicts a defender of the fortress, crouched on the ground, reaching with his last strength towards the river to scoop up some water with his helmet. The sculpture’s concept plays upon an antithesis of a horizontal body, striving to merge with the surface of the ground, and a vertical weapon, serving as a support and at the same time representing the indomitable will of the defenders. The “Thirst” sculpture, recreating one of many similar episodes of the defense of the fortress, turns into a symbol of the cruelty of military operations, a symbol of the depth and severity of human suffering caused by the war, but at the same time becomes a symbol of the perseverance and unshakable determination of Soviet soldiers to defend their homeland to the last drop of blood.

More than 1,000 defenders of the fortress – soldiers, their wives and children – that perished in the fight against the Nazi invaders are buried on the territory of the complex.

The memorial value of the Brest Fortress, which was the scene of fierce battles, is not limited to the area of the memorial complex, which includes the Citadel and part of the Kobryn fortification, but extends to the wider territory of the memorial site, covering the entire fortress, including the Volyn fortification and the western part of the Kobryn fortification with casemates, redoubts, powder magazines, earthworks and pillboxes.

2. Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” (Russin Federation)

The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the key battles of the World War II. In terms of its objectives, scale, intensity, drama and consequences, the Battle of Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history.

It lasted 200 days from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 and took place on the territory of the present-day Voronezh, Saratov and Volgograd regions as well as Kalmykia. It ended with the victory of the Soviet troops, who defeated five enemy armies: two German, two Romanian and one Italian, thus turning the tide of the war and provoking the enemy's retreat.

Stalingrad (now Volgograd) saw the most intense fighting. Due to its strategic location in the central part of Stalingrad, the Mamayev Kurgan became a key point of defense of the city and a symbol of courage and resilience of the Soviet people. Later, between 1959 and 1967, a majestic war memorial was erected on the area of more than 17 hectares. The key component of the ensemble on Mamayev Kurgan is the world-famous sculpture “The Motherland Calls” – a monumental figure of a woman stepping forward with a sword raised above her head that calls for her sons and daughters to continue the attack and defeat the enemy for good.

The authors of the project, led by the famous sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich, created not only the central figure of the Motherland, but also the entire unique volumetric and spatial composition on the almost kilometer-long slope of the hill. It consists of a series of alleys, staircases, ramps and squares narrating different episodes of the Battle of Stalingrad. The alternation of various sculptural, architectural and landscape elements - individual figures and sculptural groups, stylized ruined walls and those covered with reliefs, water reservoirs and monumental buildings - determines the internal rhythm, dynamics and dramaturgy of the complex.

The variety of innovative artistic, engineering and architectural techniques was used to enhance the visual effect. Thus, despite the impressive dimensions and weight of the sculpture (height with the pedestal is 85 meters, total weight – 8,014 tons), the main monument “The Motherland Calls”, seen from the foot of the hill, is perceived as proportional to the observer. As you climb to the top, the visual scale changes and the statue of the Motherland becomes truly monumental, dominating the surrounding space.

The key monuments of the ensemble – “Standing to the Death”, “The Motherland Calls”, and “The Sorrowfull Mother” – are generalized allegorical images containing minimal time attributes. Sculpture groups and reliefs of Heroes Square, the Entrance Square and the Large Retaining Wall are more realistic, illustrating specific episodes of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Hall of Military Glory at the top of the complex is a huge cylindrical building with a six-metre sculptural composition at its centre. The sculpture represents the hand of a fallen hero, passing on the Eternal Flame of Life to the next generation. The interior walls of the structure are covered with mosaic images of half-mast mourning banners on a field of golden smalt. On the purple banners are the names of soldiers who died in the Battle of Stalingrad. They rest in unmarked grave at the top of the mound. Over 38,000 defenders of Stalingrad in total are buried within the territory of the complex.

Mamayev Kurgan, being the site of fierce battles and a burial mound, has a memorial value not only within the territory of the memorial complex but also within the wider boundaries of the landmark site, covering the entire natural hill. Within its territory there is also is a memorial sign, marking the Forward Edge of the Stalingrad Battle Area in 1942-1943, as well as remaining elements of military works and fortifications and mass graves of soldiers of formations and units of the 62nd Army.

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

Criterion (ii): The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan memorials represent a combination of wartime restraint, austerity and symbolism with the humanist pathos and creative impulse of the post-war period. Understanding of the sacrifice and victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War led to the creation of a specific artistic language in which the plastic methods of academic monumental sculpture, inspired by antique models, interact with modernist technical and architectural planning solutions.

A synthesis of the aesthetics of antiquity and modernism, supported by a deep understanding of such phenomena as sacrifice, heroism, patriotism, and grief for the fallen, made it possible to create a timeless and universal heroic style in Soviet art, which became widespread in socialist countries, spanning from Central Europe to East Asia. At the same time, each country has rethought and developed this style in its own unique way.

Criterion (iv): The memorial complexes are a reflection of one of the crucial stages in the development of world culture, associated with the post-war period of 1950-1970, when the damage caused by World War II was partially remedied, and the freed energy was aimed at development and creation - human exploration of space, implementation of global humanitarian and educational projects, decolonization.

The monumental ensembles of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan, outstanding in terms of engineering, architectural design and artistic solutions, are exceptional examples of war memorials created after World War II to commemorate the fallen soldiers and celebrate the achievements of the people who won the war.

Criterion (vi): The memorial complexes of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan, situated at the places of fierce battles, are inseparably linked with the tragic and heroic events of the World War II. The Brest Fortress is a symbol of the beginning of the full-scale and treacherous invasion of Nazi Germany into the territory of the USSR and the self-sacrificing resistance of the Soviet people during the Blitzkrieg stage. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide of the war, and the grandiose Victory won by the Soviet troops in the bloody confrontation forever became a symbol of the fortitude and courage of the defenders of the Motherland.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

Integrity

The serial site “Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan” demonstrates, within the proposed boundaries, the tragic chronicle of the key events of the Great Patriotic War, forever captured by artistic means in works of monumental art. Both components, memorial complexes, are a unique testimony to the relentless struggle of the victorious Soviet people against the invaders during the hard period from 1941 to 1943, comprehended by the generation of front-line soldiers - immediate participants in those events. The boundaries of both components include all the attributes required to express these values and retain their original architectural, planning and artistic solutions.

On the territory of the “Memorial Complex “Brest Hero Fortress” component, there is the memorial ensemble, including architectural and sculptural items, museums and exhibitions, as well as the fortress and fortifications surrounding it (including the Western Bug and Mukhavets Rivers and fortress moats), traces of battles and burial places of the fallen defenders of the fortress.

The boundaries of the zone of protection of the memorial complex, covering the entire territory of the former border fortress of 280 ha, were adopted as the boundaries of the component. The proposed buffer zone of the component includes the zone of protected landscape and the zone of development regulation of the complex.

Despite the destruction caused by military operations, the fortress has retained its original planning concept dating back to the late 19th and 20th centuries. However, some structures were partially dismantled either before the war or right after it (e.g., in 1938, the eastern section of defense barracks was dismantled; the White Palace was damaged during the events of the World War I and World War II and was partially dismantled in the 1950s).

The modern appearance of the fortress is the result of post-war conservation, where bauxite, bituminous mastics, cement and expanded clay were used. In 1968-1971, the memorial complex was built as an integral part of the fortification structure. It has maintained its integrity to the present day. Later, conservation work was continued. In 2007, for example, conservation was carried out on the ruins of the 9th Border Outpost and the ruins at Kholm Gate.

The site is slightly affected by external natural factors such as humidity, precipitation and temperature changes, as well as by internal factors associated with the characteristics of the construction materials used to build the monuments. Concrete, reinforced concrete, natural stone, granite, labradorite were applied in the construction of the monuments, while rolled titanium was used for the Bayonet Obelisk's cladding. These materials are subject to heavy natural deterioration. In order to prevent negative consequences, conservation work is carried out on a regular basis. For example, on the Main Monument it took place in 2004-2005; on the “Thirst” sculpture – in 1998-1999 and 2004-2005. In 2008-2009, major repairs of the Bayonet Obelisk were carried out.

The boundaries of the component “Memorial complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on the Mamayev Kurgan” with the territory of 151,86 hectares comprise the mound on the banks of the Volga River, including its geomorphological, landscape and spatial characteristics, as well as all the objects located on its territory and making up the memorial complex. Moreover, outside the memorial complex, there are traces of battles and fortifications preserved, mass graves and other memorial objects which are associated with the defense of Stalingrad and are a part of the cultural heritage site of federal significance, the landmark site “Mamayev Kurgan - the place of Fierce Battles in 1942-1943.” To ensure the integrity of the component, not only the area of the memorial complex, but also the entire landmark site as its territory is proposed for consideration.

The proposed buffer zone of the component corresponds to the protection zones of the landmark site, including the zone of protection, zone of development regulation and the zone of protected natural landscape.

After the end of hostilities, Mamayev Kurgan was not only a place where tens of thousands of people died, but also a dangerous location, densely strewn with fragments of mines, bombs, and shells. That is why extensive mine clearing operations were carried out on the territory, and the remains of the victims were buried in mass graves on the hill.

When creating the memorial ensemble, the Mamayev Kurgan, a natural hill rising above the Volga, was further increased in height by adding soil during landscaping works. The application of an extra layer of chernozem made it possible to landscape the territory of the complex.

The Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex has not undergone any significant changes since its creation. Due to its size and technical characteristics, the central sculpture of the ensemble, The Motherland Calls, is the one that is most vulnerable to external factors. From 1971 to 2019, work was carried out to install a new sword, clean the outer surface, seal defects and apply a water-repellent compound to the outer concrete surface, strengthen the monument’s structures, install and replace engineering equipment, install drainage and external lighting for the sculpture, etc. At the same time, work similar in content, but smaller in scale, was performed on other sculptural compositions of the memorial as well.

Both components of the site “Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan” are protected at the state level as cultural heritage properties, managed by government agencies, ensuring efficient control over their condition, regulation of tourist flows on their territory, museum and exhibition activities and popularization of the components.

Authenticity

The memorial complexes of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan, located directly on the battlefields, are authentic testimonies of key historical events. Their volumetric, spatial and artistic solutions are conditioned by the natural characteristics of the environment and the heroic military past of these places.

Before the construction of the memorial complexes, the territories of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan were transformed as a result of active hostilities and their consequences. In order to ensure the safety of visitors, mine clearance operations were carried out on Mamayev Kurgan and in the Brest Fortress as well as operations to conserve sections of the walls and structures of the fortress.

The volumetric-spatial and artistic and stylistic characteristics of the memorials have been preserved in their original form. The same can be said about the authenticity of the materials from which various architectural structures and sculptures of the memorial complexes are made, as well as about the original function of preserving the memory of the feat and sacrifices of the Soviet people.

The restoration work carried out at the sites was primarily aimed at preserving the unique design features and materials used in the memorials, without interfering with the artistic appearance or planning solutions of the ensembles.

The authenticity of the information about the wartime events that took place on the territory of the Brest Fortress and in Stalingrad is confirmed by numerous documents by eyewitnesses of the events, as well as by archival materials and scientific researches of Russian and foreign authors. Today, research on establishing the facts of the history of the defense of the Brest Fortress and the fate of its participants continues. On the territory of Volgograd and in the Brest Fortress, search efforts are underway to locate and identify the remains of soldiers who were killed during the Battle of Stalingrad and the defense of the Fortress.

Additional evidence of the authenticity of the components with respect to the construction of memorial complexes is provided in the original design and engineering documentation and subsequent research works, including those authored by the architects and sculptors who created the memorials.

Thus, consisting of battlefields, combat elements and burial sites and preserving the original layout, volumes, physical fabric and functions, the serial site “Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan” authentically convey the reflections of the participants of the Great Patriotic War and World War II about themselves and about the trials they had to go through during the fierce battles of 1941-1943, expressed by them in the 1950s and 1970s and reaching our days unchanged.

Justification of the selection of the component part(s) in relation to the future nomination as a whole

Both components of the series are majestic memorial complexes situated in locations where the key battles on the Eastern Front of World War II took place in 1941-1943. The Brest Fortress memorial commemorates the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and the heroic resistance to the treacherous attack of 1941. The Mamayev Kurgan memorial commemorates the fierce battles of 1942-1943, as a result of which the advance of enemy troops deep into the USSR territory was stopped and the initiative in World War II on the Eastern Front was seized. Thus, the components fully represent both the preserved traces of these key battles and their large-scale memorialization, telling the story of the heroism and sacrifice of the Soviet people, based on heroic ancient and classical examples, using the artistic language developed by the Soviet academic school, and made with due account for the landscape context.

Despite the large number of military memorials across the USSR (later, the CIS), it is the combination of a grandiose concept, the scale and importance of events, a high level of artistic performance and a colossal impact on the visitor that distinguishes the memorials of the Brest Fortress and Stalingrad, making them unforgettable symbols of heroism, life and Victory.

Comparison with other similar properties

The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes, united by the idea, time of creation, scale and specific plastic language, together represent a memorial ensemble, associated with the key events of the Great Patriotic War, that fixes the places of the most brutal battles resulting in colossal losses and becoming a symbol of unparalleled perseverance and heroism in both the physical space and the space of human memory.

These features of the potential serial nomination can be used as the basis for a comparative analysis. Both sites included in the World Heritage List and those without this status were selected for analysis. They are all related to the transmission of ideas that are important for society and the actualization of research into human memory. In accordance with the typological and thematic areas of analysis, the sites are combined into two groups, which, in turn, are divided into several subgroups.

1. Typology

1.1. Colossal works of monumental sculpture

Being ensembles whose central elements are colossal works of monumental art, the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan memorial complexes can be compared with such World Heritage sites and their components as the Statue of Liberty (New York, United States of America), the Christ the Redeemer Statue (part of the site “Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea”, Brazil), the Leshan Giant Buddha (site “Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area”, Sichuan Province, China) and the now destroyed Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley (“Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley”, Afghanistan). Moreover, we can draw a parallel with the Statue of Unity in India and the Mother Motherland statue in Kiev.

The comparison can be made by considering the following formal and substantial differences between the two monuments in question:

– stylistics (neoclassicism, art deco, socialist realism, realism, oriental sculptural tradition).

– materials and techniques (copper, bronze plates, concrete shell, steel cladding, prestressed reinforced concrete, use of a metal or reinforced concrete frame as a base, cutting in rock).

– central idea (the triumph of peace and equality, blessing and religious (ritual) worship, victory in the struggle for national independence, heroism and perseverance, grief and memory of human sacrifices).

1.2. Architectural, sculptural and landscape complexes

The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes are built upon the interaction of various works of monumental art (statues, sculptural groups, reliefs, mosaics) with the architectural and landscape environment.

In this regard, the group of sites selected for comparative analysis in this area includes both individual works of monumental sculpture and ensembles included in the natural or man-made environment, united by a theme, including those related to the same geocultural region (Alyosha, the Monument to the Soviet Soldier - Liberator (Plovdiv, Bulgaria), the Memorial to the Heroic Defense of Sevastopol (Sevastopol, Russia), the Soviet War Memorial in the Treptower Park and the Soviet Memorial in Tiergarten (Berlin, Germany), the Memorial to the “Defenders of the Soviet Polar Region during the Great Patriotic War” (Murmansk, Russia), memorial complexes of the Mound of Glory (Minsk region, Republic of Belarus), the Piskarevskoe Memorial Cemetery (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier (Rzhev, Russia), the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial (Nettuno, Italy) and the Alamein Memorial (El Alamein, Egypt).

The comparison can be based on the following characteristics:

– types of the site organization (compact or spatially developed; vertical or horizontal planning solution);

– use of the natural basis to shape the volumetric-spatial and planning structure solutions for the sites (natural hills, mounds, water bodies);

– presence of architectural elements (both historical and artificially created);

– the central object/image/dominant of the memorial ensemble (Motherland, figure of a warrior, sculptural group; obelisk);

– presence of military burial places.

Features of the volumetric-spatial and planning structure allow us to consider the potential serial nomination, including the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes, not just as a set of architectural, sculptural and landscape elements, but as a complex, dramaturgically constructed composition with a thoughtful change of substantive plans and views, working to create a certain mood and leading to the culmination of an emotional experience.

The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes together demonstrate a wide variety of possibilities of artistic and plastic language, built on the interaction of architectural and sculptural elements and supported by the landscape component.

2.1. Monuments associated with major armed conflicts

The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes keep the memory of two significant events - the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War and the Battle of Stalingrad, which became one of the critical battles of World War II and one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

To conduct a comparative analysis within this area, the following sites may be chosen: the Landing Beaches, Normandy, 1944 (France, Tentative List), the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (Japan, World Heritage List), the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments (the Green Belt of Glory of Leningrad, Ratnaya Palata, Russia, World Heritage List), the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery (Nettuno, Italy), the Alamein Memorial (El Alamein, Egypt), the Memorial to the Fallen (Ancona, Italy), the Menin Gate Memorial (Ypres, Belgium), the Cenotaph (London, Great Britain), the Pearl Harbor National Memorial (United States of America).

The comparison can be made based on the following characteristics:

– temporal and territorial features of the conflict;

– architectural, artistic and spatial design of the monument;

– content of the symbolic message of the monument.

2.2. Sites associated with the tragic pages of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War

The Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan complexes are places of remembrance dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War, which took so many lives.

As part of this area, the potentially nominated site can be compared with the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad in St. Petersburg (Russia, World Heritage List), the Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Poland, World Heritage List), the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Japan, World Heritage List), the Monument to Soviet citizens and prisoners of war shot at Babi Yar and Memorial sign to the fallen village Predmostnaya Slobodka (Ukraine), the Khatyn Memorial Complex and the Memorial complex “To Children - Victims of War” (Belarus), Memorial to the prisoners of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp (Germany), the Memorial to the Victims of Fascism (Poland).

The comparative analysis can be based on the following characteristics:

– meaningful context;

– compositional and planning features of the memorial item or complex.

Comparison of the “Memorials to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War: Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan” with other monuments and memorial complexes within the thematic area demonstrates the absence of direct analogues for this potential serial nomination in terms of a set of characteristics expressed in the substantive context, architectural, artistic and spatial planning solutions, as well as emotional impact.

The memorial complexes of the Brest Fortress and Mamayev Kurgan are multi-layered monuments where the historical and documentary component is uniquely combined with elements of artistic interpretation of events, demonstrating an exceptionally powerful fusion of sculpture, architecture and landscape that impress greatly people of different generations.