War memorials in Tyumen in 1967–1987 (materials of the GBUTO GASPITO): formation, preservation and use

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One of the significant periods of Russian history is the Great Patriotic War. In order to immortalize the events of 1941–1945, a war-memorial landscape was formed in many Soviet cities. The main stage of folding of commemorative signs into a single complex was carried out during the Brezhnev era. Memorials can rightfully be considered the dominants of the Tyumen ensemble of “military” monuments. The purpose of the article is to identify the problems associated with the process of formation, preservation and use of Tyumen war memorials in 1967–1987. The work is based on the documents from State Archive of Social and Political History of the Tyumen Region. The article examines the Tyumen war memorial located on the “Memory” square, which includes a cultural heritage site of regional significance, the historical monument “Mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died from wounds in hospitals in Tyumen during the Great Patriotic War in 1941–1945” and “Monument at the site of the mass grave of those who died from wounds in hospitals in Tyumen”, as well as the complex located on the Historical square, including the “Monument to the fallen soldiers of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945”. The methodology of the work is based on the principles of objectivity and historicism, comparative and descriptive methods of research are applied. The article presents the dynamics and peculiarities of construction of Tyumen war memorials. The role of the City society for the protection of monuments in the implementation of programs aimed at their creation is noted. The question of using the objects as a means of forming the identity and collective memory of the citizens is touched upon. Special attention is paid to the problems associated with the implementation of state and public activities aimed at the preservation of the objects in question. The conclusions obtained concretise the results of the work of researchers who have addressed the study of the history of the formation of war memorials in Soviet Russia. Consideration of the process of transformation of Tyumen war memorials carried out by the city authorities at present requires a separate study.