Eternal flame The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden has been burning for fifty years: it was lit on May 8, 1967. Why does it never go out? The answer is known to the person who participated in the development of the unquenchable burner.
“I can’t say about ‘never’,” smiles the inventor of the Eternal Flame burner, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Inventor of Russia Kirill Reader,— but the resource will last for a long time!”
Half a century ago, a group of young employees of the Mosgazproekt research department received an important task from the Moscow City Council: in 2.5 months, invent and construct a device that would become one of the symbols of Victory.
“We were “children of war,” recalls Kirill Fedorovich, “so for us this work meant special meaning. We survived the war too young and, due to our age, did not have time to do anything for Victory. Therefore, our contribution to it had to be the Eternal Flame, which, with our help, would perpetuate the memory of the heroes in the very center of Moscow. We had to come up with a burner that would work in any weather conditions, including rain, snow, strong wind loads. A whole series of samples were prepared, we compared, selected the best, spent a long time calculating, experimenting, and arguing. We were young, but well-trained and well-trained, and also hardworking: we came to work early in the morning and left with the last tram. My mother called me “tenant” because I only came home to spend the night. There was a lot to do, but I always liked this lifestyle. He hasn't changed over time. My wife is not offended: she has long been accustomed to the fact that I am constantly at work...”
Kirill Reader and CEO Mosgaz OJSC Hasan Gasangadzhiev during the maintenance of the Eternal Flame burner in the Alexander Garden. Photo: RIA Novosti / Ilya Pitalev
How it works
Fifty years ago, the conditions were difficult, the order was difficult, but young scientists managed, and now the fire can withstand winds of up to 18 meters per second. The secret of the “eternity” of the fire lies not only in the burner itself, but also in careful care of the device. Once a month, late in the evening, when the flow of tourists and walkers in the Alexander Garden dries up, a team of employees of JSC MOSGAZ comes to the Eternal Flame. They bring with them a temporary burner (a device the size of a household gas stove), to which the fire is transferred from its main place with a special torch, and then the gas supply to the main burner is stopped. The eternal flame continues to burn, simply moving to another place, this does not harm it at all. Meanwhile, the main burner is inspected, thoroughly cleaned and all necessary technical manipulations are carried out. The whole procedure takes no more than 40 minutes, after which the gas supply is resumed, and the flame is transferred to a permanent “eternal” place using the same torch.
“This responsible attitude allows you to operate the burner without any unpleasant consequences,” says Reeder. — Sometimes we get calls from other cities: they say, help, what to do, the fire at the memorial goes out, and not even 10 years have passed! We, of course, help with advice and consult. But the main thing here is proper care. And this is precisely what is often missing.”
Reader invented and developed another famous Eternal Flame in Moscow: the one that burns today on Poklonnaya Hill. Wind loads there are much more serious, but the burner is ready to withstand gusts even up to 58 m/sec (this is already a hurricane wind). So there is no doubt that the fire dedicated to the warriors of the holy war will never go out.
Guard of honor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1982. Photo: RIA Novosti / Runov
The future of heating technology
The invention of the Eternal Flame burner is, of course, a very serious milestone career path Kirill Fedorovich, but not the only one. He begins to remember everything that he invented and developed in his life (boiler houses located on the roofs of multi-storey buildings, burners for burning biogas at aeration stations, devices for burning combinations of natural gas and fuel oil), and considers each invention important and interesting. A man who has worked for many years at MosgazNIIproekt and is trying to make human life warmer in the literal sense, and now he’s doing the same thing: trying to economically and safely heat as much as possible more people. Reader is the general director of the Ecoteplogaz enterprise. In his work book only two entries.
Interesting fact: he installed a heating boiler at his dacha domestic production. “My neighbor comes to me and wonders why his foreign boiler, worth 30 thousand dollars, goes out every now and then, while mine, worth 9 thousand rubles, burns properly! — Kirill Fedorovich laughs. — But the fact is that imported units cannot withstand gas pressure drops in the networks, while ours tolerate them well. Changes occur during a sharp cold snap, when gas production increases significantly. Nothing can be done about this fact; these are the characteristics of our climate. Russian developers of heating equipment know this and provide such a nuance in their products.”
According to Reeder, the future of thermal engineering lies in hydrogen fuel. Scientists have been working on the problem of burning hydrogen for many years, and sooner or later they will solve it. Reader has no plans to retire yet. His seniority has been around for 55 years, but there is no talk of rest in the foreseeable future. “No, I won’t retire, it’s boring! - he says. - I get up in the morning with good mood, I always go to work with pleasure, which I love very much, and along the way I make plans for the day. In general, a lot makes me happy.”
This is the “perpetual motion machine” of the inventor of the Eternal Flame.
Every year on May 9, Muscovites go to the Eternal Flame to bow to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. However, few people already remember the people who created this memorial. The eternal flame has been burning for 46 years. It seems like he has always been there. However, the story of its ignition is extremely dramatic. It had its own tears and tragedies.
In December 1966, Moscow was preparing to solemnly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the defense of Moscow. At that time, the first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee was Nikolai Grigorievich Egorychev. A man who played a significant role in politics, including in the dramatic situation of the removal of Khrushchev and the election of Brezhnev to the post of Secretary General, one of the communist reformers.
The anniversary of the victory over the Nazis began to be celebrated especially solemnly only in 1965, when Moscow was awarded the title of Hero City and May 9 officially became a non-working day. Actually, then the idea was born to create a monument to ordinary soldiers who died for Moscow. However, Yegorychev understood that the monument should not be Moscow, but nationwide. This could only be the monument to the Unknown Soldier.
One day at the beginning of 1966, Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin called Nikolai Yegorychev and said: “I was recently in Poland, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Why is there no such monument in Moscow?” “Yes,” Yegorychev answers, “we are thinking about this right now.” And he told about his plans. Kosygin liked the idea. When work on the project was completed, Yegorychev brought the sketches to the “premier”. However, it was necessary to familiarize Brezhnev with the project. And at that time he left somewhere, so Yegorychev went to the Central Committee to Mikhail Suslov and showed the sketches.
He also approved the project. Soon Brezhnev returned to Moscow. He received the Moscow leader very coldly. Apparently, he learned that Egorychev had reported everything to Kosygin and Suslov earlier. Brezhnev began to wonder whether it was worth building such a memorial at all. At that time, the idea was already in the air to give exclusivity to the battles on Malaya Zemlya. Moreover, as Nikolai Grigorievich told me: “Leonid Ilyich understood perfectly well that the opening of a monument close to the heart of every person would strengthen my personal authority. And Brezhnev did not like this even more.” However, in addition to the issue of the “struggle of authorities,” others arose, purely practical problems. And the main one is the place for the monument.
Brezhnev insisted: “I don’t like the Alexander Garden. Look for another place.”
Two or three times Yegorychev returned to this issue in conversations with the General. All to no avail.
Yegorychev insisted on the Alexander Garden, near the ancient Kremlin wall. Then it was an unkempt place, with a stunted lawn,
the wall itself required restoration. But the biggest obstacle was something else. Almost on the very spot where the Eternal Flame now burns stood an obelisk built in 1913 for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov. After the revolution, the names of the reigning house were scraped off the obelisk and the names of the titans of the revolution were knocked out.
The list was supposedly compiled by Lenin personally. To evaluate what follows, let me remind you that at that time touching anything connected with Lenin was monstrous sedition. Egorychev proposed to the architects without asking anyone highest resolution(because they won’t allow it), quietly move the obelisk a little to the right, to where the grotto is located. And no one will notice anything. The funny thing is that Yegorychev turned out to be right. If they had started to coordinate the issue of moving the Lenin monument with the Politburo, the matter would have dragged on for years.
Egorychev appealed to the common sense of the head of the Moscow architectural department, Gennady Fomin. Convinced to act without permission. By the way, if something went wrong, for such arbitrariness they could easily be deprived of all positions, or worse...
And yet, before starting global construction works, the approval of the Politburo was required. However, they did not intend to convene the Politburo. Yegorychev’s note on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier had been lying in the Politburo since May 1966, without movement. Then Nikolai Grigorievich once again resorted to a little trick.
He asked Fomin to prepare materials for the monument project: models, tablets - by November 6, the anniversary of the revolution - and display them in the presidium lounge in the Palace of Congresses. When the ceremonial meeting ended and members of the Politburo began to enter the room, I asked them to come and look at the models. Some were even surprised: after all, they had nothing to do with the anniversary of the revolution. I told them about the monument. Then I ask: “What is your opinion?” All members of the Politburo unanimously say: “This is great!” I’m asking if it’s possible to get started?
I see that Brezhnev has nowhere to go - the Politburo spoke in favor...
The last one main question- where to look for the remains of a soldier? At that time in Zelenograd it was going on big construction, and there during earthworks found a mass grave lost since the war. The secretary of the city committee for construction, Alexei Maksimovich Kalashnikov, was assigned to conduct this matter. Then even more thorny questions arose: whose remains would be buried in the grave? What if it turns out to be the body of a deserter? Or a German? By and large, from the heights of today, no matter who ends up there, anyone is worthy of memory and prayer. But in 1965 they didn’t think so. Therefore, they tried to check everything carefully. As a result, the choice fell on the remains of a warrior whose military uniform was well preserved, but which did not have any commander’s insignia. As Yegorychev explained to me: “If it had been a deserter who had been shot, the belt would have been removed from him. He could not have been wounded or captured, because the Germans did not reach that place. So it was absolutely clear that this soviet soldier, who died heroically defending Moscow. No documents were found in his grave - the ashes of this private were truly nameless."
The military developed a solemn burial ritual. From Zelenograd the ashes were delivered to the capital on a gun carriage. On December 6, from early morning, hundreds of thousands of Muscovites lined Gorky Street. People cried as the funeral cortege moved past. Many old women quietly made the sign of the cross over the coffin. In mournful silence, the procession reached Manezhnaya Square. The last meters of the coffin were carried by Marshal Rokossovsky and prominent party members. The only one who was not allowed to carry the remains was Marshal Zhukov, who was then in disgrace...
On May 7, 1967, in Leningrad, a torch was lit from the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars, which was carried by relay to Moscow. They say that all the way from Leningrad to Moscow there was a living corridor - people wanted to see what was sacred to them. Early in the morning of May 8, the motorcade reached Moscow. The streets were also filled to capacity with people. The Hero accepted the torch at Manezhnaya Square Soviet Union, legendary pilot Alexey Maresyev. Unique chronicle footage has been preserved that captured this moment. I have seen crying men and women praying. People froze, trying not to miss the most important moment - the lighting of the Eternal Flame.
The memorial was opened by Nikolai Egorychev. And Brezhnev was supposed to light the Eternal Flame.
Leonid Ilyich was explained in advance what needed to be done. That evening, in the final news program, a television report was shown of the Secretary General accepting the torch, approaching the star with the torch, then a cliff followed - and in the next frame they showed the lit Eternal Flame. The fact is that during the ignition an emergency occurred, which was witnessed only by people standing nearby. Nikolai Egorychev: “Leonid Ilyich misunderstood something, and when the gas started, he did not have time to immediately bring the torch. As a result, something like an explosion occurred. There was a bang.
Brezhnev got scared, recoiled, almost fell." Immediately came the highest order to cut out this unpleasant moment from the TV report.
As Nikolai Grigorievich recalled, because of this incident, television covered the great event rather sparingly.
Almost all the people involved in the creation of this monument had the feeling that this was the main work of their lives and it was FOREVER, FOREVER.
Since then, every year on May 9, people come to the Eternal Flame. Almost everyone knows that they will read the lines carved on a marble slab: " Your name unknown, your feat is immortal." But it never occurred to anyone that these lines had an author. And it all happened like this. When the Central Committee approved the creation of the Eternal Flame, Yegorychev asked the then literary generals - Sergei Mikhalkov, Konstantin Simonov, Sergei Narovchatov and Sergei Smirnov - to come up with an inscription on the grave. We settled on the following text: “His name is unknown, his feat is immortal.” Under these words, all the writers put their signatures... and left.
Egorychev was left alone. Something in the final version did not suit him: “I thought,” he recalled, “how people would approach the grave. Maybe those who have lost their loved ones and do not know where they found peace. What will they say?
Probably: “Thank you, soldier! Your feat is immortal!” Although it was late in the evening, Yegorychev called Mikhalkov: “The word “his” should be replaced with “yours.”
Mikhalkov thought: “Yes,” he said, “this is better.” So the words carved in stone appeared on the granite slab: “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal”...
It would be great if we no longer had to write new inscriptions over new graves of unknown soldiers. Although this, of course, is a utopia. One of the greats said: “Time changes, but our attitude towards our Victories does not change.” In fact, we will disappear, our children and great-grandchildren will leave, and the Eternal Flame will burn.
To the point:
On May 8, 1967, the Eternal Flame was lit at the Kremlin wall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in memory of the people who fell in the bloody struggle against fascism.
51 years ago, in May, a symbol of memory and tribute to those people who gave their lives in the fight against the German invaders lit up near the Kremlin wall.
Since then, the fire has burned continuously and constantly - reminding us of the price at which our ancestors gave us freedom. And even though dozens of veterans remain with us now, the memory of their feat will live forever.
However, few people know that the tradition of maintaining fire in special burners at various memorials, monuments and cemeteries originated in Ancient Rome. The symbol of fire was described in ancient myths, where both people and gods appeared. It is interesting that the initial possession of fire is attributed to women, and men received it later. This prescription is reflected in modern times - now a woman is considered the keeper of the family hearth (fire).
From the point of view of sacraments and symbolism - “ fire sign"also carries a lot in itself. Thus, earlier in mythological systems fire was classified as an object of purely religious relation, which was worshiped by people. Since ancient times, light has always carried the symbol of the “divine” and illuminated the human path. Moreover, the first people on earth considered the flame to be a manifestation of God himself, who was accessible to perception. At its core, fire has always been considered a symbol of purification, transformation and renewal of life, as well as the family (which gathers around its light and warmth) and patriotism.
The eternal flame was lit for the first time in Paris Arc de Triomphe at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in which the remains of a Frenchman who died in the battles of the First World War were buried. The flame of memory has been burning in Paris since January 28, 1921. After this, the tradition of lighting a fire was borrowed by many states and countries. Thus, in the 1930s and 1940s, flames were lit in Belgium, Romania, Portugal and the Czech Republic in memory of the soldiers who died in the First World War.
The first “Eternal Flame” in the USSR was lit in the Tula region in the village of Pervomaisky on May 9, 1957 in memory of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. However, the first Eternal Flame in the USSR at the state level appeared on November 6, 1957 on the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg.
There are currently three Eternal Flames burning in Moscow. The first was lit at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery on February 9, 1961 from the flames on the Field of Mars. The second is located near the Kremlin wall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Heroes of the Soviet Union took part in the ceremony of lighting the fire at the Kremlin wall: A.P. Maresyev and G.F. Muslanov. Then Maresyev passed the torch with fire into the hands of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L.I. Brezhnev, who lit the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ashes of the unknown soldier were transferred from the mass grave at the 40th kilometer of the Leningrad Highway in Zelenograd to the Alexander Garden on December 3, 1966. The third fire appeared on April 30, 2010 on Poklonnaya Hill.
At the moment, the Eternal Flame has been lit in many cities of Russia. And while the symbol of victory, heroism and perseverance will burn, we will remember the great feat of our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and those who won this Victory over Nazism.
For the first time in new history peace The eternal flame was lit at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, near the Arc de Triomphe. The fire appeared in the memorial two years after its grand opening, after which the French sculptor Gregoire Calvet proposed placing it in a special gas burner. With the help of this device, the flame truly became Eternal - now it illuminated the tomb not only during the day, but also at night.
Since 1923, the Eternal Flame at the French memorial has been lit daily and with the participation of World War II veterans.
The tradition of lighting the Eternal Flame was adopted by many states that created city and national monuments - in memory of those who died in the First world war. So, in the 1930-1940s, the Eternal Flame lit up in the Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Canada, the USA and Belgium. Then Poland lit it, thus perpetuating the memory of the fallen heroes of World War II, and in Berlin they went even further and installed a glass prism with a fire burning inside over the remains of an unknown German soldier and an unknown victim of concentration camps.
Eternal Flame in Russia
In Russia, the Eternal Flame was first lit in Leningrad in 1957 - it was lit at the monument to the “Fighters of the Revolution”, which is located on the Field of Mars. It was this flame that became the source from which war memorials began to be lit throughout Russia, in all Soviet hero cities and towns military glory. Then the grand opening of the Eternal Flame took place on May 8, 1967 - it was lit at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall
Today many Russian cities The Eternal Flame is lit only in memorable days and on military holidays.
Currently, the lighting of the Eternal Flame in Russia is gradually fading away, since, given the need for urgent funding for many industries, paying for its maintenance seems like burning money. In addition, the Eternal Flame is a complex engineering structure that requires constant supply gas and safety, as well as depending on temperature changes. An additional nail is driven into the situation by the absence legislative framework to consolidate the status of the Eternal Flame and technical regulations for its maintenance. All these factors allow Russian gas companies take a lot of money from city authorities for gas supply and maintenance of the gas burner itself.
Honoring memory Great Victory should not be limited to one single May day a year. To ensure that the heroes’ feat remains in the people’s consciousness for a long time, memorials were built throughout the country with a flame continuously maintained in special burners. The most famous of them is located in the capital of Russia. Therefore, the story of where the Eternal Flame came from to Moscow deserves a separate story.
History of the custom in ancient times
Europeans are not unique in attaching mournful meaning to flames:
- In ancient Iran there was a tradition of "atar" or "divine spark". A Zoroastrian priest took part in the lighting ceremony;
- A constantly burning flame on the outer altar was an integral attribute of religious rituals in Jerusalem. In modern Israel the custom has been renewed and is carried out in every synagogue;
- The Cherokee Indian tribe celebrated similar traditions throughout its history until it was subjected to genocide by the Americans. In the modern United States there is a copy of the Cherokee eternal flame (State historical park Red Clay, Tennessee)
- IN Ancient China lighting the family altar was a tribute to ancestors;
- The flame was continuously maintained in the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi and the ancient Roman Temple of Vesta.
The extinguishing of the fire was as symbolic as its lighting. This is exactly the action that Alexander the Great performed when conquering the Achaemenid state or the Romans when capturing Greek territories.
The meaning of fire in modern history
In the 20th century, a centuries-old world tradition found a new embodiment as a monument to the victims of military clashes:
- First gas-burner appeared at the grave of an unnamed warrior in 1923 in the capital of France to perpetuate the memory of those who fell on the fields of the First World War;
- The initiative received a wide response from society, politicians and funds mass media. Thanks to this, similar memorials began to appear in other European countries;
- The tragedy of World War II, which claimed the lives of several tens of millions of people, gave new impetus to the construction of such pyrotechnic structures. In 1946, the authorities of Poland liberated from the occupiers decided to light a fire in the central square of the capital;
- Nine years later, the Soviet authorities took the same step: the memorial appeared in one of settlements Tula region and worked only on memorable dates: February 23, Victory Day and the day of liberation of the settlement from the Nazi invaders.
In this video, historian Kirill Rodionov will tell you about the history of the appearance of the eternal flame in the capital:
Where did they bring the Eternal Flame to Moscow from?
In 1957, undamped gas flame appeared on the Field of Mars in the Northern capital. It was here that the torch was lit, giving rise to the most famous among similar memorials - Moscow:
- The “Eternal Flame” appeared in the capital on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Victory Day at the Mogila Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden;
- From Leningrad The fire reached Moscow thanks to a relay race in which many Soviet celebrities and war heroes took part. The last in the chain was the disabled pilot Maresyev;
- The opening ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev himself. At the “X” moment, a funny thing happened: the head of state was unable to bring the torch in time and a strong bang was heard. Brezhnev recoiled in fear and could barely stay on his feet. This moment was carefully cut from the air of the central channel;
- Fire is the central part sculptural composition, consisting of a five-pointed star, a battle ensign, a laurel branch and a metal military helmet;
- During repair or maintenance work, the flame is transferred to another location. So in 2009, Poklonnaya Hill became its temporary home.
Technical side of the structure
The gas installation to ensure continuous combustion was designed in a company specializing in rocket engines(now known as Energy Corporation). The project and drawings were developed at the Mosgaz Research Institute.
The operating principles of the device have not changed over the past few decades:
- The fuel is natural gas, which is supplied through the use of public infrastructure unitary enterprise Mosgaz;
- The gas pipeline is regularly (much more often than household analogues) checked for operability;
- Ignition occurs thanks to the presence of three electric wicks-lighters. The installation of several devices at once is caused by the need to ensure continuous operation (taking into account the impact of natural, technogenic and anthropogenic factors);
- At first, a special gas service employee monitored the operation of the burner. Subsequently it was created automatic system troubleshooting;
- The installation consumes quite a lot a large number of fuel - 6 cubic meters/hour - this is several times higher than average household indicators for apartments.
Guard at the Eternal Flame in Moscow
A permanent watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established relatively recently, during the tenure of Boris Yeltsin. The order is:
- The change of guards at the post occurs hourly from eight in the morning to eight in the evening every day;
- The presidential decree established a new military uniform for military personnel on duty: unique raincoats, stripes and headdresses;
- By separate orders of the head of the FSO of Russia, the work schedule and shift of guards can be changed (if there are grounds);
- The Changing of the Guard ceremony is a famous attraction and attracts millions of tourists to the capital. The movements of the sentries are worked out to the smallest movements and are surprisingly synchronized. A similar elaboration of military rituals has been preserved since pre-revolutionary times;
- Until 1997, a post in the Alexander Garden was established only as part of the celebration of memorable dates. Previously (until 1993), there was a watch near the Lenin Mausoleum, where only the best of the best soldiers ended up. The guard platoon numbered from three dozen to fifty people in different years.
In pre-revolutionary times, the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg was known as a place for parades, marches and ceremonial processions. During the Soviet years, an anti-fascist monument was built here, from where the Eternal Flame moved to Moscow in 1957. Today the capital's memorial is one of the key tourist locations.