Panfilov park

An extensive Panfilov Park is located in the center of the city. It is named in honor of Soviet Russian Major General Ivan Panfilov, or rather, the 316th Rifle Division formed in the Almaty Region. The park is a popular sight of the city of Almaty, reminding citizens about military historical events in November 1941 at the Dubosekovo station near Volokolamsk, a direct participant of which was a group of 28 courageous people. Defending Moscow, everyone was killed in a fierce battle. But the citizens of the nation still honor the memory of the dead heroes. Although it is not remembered exactly which regiment these soldiers belonged to, but everyone knows one thing: they did not spare their lives when they destroyed enemy forces. For their merits, they received the proud name of “28 Panfilov soldiers”, and each of them postmortem was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, including the commander Panfilov, who had also died defending his homeland.

Memorials to soldiers killed in battle are located along the main park path, and near the entrance, there is a statue of Major General Panfilov, whose hand proudly pressed to his chest symbolizes his devotion to the country. To the left of the statue is a tiled wall depicting the symbols of the USSR and Kazakhstan — a sickle with a hammer and a proud steppe eagle with a bright sun.

If you go a little further through the park and walk along the path in the east you can see a war memorial dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers. He depicts a map of the Soviet Union, composed of portraits of Panfilov’s soldiers. In the center of the engraving is an image of a fighter with grenades in his hands. It seems like as if he will jump out of the picture and rush right into the battle. In front of the war memorial is a long black marble sheet with eternal flame, there is a dedication word to 601,011 fighters from Kazakhstan who sacrificed their lives. If you go further south, you can see the statues of three soldiers, exhausted by the war, another historical monument dedicated to the Kazakhstanis who died during the Soviet-Afghan war, and to all the soldiers who died on the battlefield of Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Soviet historiography.

Mass gatherings and events are often held on the territory of the park, people celebrate family holidays here, and newlyweds walk around the park, drink champagne and capture memories in photographs. They also offer the service of releasing pigeons up. According to Zenkov’s architectural idea, in 1907 a house with an interesting design was built in the northern part of the memorial square. Previously, the League of Officers was located there, and now this place is reserved for the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments of Kazakhstan. Edited 2020apr08