Eternity Memorial Complex, Chisinau

The Eternity Memorial Complex is a significant monument located in Chisinau. The memorial was officially inaugurated on May 9, 1975, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. During the Soviet period, the complex was known as the "Victory Memorial" and was built on the site of three old cemeteries - Lutheran, Orthodox, and Lipovan.

The memorial complex was designed by architect A. Minaev and sculptors A. Maiko and I. Poniatowski. The most prominent feature of the complex is the 25-meter high pyramid, consisting of five bayonets, symbolizing the five years of the war. The bayonets are stylized rifles, made of black and red granite stone, and on each one, the years of 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 are engraved. The bayonets surround the eternal flame of memory, which has been burning continuously for several decades, and its source is gas supply.

The arrangement of the monument required hundreds of cubic meters of granite, which was brought from the Russian region of Karelia. Another representative element of the memorial is the commemorative stone, representing a stone flower and the star of soldiers originating from Moldova. The names of Moldovan soldiers who died during World War II are engraved on this stone, concluding the architectural axis idea of commemorating the fallen heroes.

The Heroes Cemetery, where soldiers who fell during the Iași-Chișinău military operation in August 1944 are buried, can be seen in the background. The symbolic belfry evokes the horrors of the war, and the massive bronze crown reads, "We didn't forget you." A black cross was built on the site of the graves of fallen German soldiers buried in Chișinău. The monument "Grieving Mother," dedicated to the War of Independence of Moldova from 1991-1992, stands on the other alley of the complex.

The Eternity Memorial Complex is one of the most visited monuments in Chisinau, and citizens visit it with flowers to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers.