The Motherland statue in Kyiv belongs to the top 20 tallest statues of the world and is therefore worth a visit. In Europe (excluding Russia) there are no statues of this size. The statue is a part of the National Museum of the Great Patriotic War.
Statue of Motherland ©Yuriy Buriak
Motherland Statue in Kyiv ©Yuriy Buriak
In 2010, there was an opportunity to visit the statue inside and climb to the topmost observation deck at the height of 92 meters. In 2002, observation deck on the statue's shield had been opened for the first time, but a year later someone fell from there. After the incident the deck was closed, but now it's open again. The ticket price is $32. As I read in the Internet, the time you can spend on the shield is now limited by 10 minutes.
The observation deck works not always. For example, when the weather is hot, it can be shut down due to overheating of the metal. Tour organizers have no website, so find the phone number in the Internet or go to the statue and clarify the information onsite. The tour lasts at least an hour.
Inside the arm ©Yuriy Buriak
Upstairs there is a small cell behind the shield, as well as two "holes" in the top panel of the shield. I read in someone's blog in 2011 that they couldn't visit the "holes" in the shield. That's ridiculous. Be sure to clarify this moment with the organizers before climbing. If you are not allowed to visit the shield, then don't waste your time.
Like in tank ©Yuriy Buriak
We were raised to the shield and wore climbing equipment.
Looking out of the shield ©Yuriy Buriak
Darnytskyi Bridge ©Yuriy Buriak
Road interchange on the Naberezhne (Waterfront) Highway ©Yuriy Buriak
Someone's palace on the Zemlyanska Street. Behind the green fence is the Gryshko botanical garden. ©Yuriy Buriak
Another palace on the Pyryatynska Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra ©Yuriy Buriak
Lavra belltower ©Yuriy Buriak
Dnipro and the Pivdennyi (South) Bridge ©Yuriy Buriak
The length of the sword is 16 meters, the weight is 9 tons. ©Yuriy Buriak
Metro Bridge ©Yuriy Buriak
Pechersk (one of the central Kyiv districts) ©Yuriy Buriak
Pivdennyi (South) Bridge ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Zvirynetska Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Tiny tanks ©Yuriy Buriak
New buildings near the Pecherska metro station ©Yuriy Buriak
New buildings on Pechersk (one of the central Kyiv districts) ©Yuriy Buriak
Total weight of the construction is 450 tons. ©Yuriy Buriak
Monument to founders of Kyiv ©Yuriy Buriak
Museum of Great Patriotic War ©Yuriy Buriak
Wedding ©Yuriy Buriak
©Yuriy Buriak
Getting there: From the Arsenalna metro station turn left and walk for 20-30 minutes. You can use a trolleybus #38 or a bus #24. Get off on the "Museum of the Great Patriotic War" ("Muzey VOV", "Музей ВОВ") stop.
