Memorial of Glory

The Memorial of Glory stands on the central square of Tiraspol near the Dniester River, one of the most significant and emotionally resonant landmarks in the entire republic. The memorial complex was opened on February 23, 1972 — the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy — with a ceremonial reinternment of the remains of Soviet soldiers and officers, natives of Pridnestrovie, who fell during the Great Patriotic War, alongside soldiers who died during the liberation of the region. The eternal flame at the grave of the Unknown Soldier was lit by Mikhail Harin, a participant in the Iasi-Chisinau operation and Hero of the Soviet Union. The memorial was designed by architects Garry Faif and Leonid Fishbein.

Over the years, the Memorial expanded its role, becoming the final resting place for those who perished during the war in Afghanistan and during the armed aggression of Moldova against Pridnestrovie in 1990-1992. The names of 1,252 reburied soldiers, including four Heroes of the Soviet Union, are permanently immortalized on marble slabs throughout the complex.

Among the memorial’s most striking features is a T-34-85 tank, placed here as a monument to soldiers fallen during the Great Patriotic War. This particular vehicle served as part of the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps, participating in the liberation of Ukraine, Moldavia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Damaged during the Budapest Offensive at Lake Balaton, it was transported to Tiraspol in April 1945. Beneath the tank lies a buried capsule containing earth brought from Mamayev Kurgan in the Hero City of Volgograd — the former Stalingrad — creating a powerful symbolic connection between this memorial and one of history’s most decisive battles.

At the end of the 2000s, the complex underwent significant reconstruction, during which a Wall of Memory was added bearing the names of all defenders of Pridnestrovie and civilians killed during the 1990-1992 conflict. A deeply moving sculpture of a Grieving Mother, created by V. Tkachenko, was also installed here — giving universal human expression to the losses commemorated throughout this remarkable and continually evolving memorial complex.

Location: Central Pokrovskaya Str., Tiraspol