Eternal Glory Flame Memorial Complex

The memorial complex "Eternal Flame of Glory" in Pyatigorsk was solemnly opened on November 5, 1965, on the site of a mass grave where 160 city residents killed during the five-month German occupation are buried. After a large-scale reconstruction completed on August 21, 1972, the ensemble acquired a monumental appearance thanks to the work of architects Yuri Stoforandov and Alexander Shirokov. The main elements of the updated memorial are a high spire, a granite wall with the image of a warrior, two massive slabs of black granite, the Eternal Flame bowl with a five-pointed star, and the symbolic Bowl of Tears. Since 1973, Post No. 1 has been keeping an honor guard at the memorial, whose activity was interrupted in 1991 but was restored in 1997.