A vintage 1976 postcard published in the USSR, featuring the memorial to the Soviet soldiers and underground resistance fighters who liberated the city of Khmelnytskyi in March 1944.
What is shown on the postcard
The postcard depicts a bronze sculpture of a soldier dynamic in motion, holding a banner high above his head, mounted on a tall white rectangular pedestal. To the left is a dark granite wall with a commemorative inscription and a platform featuring the Eternal Flame, with people standing nearby. Trees in the square and part of the regional philharmonic building are visible in the background.
Historical note
The memorial was established over a mass grave where Soviet soldiers and partisans who died during the battles for the city (known as Proskuriv until 1954) in World War II were buried. For decades, the square on the former Gagarina Street served as a central commemorative site in Khmelnytskyi, hosting official ceremonies and floral tributes.
Present day
As part of decommunization and decolonization efforts, the remains buried at this site were exhumed in late 2022 and reinterred at the Alley of Glory inside the military cemetery on Kamianetska Street. The Soviet-era monument next to the philharmonic was dismantled, and the square was renovated.
Location (map)
Address: Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Heroiv Mariupola Street (former Gagarina), square near the philharmonic
Coordinates: 49.421860, 26.985630
(Google Maps)
Coordinate source: Coordinates of the square of the former mass grave near the regional philharmonic in Khmelnytskyi.
Questions and answers
- Where was this memorial located in Khmelnytskyi? The memorial was located in the square near the Khmelnytskyi Regional Philharmonic on Heroiv Mariupola Street (formerly Gagarina Street).
- What does the main sculpture depict? It depicts a bronze figure of a Soviet soldier holding a banner high, standing on a white pedestal, next to a memorial wall and the Eternal Flame.
- Does this monument exist today? No, the monument was dismantled in December 2022, and the graves were relocated to the city’s military cemetery.
See also
The «Old Postcards» archive includes other views of Khmelnytskyi from 1976.
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