On the northern outskirts of Voronezh, where the regional clinical hospital once stood, there is a monument embodying the steadfastness and courage of the Soviet people in the fight against the fascist barbarians. This monument is a page of the tragic fate of Voronezh during the terrible war years and the only building of the hospital complex that survived the horrors of the Great Patriotic War. In this article, we will tell the story of this iconic place.
History before the war: Rotunda - Health Center
In the 1930s, a regional clinical hospital was built in the north of Voronezh. A modern medical institution for its time, where both local and foreign specialists worked. The rotunda, the circular building of the main department, has become a key part of this medical complex.
The war years: defense and destruction
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the fate of the hospital town has changed dramatically. On July 9, 1942, the hospital was captured by Wehrmacht troops, but on July 15, Soviet soldiers were able to regain control of the main building, finding more than 400 civilians there. The rescue of the townspeople was a heroic act of the cadets under the leadership of Lieutenant Evdokimov. The battle for the hospital lasted almost six months. As a result of the military operations, only 1.5 thousand of the 20,000 buildings in Voronezh survived. The hospital complex was almost completely destroyed, except for one building, the Rotunda.
Rotunda after the war: a memory object
The rotunda, damaged by the war, with a hole in the dome measuring two by two meters, has become a living reminder of hard times. In 1965, the local authorities decided to recognize the Rotunda as a monument to the Great Patriotic War. However, unfortunately, in 2008 the dome of the Rotunda collapsed, which indicated a lack or absence of restoration work.
Recovery and today
After the war, a memorial church in honor of Prince Vladimir Equal to the Apostles was built on the site of the destroyed hospital. Today's Rotunda is fenced off, with stencil inscriptions warning of danger. A memorial plaque reminding of the tragic past is installed near the dilapidated building.
Legacy and Lessons of History
The Rotunda monument in Voronezh is not only an architectural object, but also a symbol of the unshakable spirit of the city. While preserving the traces of the hard years of the war, it reminds us of the value of peace and the importance of remembering the past.
Historical background
According to the memoirs of S.I. Weitzer from the 1995 article ("Arguments and Facts")
During the fighting, the hospital buildings were severely damaged, but, according to the builders who worked in post-war Voronezh, not so much that they could not be restored. A photograph of the regional clinical hospital, taken shortly after the liberation of the city, has been preserved, which shows that the building of the rotunda, although very destroyed, retained brick walls, window and door openings, and a stepped roof. However, there were not enough resources for the reconstruction of the regional hospital, which is a large complex of buildings, in the difficult post-war period. When the situation improved somewhat in 1960, it turned out that all the hospital buildings had been dismantled into bricks, which were sorely lacking. All that remains of the classroom building is a twisted reinforced concrete dome supported by numerous columns. Voronezh residents called the surviving part of the hospital a “Rotunda”.
In the early 1960s, during the creation of a new hospital complex, the question arose about the demolition of the Rotunda. Veterans and public organizations managed to defend the remains of the building. In 1965, by a decision of the City Council, it was recognized that the Rotunda would be preserved as a monument to the Great Patriotic War.
In 1966, the city executive committee decided to create a memorial complex at the site of the fighting near the hospital, which would include a "Rotunda".
In 1965, and then in the 1980s, several competitions were held to develop projects for the conservation and restoration of the Rotunda, and to create a memorial complex based on it. However, none of the plans were realized.
