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All Russia Mask of Sorrow
AO Edited

Mask of Sorrow

This eerie sculpture overlooks what was known as the Road of Bones under Joseph Stalin.

Magadan, Russia

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CARMEN MANDADO
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Artist Ernst Neizvestny’s parents were victims of Stalin’s prison camps.   Сергей Ковалев
The Mask of Sorrow was unveiled in 1996.  
The sculpture is a memorial to the area’s dark history.   Polina Boytsova
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The haunting human face set atop a hill overlooking Magadan is as a memorial to those who died in Soviet gulags In the 1930s, when Joseph Stalin was systemically executing Russia's intellectual and political dissidents, the city was used as a transit zone for prisoners. R504 Kolyma Highway, which leads into the area, was so notorious it was often called the "Road of Bones."

In 1996, after the fall of the USSR, the Mask of Sorrow was revealed to the public. Sculptor Ernst Neizvestny was among those who lost his parents in the purges. Today, the statue serves as a chilling reminder of the past. Although the climb to the top is steep, the views are spectacular. 

 

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Keep an eye out for wild foxes roaming the area. 

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carmenmandadoesp

Published

December 20, 2023

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  • https://www.historyhit.com/locations/mask-of-sorrow/
Mask of Sorrow
Сопка Крутая
Magadan, 685007
Russia
59.55944, 150.812754
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