‘Tatarstan was an important rear centre of the country during the Great Patriotic War’
“Great honour and great responsibility”
The City of Labour Valour stele was opened on 4 May in Kazan. The solemn event was attended by the rais of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and the mayor of the city, Ilsur Metshin. The stele is installed on the territory of the square in front of the Kazan-2 railway station (Vosstaniya-Passazhirskaya). The opening of the stele and the awarding of the Kazan — City of Labour Valour title became a landmark event for the whole of Tatarstan and Russia as a whole, and in addition to the capital of the republic, 53 other cities were awarded this status, Rustam Minnikhanov said at the grand opening.
“Tatarstan was an important rear centre of the country during the Great Patriotic War. Out of 226 enterprises evacuated to the Volga region, more than 70 were accepted and placed on the territory of our republic. Over 600 items of weapons, ammunition and equipment were produced for the front," he noted.
The composition includes a 26-metre stele and two pylons with built-in LED lights, photographs and an inscription in two official languages. Historical materials confirm the feat of home front workers during the Great Patriotic War.
“Women, children and the elderly worked at the limit of their capacities. The main slogan for everyone was “Everything for the front, everything for victory!”. <...> In order to perpetuate the labour feat of Tatarstan enterprises, the title “Enterprise of Labour Valour” is established in the republic. We have 20 such enterprises today," the head of the republic stressed.
According to Ilsur Metshin, the mayor of Kazan, these plants continue their work “for the benefit of the city, the republic and our entire Motherland.”
“Awarding Kazan the honorary title of City of Labour Valour is a great honour for us and, at the same time, a great responsibility. We, the heirs of the Great Victory, the heroism of our predecessors, are simply obliged to preserve our heritage and pass it on to future generations," Metshin said.
The festive opening was also attended by socio-patriotic associations, schoolchildren, managers and employees of companies, awarded the honorary title of Enterprise of Labour Valour. At the end of the ceremony, Rustam Minnikhanov and other guests laid flowers at the stele and also took part in the Garden of Memory campaign, planting tree seedlings in the park.
Symbol of Victory
The decision to award Kazan the title of City of Labour Valour was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He signed the decree on July 2, 2020. At the same time, they started talking about installing a stele.
“After observing all formal procedures, the stele with the presidential decree on awarding the City of Labour Valour title will be erected in Kazan. People will come to it, it will become a symbol of Victory, a relay race in memory of the feat of the entire working people, who, along with soldiers on the front line, stood up in this war," State Duma Deputy from Tatarstan Olga Pavlova said.
