Zaisan Memorial
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The Zaisan Memorial is a memorial south of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar that honors Russian soldiers killed in World War II. Located on a hill south of the city, the memorial features a Russian tank paid for by the Mongolian people and a circular memorial painting that depicts scenes of friendship between the peoples of Russia and Mongolia. The mural depicts scenes such as Russia's support for Mongolia's independence declaration in 1921, the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army by the Russians at Khalhkin Gol on the Mongolian border in 1939, and the flight of Mongolian cosmonaut Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha on Soyuz 39 in 1981. The tank memorial includes a map showing the route the tank took from its construction in Moscow in 1943 to its participation in the fall of Berlin in 1945.
After driving to the uppermost parking lot on the hill, visitors must make a climb of three hundred steps before reaching the monument and mural. Those who make the climb are rewarded with a panoramic view of the entire city of Ulaanbaatar in the valley below, as well as the Tuul River flowing past the city.
