Beko Traditions
He was the first to measure life with the countdown
Memorial to Y. Gagarin and V. Seregin in Kirzhach
In January 2021, the memorial erected at the place where Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seregin died was finally recognized as an object of cultural heritage of federal significance. It was transferred from municipal property to federal property. The monument was installed almost 45 years ago, seven years after the tragic accident. And all these years it has remained a place of worship for those who want to honour the memory of the heroes.
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Ekaterina Dzuba
The monument is located 2.5 km from the small village of Novoselovo in the Kirzhach district of the Vladimir region. Initially, a temporary memorial stone was placed at the site of the death, which was replaced with a 16-meter stele made of red granite by October 1975. The memorial was designed by a group of sculptors and architects led by the Lenin Prize laureate Professor Nikolai Ullas.
The front side has carved portraits of the heroes, Y. A. Gagarin and V. S. Seregin. At the base there is a ring from black labradorite that has a five-sided plate inside with the inscription:
"On March 27, 1968, the first cosmonaut of the world, the Hero of the Soviet Union Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin and test pilot, the Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Sergeyevich Seregin died at this place in an aviation accident".
Over time, the area near the stele was transformed into a whole memorial site. MiG-15 aircraft was installed in its territory, the exact copy of the plane on which the heroes made their last flight. Not far from the monument itself there is a small guest house, in which a museum room is open to visitors. The exhibition presents photographs, books and children's drawings related to the space, as well as several personal belongings of Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seregin, which were donated to the museum by the relatives of the deceased pilots.
The front side has carved portraits of the heroes, Y. A. Gagarin and V. S. Seregin. At the base there is a ring from black labradorite that has a five-sided plate inside with the inscription:
"On March 27, 1968, the first cosmonaut of the world, the Hero of the Soviet Union Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin and test pilot, the Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Sergeyevich Seregin died at this place in an aviation accident".
Over time, the area near the stele was transformed into a whole memorial site. MiG-15 aircraft was installed in its territory, the exact copy of the plane on which the heroes made their last flight. Not far from the monument itself there is a small guest house, in which a museum room is open to visitors. The exhibition presents photographs, books and children's drawings related to the space, as well as several personal belongings of Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seregin, which were donated to the museum by the relatives of the deceased pilots.
Temporary Memorial Stone (replaced in 1975)
Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin
(1934–1968)
The first man in the history of the world to fly into the space. Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of the highest honorary distinctions of several states, Colonel of the USSR Air Force, military pilot of the 1st class, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR. After the space flight on April 12, 1961, by the invitation of foreign governments and public organizations, he visited around 30 countries. He conducted a lot of social and political work, graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and was preparing for a new flight into the space.
(1934–1968)
The first man in the history of the world to fly into the space. Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of the highest honorary distinctions of several states, Colonel of the USSR Air Force, military pilot of the 1st class, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR. After the space flight on April 12, 1961, by the invitation of foreign governments and public organizations, he visited around 30 countries. He conducted a lot of social and political work, graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and was preparing for a new flight into the space.
There is St. Andrew's Church about two hundred meters from the death site .
It was this building, half-ruined in 1968, that was a landmark during the search for the crashed plane. This temple was restored with the participation of some cosmonauts including the Hero of the Soviet Union, the first man to go into the open space, Alexey Leonov. Inside the church, you can see murals made according to the sketches of Leonov himself. For example, below the dome, near the images of Christ and Andrew the First-Called, there are images of the parade of planets and a spaceship, and on the walls there are the patron saints of the first cosmonaut squad. The restored bell tower has a belfry with nine bells, each of which is named after one of the deceased astronauts. This unique temple made in the Orthodox-Cosmic style is a symbol for the interconnection of the space as a scientific breakthrough and a challenge thrown by the mankind to the unknown Universe, and the outer space as part of the divine universe.
Every year, on March 27, a mass meeting in memory of the fallen heroes "Interrupted Flight" is held at this memorable place. For several years, public readings dedicated to Yuri Gagarin ("Gagarin Readings") have been held in the Kirzhach district historical and local history and art museums, in which everyone who wants to honour the memory of the great man can participate.
It was this building, half-ruined in 1968, that was a landmark during the search for the crashed plane. This temple was restored with the participation of some cosmonauts including the Hero of the Soviet Union, the first man to go into the open space, Alexey Leonov. Inside the church, you can see murals made according to the sketches of Leonov himself. For example, below the dome, near the images of Christ and Andrew the First-Called, there are images of the parade of planets and a spaceship, and on the walls there are the patron saints of the first cosmonaut squad. The restored bell tower has a belfry with nine bells, each of which is named after one of the deceased astronauts. This unique temple made in the Orthodox-Cosmic style is a symbol for the interconnection of the space as a scientific breakthrough and a challenge thrown by the mankind to the unknown Universe, and the outer space as part of the divine universe.
Every year, on March 27, a mass meeting in memory of the fallen heroes "Interrupted Flight" is held at this memorable place. For several years, public readings dedicated to Yuri Gagarin ("Gagarin Readings") have been held in the Kirzhach district historical and local history and art museums, in which everyone who wants to honour the memory of the great man can participate.
Vladimir Sergeyevich Seregin
(1922–1968)
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war he completed more than 200 missions including 50 reconnaissance missions with photographing of the enemy objects. In 1945, he received the Gold Star medal, became the owner of the Order of Lenin and two Orders of the Red Banner. After the military service, he remained in the air forces. The year before his death he was appointed commander of a regiment engaged in flight training of cosmonauts.
(1922–1968)
Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war he completed more than 200 missions including 50 reconnaissance missions with photographing of the enemy objects. In 1945, he received the Gold Star medal, became the owner of the Order of Lenin and two Orders of the Red Banner. After the military service, he remained in the air forces. The year before his death he was appointed commander of a regiment engaged in flight training of cosmonauts.
Interrupted flight
Heroes of the Soviet Union, the world's first cosmonaut Y. A. Gagarin and test pilot V. S. Seregin died on March 27, 1968 during one of the training flights. The State Commission that was created to investigate the causes of the disaster established later that the plane crashed at 10:31 a.m. near the village of Novoselovo, 18 km from the city of Kirzhach, Vladimir region. Then the national mourning was declared in the USSR. This was the first time in the history of the country when the mourning day was announced in connection with the death of a person who was not the serving head of state at the time of his death. Mortuary urns of the deceased are immured in the Kremlin wall.
MiG-15UTI is the exact copy of the crashed plane
The mysterial death of Yuri Gagarin
The study of the cause of the pilots' death was carried out in several directions – engineering (checking the technical condition of the aircraft), medical (autopsy of the remains of the pilots, tests for alcohol and other substances in the blood) and flight (studying the level of training of the pilots themselves). An independent investigation was also carried out by the KGB commission whose task was to understand whether the death of the pilots was the result of a terrorist attack or a political conspiracy.
All reports on this case were strictly classified and archived for an indefinite period.
The probable causes of the accident were declassified only decades later, on the eve of the anniversary of Gagarin's spacewalk.
All reports on this case were strictly classified and archived for an indefinite period.
The probable causes of the accident were declassified only decades later, on the eve of the anniversary of Gagarin's spacewalk.
Today, hundreds of monuments around the world are dedicated to the first cosmonaut. Streets, cities, parks and many other objects are named after him, as well as an asteroid, a lunar crater, a ridge in the South Pole and even a sword lily breed, which people call simply - "Gagarin's Smile".
Trees that were damaged during the plane crash have been preserved in the territory of the memorial.
Official version
According to the version expressed in the report, during the return of Gagarin and his instructor from a flight mission back to the base, their plane collided with a meteorological sounder in the air - a balloon with devices attached to it for measuring air pressure, temperature etc. Further damages to the cockpit and unsuccessful attempts to level the falling plane led to a fall that became fatal. Despite all the experience that Gagarin and Seregin had, they could not correct the situation since the plane itself simply could not function properly due to deformation. In this case, death was practically inevitable.
Alexey Leonov's version
Another version was stated by the legendary cosmonaut of the USSR, twice Hero of the Soviet Union and the first man to go into the open space, Alexey Leonov. In his opinion, the cause of the accident was the hit of the plane in the aircraft trail – white air swirls left after another plane. This was the reason why the pilots lost control. According to Leonov, a supersonic Su-15 fighter was tested not far from the flight base from which Gagarin and Seregin started. According to his version, the pilot of such an aircraft during the flight descended to the altitude where the pilots were at that moment. Flying at the speed of over 600 m/s, he drove them into a spiral with his aircraft trail, from which the pilots could not get out due to the low altitude. Nevertheless, Leonov's version is not accepted. As a proof that the Su-15 tests did not affect the accident in any way, they brought forward the flight schedule of the fighter, which never coincided with the time of Gagarin's mission. That is, there was no way for the planes to cross in the air.
According to the version expressed in the report, during the return of Gagarin and his instructor from a flight mission back to the base, their plane collided with a meteorological sounder in the air - a balloon with devices attached to it for measuring air pressure, temperature etc. Further damages to the cockpit and unsuccessful attempts to level the falling plane led to a fall that became fatal. Despite all the experience that Gagarin and Seregin had, they could not correct the situation since the plane itself simply could not function properly due to deformation. In this case, death was practically inevitable.
Alexey Leonov's version
Another version was stated by the legendary cosmonaut of the USSR, twice Hero of the Soviet Union and the first man to go into the open space, Alexey Leonov. In his opinion, the cause of the accident was the hit of the plane in the aircraft trail – white air swirls left after another plane. This was the reason why the pilots lost control. According to Leonov, a supersonic Su-15 fighter was tested not far from the flight base from which Gagarin and Seregin started. According to his version, the pilot of such an aircraft during the flight descended to the altitude where the pilots were at that moment. Flying at the speed of over 600 m/s, he drove them into a spiral with his aircraft trail, from which the pilots could not get out due to the low altitude. Nevertheless, Leonov's version is not accepted. As a proof that the Su-15 tests did not affect the accident in any way, they brought forward the flight schedule of the fighter, which never coincided with the time of Gagarin's mission. That is, there was no way for the planes to cross in the air.
For health reasons
The author of this version was the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center in the 1960-70s, Nikolai Fedorovich Kuznetsov. According to him, during the last years of his life Seregin had health problems, complained of heart pains. It is quite possible that during the flight he had a heart attack, which caused the pilot to lose consciousness.
Depressurization of the cockpit
According to this version, pressure sealing was disrupted in the cockpit of the aircraft. That was why the pilots experienced oxygen deficiency at the operational altitude of 4000 meters. When trying to descend the pilots lost consciousness due to the sharp pressure drop. Although this version is now becoming more and more popular, many people challenge it since there is far more than one case of the cockpit depressurization at the same altitude, in which no serious consequences have been observed. However, nobody denies it completely either.
The author of this version was the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center in the 1960-70s, Nikolai Fedorovich Kuznetsov. According to him, during the last years of his life Seregin had health problems, complained of heart pains. It is quite possible that during the flight he had a heart attack, which caused the pilot to lose consciousness.
Depressurization of the cockpit
According to this version, pressure sealing was disrupted in the cockpit of the aircraft. That was why the pilots experienced oxygen deficiency at the operational altitude of 4000 meters. When trying to descend the pilots lost consciousness due to the sharp pressure drop. Although this version is now becoming more and more popular, many people challenge it since there is far more than one case of the cockpit depressurization at the same altitude, in which no serious consequences have been observed. However, nobody denies it completely either.
Commemorable wall at the entrance to the territory of the memorial
Weather conditions
This version was put forward by Vladimir Aksenov, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. According to him, the cause of the tragedy was the increased cloud coverage on the day of the flight. The pilots lost control in difficult meteorological conditions and made a fatal mistake that cost both of them their lives. As a proof for his version Aksenov cites images from the weather balloons.
Pilots' mistake
According to this version, the pilots died after they failed to correctly perform one of the aerobatic maneuvers, which, by the way, was not specified in the mission. This theory was put forward by the retired Air Force Colonel, Eduard Alexandrovich Shersher. He suggested that the pilots decided to perform several sharp turns, "on skill, as entertainment", so to speak. However, due to the unsuitability of this aircraft model to such loads and due to increased cloud coverage, this idea ended in tragedy.
Conspiracy theories
There are also several conspiracy theories that are not seriously considered by anyone.
For example, some suggested that Gagarin's death was a political order in the highest circles of power, which the famous cosmonaut somehow did not please. There was a version, according to which the cosmonaut died a few days before the accident, during the testing of a new spaceship, the development of which was strictly classified. In addition, there were also those who claimed that they saw Gagarin with their own eyes many years after his death. They say that the pilot has deliberately faked his death in order to spend the last years of his life somewhere in the Orenburg forests.
This version was put forward by Vladimir Aksenov, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. According to him, the cause of the tragedy was the increased cloud coverage on the day of the flight. The pilots lost control in difficult meteorological conditions and made a fatal mistake that cost both of them their lives. As a proof for his version Aksenov cites images from the weather balloons.
Pilots' mistake
According to this version, the pilots died after they failed to correctly perform one of the aerobatic maneuvers, which, by the way, was not specified in the mission. This theory was put forward by the retired Air Force Colonel, Eduard Alexandrovich Shersher. He suggested that the pilots decided to perform several sharp turns, "on skill, as entertainment", so to speak. However, due to the unsuitability of this aircraft model to such loads and due to increased cloud coverage, this idea ended in tragedy.
Conspiracy theories
There are also several conspiracy theories that are not seriously considered by anyone.
For example, some suggested that Gagarin's death was a political order in the highest circles of power, which the famous cosmonaut somehow did not please. There was a version, according to which the cosmonaut died a few days before the accident, during the testing of a new spaceship, the development of which was strictly classified. In addition, there were also those who claimed that they saw Gagarin with their own eyes many years after his death. They say that the pilot has deliberately faked his death in order to spend the last years of his life somewhere in the Orenburg forests.
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