Hero City (Russian: город-герой, gorod-geroy, Ukrainian: місто-герой, misto-heroy, Belarusian: горад-герой, horad-heroy) is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during World War II (known in the Soviet Union as The Great Patriotic War). It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero Fortress. This symbolic distinction for a city corresponds to the individual distinction Hero of the Soviet Union.
According to the statute, the hero city is issued the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal, and the certificate of the heroic deed (gramota) from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Also, the corresponding obelisk is installed in the city.
Read more about Hero City: History, Brest Fortress, Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Stalingrad (Volgograd), Оdessa, Sevastopol, Moscow, Kiev, Novorossiysk, Kerch, Minsk, Tula, Murmansk, Smolensk, Gallery, Similar Awards in Other Countries
Famous quotes containing the words hero and/or city:
“A nice war is a war where everybody who is heroic is a hero, and everybody more or less is a hero in a nice war. Now this war is not at all a nice war.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“A city on whom plenty held full hand,
For riches strewed herself even in her streets;
Whose towers bore heads so high they kissed the clouds,
And strangers ne’er beheld but wondered at.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)