Город герой - Тула
творческая работа учащихся по английскому языку (9 класс)

Hello! Let me introduce myself, I’m Varvara and

Today we invite you to visit the splendid hero city Tula which keeps the memories of terrible events of the Great Patriotic War.

Undoubtedly, the most tragic page in the history of Russia was the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, which took the lives of millions of Soviet people, who defended their motherland. Every inch of Russian land had to be won back with incredible efforts and terrible losses. Entire cities fought to the bitter end, including all peaceful population, and that incredible example of courage later brought them the title of Hero Cities of Russia.

The title Hero City was given to 13 cities of the former Soviet Union. (To be precise, there are 12 Hero Cities and 1 Hero-Fortress). Each of the Hero Cities was honored for it’s great heroism, sacrifice and role in the eventual defeat of Fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War. Of the 13 Hero Cities, 7 are in present day Russia, 4 lie within Ukraine, while the remaining 2 are in Belarus.

Situated south of Moscow, Tula and the capital both lived through the worst days of the war in October-November, 1941 - the peak of the Germans’ Typhoon assault. The city was within inches of being completely surrounded by the enemy, but thanks to the brave resistance of the Soviet troops and the constant counter-offensives, it was spared a most horrible fate.

The successful defense of Tula tied up part of the German forces and prevented Heinz Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Group from reaching Moscow from the south. On the six of October , 1941, a day after their comrades near Moscow, Soviet forces stationed under Tula switched to a full-scale counter-offensive and pushed the Germans back some 130 km from the city.

45 days of defense, heroic battles and a counter-offensive on the fifth of December. In early January 1942, the Tula region was practically liberated at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. More than 38,000 soldiers died on Tula soil. Every third resident of the city who went to the front remained on the battlefields. The city received a "Gold Star". On the 35th anniversary of the defense, Tula became a hero city in 1976. The place where fierce battles were fought and the front line of defense of the Soviet troops took place became Victory Square in peacetime.

 Several memorials were dedicated to the events of the Second World War in Tula. One of the most outstanding is the 4—meter monument to heroic fighters, opened on Victory Square in 1968. It is made in the form of a militia member and a fighter who stand side by side and hold machine guns in their hands. The monument embodies the unity of the people and the army to achieve a common goal — victory over fascism. Obelisks — 3 bayonets - rose next to this monument, which became a symbol of victorious weapons. The memorial harmoniously complements the eternal flame.

In memory of the gunsmith workers who forged victory weapons and the dead residents of the Proletarian district during the Second World War, a 5-meter stele monument to the Proletarians was erected in the year 2 thousand. It symbolizes a blast furnace and a half-drawn sword with a Gold Star on the hilt.

During the Second World War, about 250 Tulyaks and residents of the region especially distinguished themselves. They were awarded the title of Heroes of the USSR for their military services. The monument to the Heroes of the Soviet Union in Tula has perpetuated the memory of these people. The memorial complex was established in 1967. It is a curved 15-meter concrete wall, 4 meters high. It has marble memorial plaques with the names of 84 Tula soldiers who died in battle. The monument's ensemble includes a 3.8m high sculpture of Mother Motherland. In 2004, steles with the names of full cavaliers of the Order of Glory and heroes of Tula who died in peacetime were installed on both sides of the main wall.

In 1980, in honor of the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, a memorial plaque was erected on Lenin Avenue: "In 1941, the front line of the defense of Tula was held here." It is a fragment of the Kremlin wall made of red brick with a white stone base. Here, the valiant wars of the 6th battery of the 732nd anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment gave a tough rebuff to the tank divisions of the Center Group heading for Tula. Thanks to coordinated actions and fearless resistance, not a single tank was able to get into the city.

The history of Tula dates back many centuries: the first mentions of it are found in   the Nikon Chronicle of the 12th century under 1146. For many centuries, this city has been a reliable shield of the southern Moscow borders.

Now Tula is a large industrial and commercial centers in Russia. The leading industries are ferrous metallurgy, machine building, and metalworking. There are several large plants located near Tula.

Tula is known for three activities of local residents rooted deep in the history of the city: the production of weapons, samovars, and gingerbread. Each of them is represented in the city by the Museum of Weapons, the Museum of Samovars, and the Museum of Tula Gingerbread.

In total, on the territory of Tula there are more than 300 objects of cultural heritage: monuments of architecture and urban planning, history. The Tula Kremlin, the oldest building in the city, is an architectural monument of the 16th century.

The center of Tula is Lenin Square located near the Tula Kremlin. The main street of the city is Lenin Avenue - the busiest street in the city with a lot of educational institutions, a drama theater, a philharmonic society, monuments to various cultural figures, monuments dedicated to the Second World War, various shops, restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets. Celebrations, parades and processions are held here.

The most interesting and unusual Tula street monuments are “Taming the Flea”, “Tula Gingerbread”, “Mother-in-law” and many others.

To visit all the sights of Tula, you will need at least 2 or 3 days.

Thank you for your attention!