Penza, 23 August 2016. PenzaNews. Penza regional public organization of internal troops veterans and “Berkut” combatants plans to create Penza park named after Alexander Suvorov, and also open the Suvorov military school, NGO chief executive Oleg Sidorenko told PenzaNews.

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“In Luninsky area, there is the village Suvorovo which is the former estate of Alexander Suvorov. The village has a ruined temple and an unsightly bust of Suvorov. When we visited in April, the view was just depressing. [...] The idea occurred to us — once there is a ruined temple built by Suvorov at his own expense, the bust that needs improvement, then we have to do something for this village, this property, to revive the memory,” the agency interlocutor said.

He added that the organization representatives also thought about installing a monument to the commander and opening the Suvorov Museum in Penza.

“We began looking for a place [...] travelled along Suvorova Street together with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, those who defended Moscow, Stalingrad and took Berlin, searching for a better place for the monument. And we found the only place - a little park, which now bears the name Oktyabrsky. It is located between Plekhanova, Suvorova and Oktyabrskaya streets,” Oleg Sidorenko said.

According to the chairman of the public organization “Berkut,” the department of architecture and urban planning of Penza told him that only a part of the square is free — another one is in private ownership, and the third one has residential and burnt houses on it.

“We appealed to the Governor of the Penza region [Ivan Belozertsev] and the Legislative Assembly with the initiative to erect a monument to Suvorov, to open a museum and refine this square. [...] They supported this idea,” the agency interlocutor said.

He noted that the organization is dealing with this issue for six months, in active cooperation with Penza city administration.

“We do not find any obstacles. But it is a shame that do not find any support as well. We came up with the initiative to erect a monument to Suvorov, to open a Museum, promote the hero, and it turns out that it is only our organization and participants of the Great Patriotic War who need this,” Oleg Sidorenko stressed.

The NGO chairman added that among those who expressed willingness to support the project is Deputy Chairman of the regional government Yuri Krivov and Dean of the historical-philological faculty of Belinsky pedagogical Institute of Penza State University Oleg Yagov.

He said that at present, at the expense of the organization they carry out the topographic survey, pay for the work of the designer, who specially arrived from St. Petersburg, as well as sculptors from Penza and Moscow.

“A part of the square has already been promised to us; they told us to present the monument project to the artistic board of the city, region. [...] Then we had an idea to rename Oktyabrsky park to Suvorovsky. But currently the question is whether we can use part of the park to install a bust or a monument, or we should fight for the whole park,” the “Berkut” chairman explained.

He added that they also plan to send an appeal to Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu with the initiative of opening a military school named after the commander in Suvorovo village.

“This idea also originated in Suvorovo village. We went to the Museum of Suvorov situated in school. We asked about the school life, and found that today it is attended by no more than 30 students. The school is two-story with its own boiler room, infrastructure, aa sembly hall and a gym — it has everything. Next year these students will leave the school, and the school will stop operating,” Oleg Sidorenko explained.

According to him, the school may be rearranged into a Suvorov military school or a summer camp, where cadets can practise shooting and attend tactical training.

“I have the desire and opportunity to visit Tula on August 28, where a Suvorov school opens soon. I want to visitit; it is new and modern. The opening ceremony will be attended by Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu. If I get to meet him, I will - either in words or on paper — let him know about our desire to perpetuate the memory of Suvorov creating a Suvorov military school, a monument and a museum, ” the agency interlocutor concluded.