Bicycle monument

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The Bicycle Monument is a monument in the south of Ashgabat , the capital of Turkmenistan . It was officially opened on the occasion of World Bicycle Day on June 3, 2020 and is 30 meters high.

construction

The monument is located in the middle of a large roundabout in the south of Ashgabat and towers over the central island . The central element of the monument is a blue disk that is placed vertically and reaches a height of 30 meters. A map of Turkmenistan is depicted on the disk, showing famous buildings and symbols of the country, including the Independence Monument and the Ashgabat Wedding Palace . This central disk is surrounded by a white ring with golden statues of cyclists placed on the surface. These cyclists can move around the ring so that they circle the blue disk with the map of Turkmenistan. In the lower part of the monument there are golden statues of camels and horses that create a connection to Turkmen culture and tradition.

Building history

On June 8, 2018, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow gave instructions for the construction of the monument in Ashgabat at a cabinet meeting. On April 12, 2018, World Bicycle Day on June 3 was set up by a UN resolution on an initiative of Turkmenistan. World Bicycle Day has been celebrated extensively in Turkmenistan since then and is part of the government's efforts to improve the spread of the sport and improve the physical fitness of the people of Turkmenistan. On April 19, 2020, President Berdimuhamedov inspected the progress of the construction of the monument as part of a bicycle tour through the Turkmen capital.

The construction work was completed on time in May 2020, so that the opening of the bicycle monument took place on schedule as part of the celebrations for World Bicycle Day 2020. Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic , the celebrations took place as a mass event as originally planned. According to the Turkmen government on the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkmenistan , there had been no confirmed cases of the virus in Turkmenistan. Numerous members of the government, parliamentarians, representatives of foreign embassies or organizations and the citizens of Ashgabat came to the event at the new monument, mostly by bike. There President Berdimuhamedov solemnly unveiled the monument and in his speech praised the political efforts to improve the health and strength of the Turkmen people, especially the younger generation, by promoting sport and physical activity. Following the ceremony, Berdimuhamedow started a ride through the streets of Ashgabat, which he himself led by bicycle. The numerous cyclists were supported by well-known Turkmen music groups on the twelve-kilometer route.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Turkmenistan: Going with the grain. Eurasianet, accessed July 14, 2020 .
  2. ^ The monument to bicycle to be installed in Turkmenistan. In: Chronicles of Turkmenistan. June 10, 2018, accessed on July 14, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on April 12, 2018 (A / RES / 72/272 - E - A / RES / 72/272). (PDF; 329 kB) Retrieved on July 14, 2020 (English).
  4. ↑ Berdymukhammedov inspects the monument to a bicycle, which is under construction, from a bike. In: Chronicles of Turkmenistan. April 21, 2020, accessed on July 14, 2020 .
  5. ^ Monument to bicycle inaugurated in Ashgabat - tpetroleum. Retrieved July 14, 2020 (American English).
  6. ↑ Turkmenistan: How the country celebrates World Bicycle Day - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. In: Der Spiegel. Retrieved July 14, 2020 .