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Next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Moscow, there is an ally displaying plates that contain soil brought from the 12 Soviet "hero-cities" (in the photo: Odessa).

"Hero-City" is a Soviet honorary title awarded to cities for outstanding heroism during World War II.

It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union: Leningrad (St Petersburg), Stalingrad (Volgograd), Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol, Novorossiyisk, Kerch, Minsk, Tula, Murmansk, Smolensk.

The usage of the term "hero-city" is dated to articles in Pravda as early as in 1942. The first official usage of the title is dated by May 1, 1945, when Stalin issued an order commanding to fire salutes in "the hero cities Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa."