Monument to a kitten from Lizyukov Street - the first of its kind in Russia

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Since childhood, many of us remember a touching cartoon kitten from Voronezh, who, by the power of magic, landed in distant Africa. But not everyone knows that in this Russian city there is a monument to a kitten from Lizyukov Street - the first monument in the country to a cartoon character. This is probably not the most famous of the heroes of Soviet cartoons, but everyone knows exactly the address of the kitten Vasily. This is probably why the grateful residents of the city raised funds to turn a painted tailed "countryman" into a steel monument.

Kitten cartoon

The story of a kitten who dreams of returning from sultry Africa to his native Voronezh was invented by the writer Vitaly Zlotnikov. The script was proposed to the Soyuzmultfilm studio, where the creator of the immortal "Well, wait a minute!" became interested in it. Vyacheslav Kotenochkin.

In 1988, viewers saw the cartoon "Kitten from Lizyukov Street" - a monument to the perestroika era. Cooperatives, emigration are signs of the times,that attracts the attention of an adult viewer. And the children simply sympathize with the misfortunes of the mustachioed hero, who did not find happiness among the African sands, and happily returned home to his hometown.

Monument to a kitten from Lizyukov Street: from idea to project

For the idea of creating a monument, we must say thanks to the editors of two newspapers: the local branch of Komsomolskaya Pravda and Molodoy Kommunar, as well as the head of the administration of the Kominternovsky district. They announced a competition for the best project, the winner of which was a local schoolgirl, Irina Pivovarova, whose drawing was taken as a basis by professional sculptors.

And the current view of the monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street in Voronezh was acquired after the finalization of the project by Elsa Pak and Ivan Dikunov. The main character of the cartoon with his crow friend are sitting on the branches of a tree, the kitten emotionally tells the winged companion about something. Probably captured the moment when Vasily asks to turn him into such a beast that "everyone was afraid".

How the monument was created

The Dikunov family of sculptors, father and son, took the idea into metal, and a total of eight people worked on the monument. It took over six months to complete the task. Lightweight and durable duralumin was chosen as the material. For brightness, the "winged metal" was covered with silver paint. And the stability of the structure was ensured by pouring five buckets of cement into the "tree".

The monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street was officially opened on December 5, 2003. There was a small incident: on the opening day, the kitten's whiskers suddenly "peeled off". The ceremony had to be postponed for two hours, while the newly attached parts were securely fixed on the muzzle of the "honorary Voronezh citizen".

Address of the monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street

Where can the famous kitten be, if not on the street mentioned many times in the cartoon? A place for the monument was found in a crowded place, opposite the Mir cinema, where both Voronezh residents and guests of the city can always admire it, especially on weekends.

By the way, a little about the street. It bears the name of Major General Alexander Ilyich Lizyukov, Hero of the Soviet Union, who participated in the liberation of Voronezh. The street is located in the largest microdistrict "Severny" and is its main thoroughfare. Therefore, the monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street in Voronezh is always in front of many citizens.

Reconstruction plans

For all its merits, dural turned out to be not an ideal material for a monument. Over the years, cracks appeared in the metal from temperature changes, rain and snow. Lovers of souvenirs also cause considerable harm to the sculpture: I regularly break off the mustache and tail of the kitten.

Therefore, in 2010 it was decided to reconstruct the monument to the kitten from Lizyukov Street. The renovated monument was supposed to be resistant both to bad weather and to the intrigues of vandals. Local authorities made an estimate: at that timereconstruction would cost 800 thousand rubles. It should be noted that the townspeople collected money for the construction of the monument, and it did not cost the local budget a penny. It was assumed that patrons would also provide funds for the renovated sculpture. Unfortunately, there were no people in the city who would help breathe new life into the somewhat decrepit monument "Kitten from Lizyukov Street". Voronezh, the address along the street, the name of which no one outside the city had heard before, became known throughout the country thanks to the touching Vasily. Perhaps it would be worth showing more respect for the "famous countryman".

What other cartoon characters have been immortalized in sculpture

The first monument to the cartoon character is the sailor Papaya sculpture, installed back in 1937 in Crystal City (Texas, USA). Spinach farmers raised money for it (it was this vegetable that was the source of the fabulous strength of the cartoon character).

Jem Boy, the hero of the Japanese animated series, is immortalized in stone. A monument to him stands in the city of Funabashi.

As mentioned above, the monument to a kitten from Lizyukov Street is the first such monument in Russia. But today it is far from the only one. The initiative of the Voronezh residents was supported in many cities.

A whole group of monuments was built in Ramenskoye near Moscow. Here are the heroes of "Well, you wait!", And "Winnie the Pooh", and "Cheburashka", and a series of cartoons about the village of Prostokvashino. In Penza there is a monument to "The Hedgehog in the Fog". And TomskThe wolf - the character of the cartoon "Once upon a time there was a Dog" even knows how to speak and sing.

And not only the kitten from Lizyukov Street is immortalized in Voronezh itself. The monument was also erected to another animal, though the hero is not a cartoon, but a book and a feature film. This is the famous White Bim Black Ear - a symbol of friendship and devotion.