Description of the attraction
On June 23, 2011, in the center of the capital of the Republic of Mari El, a sculptural composition of a folklore character - Yoshka's cat was installed. The bronze sculpture of 150 kg weight, cast in Kazan, is the result of the works of two Yoshkar-Ola sculptors Anatoly Shirnin and Sergei Yandubaev and a Muscovite Alexei Shilov. The idea to install a funny talisman in Yoshkar-Ola belonged to the head of the republic, Leonid Markelov, and the funds for the creation of the symbolic cat were transferred by Moscow businessmen as a gift to the residents of the city.
The composition is a garden bench on which a cat with sly eyes and a charming smile is lying imposingly. The "Yoshkin cat", installed at the main building of the Mari University, immediately became for students a traditional symbol of good luck during the session (you just need to rub your nose - and the cherished mark is already on the record).
The name of this famous folklore character was pronounced by the Slavs in an emotional outburst and the expression "Yoshkin cat" reflected all the variety of feelings. So the sculpture itself turned out to be very emotional - cheerful, kind, with a fabulously mysterious expression of a bronze cat's face. The duty of the new mascot of the city is to protect the city from evil spirits and create warmth and comfort in the Yoshkar-Ola streets. So the bronze cat can be considered the patron saint of Yoshkar-Ola, bringing good luck to the traveler who stroked him. In a short time, the charming character became a favorite of the townspeople and one of the main entertainment attractions of the entire Mari Territory.
