Description of the attraction
The monument to Yaroslav the Wise, one of the most famous princes of Kievan Rus, is located in a popular tourist destination in Kiev - near the Golden Gate.
The sketch of the monument to the prince was made by the famous sculptor, playwright and director Ivan Kavaleridze. According to eyewitnesses, the sculptor had several sketches, and the final version (by the way, there is still a copy of this monument in Kiev on Andreevsky Spusk) was not even a contender for casting in metal, since the author was impressed by a completely different version. One way or another, but the sculptor did not have a chance to see his brainchild in reality - the monument was erected only in 1997, 19 years after the death of Ivan Kavaleridze. The monument was based on a sketch found in the sculptor's workshop, and it was a small figurine. The main reason for the installation of the monument was not even its historical value, but the desire to put in order a corner near the Golden Gate. At the same time, the implementers of the idea did not quite take into account the artistic and urban planning aspects. Nevertheless, the monument to Yaroslav the Wise managed to become one of the city's attractions.
The earthen embankment in the form of a small mound, on which the monument is located, was created artificially. The prince is depicted in a seated position, and his gaze is directed at the St. Sophia Cathedral, which he completed in 1037. You can climb to this bronze monument by granite steps, to the right of which there is a boulder, on which the name of the prince is carved in Old Russian letters. In the hands of Yaroslav the Wise, one cannot fail to notice the model of St. Sophia of Kiev, which is why the people of Kiev jokingly call the monument “a man with a cake”. On the back of the monument, you can also see the handprints of the sculptors Vitaly Sivko, Nikolai Bilyk and Vitaly Redko, who created it.
