A grand monument in honor of the 850th anniversary of the city of Vladimir has adorned Sobornaya Square since 1958.
In fact, there was a mishap with the anniversary celebration, since the city's age was counted from 1108. It was precisely this time that was mentioned in the chronicles as the date of the city's founding by Prince Vladimir Monomakh. But in the late 1990s, a group of scholars produced evidence that a settlement on this site had arisen as early as 990, and that its founder was Prince Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko. Thus, in 1958 the city was celebrating not its 850th, but its 968th year since its founding. But, in any case, the venerable age and achievements of this city deserved to be immortalized in a beautiful 20-meter monument.
The Monument in Honor of the 850th Anniversary of the City of Vladimir is a white-stone stele in the shape of a truncated pyramidal column. At its base sit three 3-meter figures. The statue of an ancient Architect, who holds a carved capital for a column in his hands, symbolizes the ancient buildings preserved in Vladimir as architectural monuments. A stern warrior in medieval military attire leans on a mighty sword, and a shield rests against his leg. He personifies the martial glory of all the sons of the city who ever went off to war. On the third side of the monument is a Soviet worker, depicting the scene of handing over the 150-thousandth tractor to collective farmers in 1957. The latter embodies the spirit of the communist era, when labor was not only a means, but also the goal of life.
