The monument to a fierce bear was installed in Yaroslavl near the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in 2009, a year before the celebration of the city's 1000th anniversary. The bear has long been considered a symbol of Yaroslavl, and there is a legend connected with the founding of the city.
Long ago there was a small settlement here called Medvezhy Ugol, whose residents were conservative pagans and did not want to accept the Christian faith insistently promoted by Yaroslav the Wise. One day the prince once again came to the villagers accompanied by a retinue consisting of a bishop, deacons, and a detachment of warriors. The pagans set dogs and a "ferocious beast" on them, which turned out to be a she-bear, and the prince heroically defeated it. The local residents surrendered, and Yaroslav ordered the area to be cleared of forest so that the new city could be built.
The bear immortalized in the monument near the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery looks like a real wild beast - shaggy and angry. It stands on a stone with its paw raised as if preparing to attack. To heighten the effect, the monument has a built-in sound system that emits a loud bear's roar every hour from morning until evening.
