Muzeon Park of Arts (Fallen Monument Park)

The park has become the largest open air museum of sculptures in Russia and is a fascinating example of how the political scenery suddenly changed in Russia.

The Muzeon Park of Arts was formally established in 1992. However, it gets it's name due to developments the year before. After the fall of the USSR and the ban of the communist party, various statues and sculptures of communist leaders and workers from around the town were dumped here. The communist leaders had their statues installed in nearly every area of the city and as soon as USSR fell, most of these were immediately removed from their pedestals. These statues were subsequently placed all along the edges of the park and more and more sculptures were added to the park over the years. These included sculptures dedicated to the victims of the Great War of Patriotism (World War II) and of the communist regime. In recent years, there have been various additions to the park, such as an open air cinema, numerous cafes and winding walking pavements. Several flowerbeds were laid to greatly enhance it's beauty. It is also now the first open air museum of contemporary art, (more than 700 works of art on display) and is extensively used as a cultural and creative exhibition area.