‘A Casket of Russian Proverbs’ Sculpture

The unusual monument was opened in 2010, it shows a soldier with his hand akimbo, standing next to a gun and a pile of cannonballs on top of a folk-style casket with inscriptions running along the four sides of the box.
The character is a historic figure - Ivan Lakimov, a decorated for bravery artilleryman. He was the descendent of the first military governor in Penza, who collected proverbs and sayings. The symbolism of the monument is in the key that the soldier is holding in this hands. This is both the key to the city and the key that opens the box containing the common wisdom that is passed from generation to generation, thus constituting the basis of our lives.