Sail Fountain (Samara)

The Sail Fountain ("Parus") opened in 1986 near the river station in Samara and has become one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Its designer was Nikolai Nikitin, chief architect of the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant. The fountain was originally built of reinforced concrete in the shape of ship's sails.

The fountain commemorates those who died in the Great Patriotic War: it is an architectural memorial whose 620 jets correspond to the number of young sailors (yungi, teenage naval cadets) who were killed.

Over time the structure began to deteriorate, and in 2012 the fountain was fully rebuilt, this time in stainless steel for strength and durability. The new version of the "Sail," about 13 meters tall, weighs 16 tons; lighting has been built into the structure since 2012.

Today the Sail Fountain remains both an ornament of the cityscape and a symbol of remembrance for those who died for freedom and peace, one of Samara's most recognizable landmarks.