Monument to Vladimir Vysotsky (Samara)

The Monument to Vladimir Vysotsky in Samara is a bronze sculptural group by Mikhail Shemyakin on Molodogvardeyskaya Street, outside the Palace of Sports (Molodogvardeyskaya 222). It was unveiled on 25 January 2008, the poet's 70th birthday, close to the spot where Vysotsky gave his first big concert in what was then Kuibyshev in 1967.

History

The idea of a Vysotsky monument in Samara came up in the early 2000s. It was championed by Konstantin Titov, then governor of the Samara Region, and the project was designed by the artist and sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin. The poet's memorial foundation and the regional government backed the work, and the monument was paid for by the regional budget and private donors.

The site was chosen for a reason. On 29 November 1967, at the Air Force sports club's Palace of Sports on Molodogvardeyskaya Street, Vysotsky performed for the first time before an audience of thousands: the hall, built for about six thousand people, was packed. He had been invited to Kuibyshev by the city youth club GMK-62. According to the organisers' recollections, he was not told in advance how big the venue would be.

The building now bears Vladimir Vysotsky's name. While the palace was being rebuilt the monument was temporarily removed and later returned beside the new building. On 29 November 2024 a memorial plaque commemorating the 1967 concert was unveiled on the palace.

What to see

The monument stands about five metres high on a platform roughly five by five metres. It is a multi-figure composition: at the centre is Vysotsky with a guitar as Hamlet, his best-known stage role. Next to him is a woman with the face of Marina Vlady, his muse and wife, holding her memoir "Vladimir, or the Aborted Flight". On either side are a man in a cloak, the "black man" from Vysotsky's songs, and a jailer with a bunch of keys against a barred grille.

The bronze wall of the monument is reported to carry an engraved tribute to Konstantin Titov, who as a young Komsomol leader helped bring Vysotsky to Kuibyshev audiences.

Good to know

Samara marks the poet's birthday, 25 January, with memorial events. They are organised by the Vysotsky Centre in Samara foundation and the poet's museum: in January 2026, for what would have been his 88th birthday, the Masterskaya theatre hosted the evening "You're here again, you're all yourself!".

Getting there

The monument is outside the Palace of Sports at 222 Molodogvardeyskaya Street. The nearest public transport stop is Dvorets Sporta, about a hundred metres away; the Kinoteatr Volna stop is also close by. The area in front of the palace is open, so the monument can be seen at any time.