The Twelve Chairs monument in Odesa, Bronze monument on Derybasivska Street, Ukraine
The Twelve Chairs monument is a bronze sculpture group set in the City Garden along Derybasivska Street in Odesa, Ukraine. The figures depict scenes from the satirical novel of the same name and are arranged so that passersby can walk right up to them.
The sculpture group was installed in 1999 as a tribute to the satirical novel "The Twelve Chairs" published by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov in 1928. Odesa itself plays a notable role in the novel, which made this city a fitting home for the monument.
The figures come from a novel that became a beloved book across the Soviet world, and many visitors recognize the characters from childhood reading. People often stop to pose beside the bronze figures as if greeting old friends.
The monument stands inside the City Garden, which is freely accessible throughout the day and easy to reach on foot from the center of Odesa. Since it sits on a busy pedestrian street, early morning is the quietest time if you want to photograph the figures without crowds.
One of the novel's authors, Ilya Ilf, was born in Odesa, giving the monument a personal connection to the city beyond the story itself. The city has long been linked to the style of humor running through the book, and locals often speak of that connection with pride.
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