Yaroslav the Wise, Bronze memorial near Volga River in Yaroslavl, Russia

Yaroslav the Wise is a dark bronze statue of a standing prince in a long cloak, holding a sword upright before him, on a tall pedestal of grey speckled stone. The pedestal's front bears a small plaque with a Cyrillic inscription, and below it a square relief of a bear carrying a pole with a crescent-shaped head. The monument stands on Bogoyavlenskaya Square in central Yaroslavl, facing arrivals from the Moscow direction.

The ruler depicted here founded the city in 1010 and later ruled as Grand Prince of Kievan Rus. His reign from 1019 to 1054 marked a period of expansion and influence in medieval Eastern Europe.

The statue follows a later icon-painting canon: Yaroslav wears a neat beard like Christ, not the older Varangian look with short hair and long moustache. The pedestal reliefs show the city coat of arms, his fight with a she-bear, and the prince at work. Wedding processions visit the monument and Bogoyavlenskaya Square.

The statue stands on Bogoyavlenskaya Square in the city centre, facing traffic arriving from the Moscow direction, so it is reached on foot from the centre rather than from the river. The square is also a stop for wedding processions, which can crowd it at weekends.

The pedestal reliefs show the city's coat of arms, Yaroslav's fight with a she-bear, and the prince at work with a book or law text. The sword hangs lowered, a sign of his peaceful policy. The statue faces travellers arriving from Moscow, and wedding parties stop here.