Скульптура "У слона", Public sculpture in Samara, Russia
U Slona is a sculptural ensemble on Moskovskoye Shosse, opposite the Fregat shopping centre and beside the Botanical Garden. It comprises five bronze figures installed in 2010: an elephant, a telephone, a crocodile, a monkey and gazelles. All are made in Art Nouveau style and carry Megafon's corporate colours and logo.
The ensemble was created in 2010 under Megafon's "Megafon Gives a Legend" project. The elephant and telephone were unveiled on 17 June 2010, followed by the crocodile on 23 July, the monkey on 10 September and the gazelles on 15 October. On 17 April 2011 a naming contest gave the group its title "U Slona". In 2012 the gazelles were removed amid a land-lease dispute and reinstalled on 18 November after the rights passed back to Megafon.
The ensemble's name comes from a 2011 contest, "Nazovi legendu", held by Megafon and Komsomolskaya Pravda Samara. Each figure has its own invented legend, and the sculptures carry Megafon's corporate colours and logo. The gazelles were dismantled on 29 October 2012 after a lease dispute and returned to their place on 18 November.
The bronze figures stand on Moskovskoye Shosse opposite the Fregat shopping centre, beside the Botanical Garden. They are outdoors on an open plot and can be viewed at any hour. The gazelles were removed on 29 October 2012 and returned to the same spot on 18 November after restoration.
The gazelle sculptures were removed on 29 October 2012 after a land-lease dispute, when Megafon refused the new tenant's rent of over 1 million rubles a month; they were reinstalled on 18 November after the lease rights were transferred back to the company.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,659 contributors worldwide.