In the wonderful southern city of Krasnodar at the intersection of st. Red and st. The world is a humorous urban sculptural composition “Dogs in Love”. Its creation by sculptor Valery Pchelin was inspired by a poem by one of the most talented satirists of the 20th century, Vladimir Mayakovsky. This is the poem “Krasnodar”. Here, in 1926, Vladimir Mayakovsky successfully performed at the Mon Plaisir cinema, as well as at the club of the Pedagogical Institute. At one of his speeches, Mayakovsky said that he wrote a poem about Krasnodar, but did not read it.

Sculptural composition Dogs in love, from the history

A few months later, the poem was published in the magazine “Krasnaya Niva”. In this poem there were words that Krasnodar is “the dog’s capital”. The fact is that in Krasnodar there really were a lot of stray dogs running around – thoroughbred and mongrels, who lost their owners during this difficult time of the mid-20s of the XX century. They prevented him from sleeping at night, and at the station one of them bit him. There is a story about a local doctor’s St. Bernard who walked importantly around the city and went to shops, a pharmacy and other institutions. Currently, there are also many dogs in Krasnodar. Krasnodar people love and pamper them. Dogs feel great in this city.

The sculptural composition, made of bronze, depicts two smartly dressed dogs walking arm in arm. One of the dogs has an umbrella, the other holds a top hat. On the wall behind the pedestal of the composition are lines from the poem: “This is not the wilderness of a dog, but the dog’s capital” (1926, Vladimir Mayakovsky).

This sculptural composition was negatively perceived by Krasnodar historians and local historians, accusing it of kitsch. In the magazine “Russkiy Mir” (2009) “Sobachkina Stolitsa” entered the top of the strangest monuments in Russia. Valery Pchelin in one of his interviews explained the meaning of his creation: “These are prosperous, pacified Kuban burghers, an image of ourselves, cheerful inhabitants, pretty, contented, blossoming.” “Dogs in love” have become one of the symbols of the city and gained great popularity among the townspeople. Locals make dates here.