The 850th Anniversary Stele of Grodno

On the southwestern edge of the park stands the monument “Grodno – 850 Years.”

The stele was installed in 1978 to commemorate the first known mention of the city in historical chronicles.

Traditionally, the history of Grodno is traced back to 1128, when the Grodno prince Vsevolod participated in a campaign against the Principality of Polotsk. Modern research suggests that the city may actually be one year older, but the date 1127 has never become widely accepted.

The monument consists of two 31-meter-high columns connected at the top by a stained-glass element.

In niches at the base of the columns stand figures of a warrior and a young woman holding a traditional embroidered towel, or rushnik.

In the 1980s, amusement rides once stood near this monument, although today they survive only in old photographs.