Sculpture Composition “Ruslan Capturing Chernomor”

The marble-tiled fountain at the center of Dnestrovsk’s central square appeared in 1979, following the celebration of the town’s 18th anniversary, designed by engineers from the Moldova HPP design bureau. For a decade, the fountain stood as a pleasant but purely decorative feature of the square.

The transformation came when G.P. Chior, chairman of the Dnestrovsk Council, approached Odessa sculptor S.A. Fomin with a proposal to add a sculptural composition with a fairy tale theme that would bring greater artistic character to the square. Fomin turned to the classic poem by Alexander Pushkin — “Ruslan and Lyudmila” — for his inspiration, presenting a sketch of the composition “Ruslan Capturing Chernomor.” The sculptor chose the existing fountain as the ideal setting for the new monument, and the choice proved inspired: according to the author’s concept, the water of the fountain washes over Chernomor’s legendary beard, symbolically “washing away” the dark thoughts and villainous intentions of this famous literary antagonist — a playful and poetic use of the fountain’s flowing water as an integral element of the sculptural narrative.

Location: Central square, Dnestrovsk