In Soviet times, on the shelves of any grocery store you could meet processed cheese "Friendship". The monument, which is located in Moscow, is dedicated to this particular brand of product. Built for the fortieth anniversary by the Karat factory, where it is manufactured, an unusual monument attracts the attention of local residents.
Description of the monument to processed cheese "Friendship"
In 2004, the owners of the plant came up with the idea to perpetuate this brand, because the date was planned - exactly 40 years have passed since the cheese was first released. It was decided to announce a competition for the best idea for the monument. Among the experts who selected the contestants were such famous people in the art world:
- Nikas Safronov;
- Valentin Yudashkin;
- Victor Shenderovich;
- Zurab Tsereteli.
Zurab really liked the idea of the monument, so he offered his vision of the sculpture. It consisted in the fact that on a gold pedestal there should be a large block of stone. Inside it, the sculptor suggested pouring a glass volumetric figure, on which the inscription "Friendship" should be. The monument to processed cheese was supposed to be short, so that people could easily touch it.
Contest winners
There were about 150 project options. Eventually, the jury made the final decision and named the winners. The authors of the monument to processed cheese "Friendship" in Moscow were such personalities:
- Marina Leskova;
- Shcherbakovs (father and son);
- Alexey Semenov.
The Krylov’s fable “Crow and Fox” inspired them to create the project. The characters of the work were enemies who constantly fought for a piece of cheese. However, they decided to interpret the fable in a new way. Crow and Fox were no longer competitors, they are sitting together on a stump, hugging, and in their hands settled cream cheese "Friendship". The monument was not cheap - in general, the costs amounted to about 500 thousand dollars.
In 2005, a holiday was planned for the second Moscow cheese festival. It took place on October 1. The creators of the project decided to celebrate this day with the opening of a new attraction.
The opening of the monument was successful. Many visitors came with their family. Moreover, there were even those who carried flowers to him. Which is not surprising, because this product evokes a lot of nostalgic memories.
Interesting information
The monument symbolizes the reconciliation of two enemy parties and the eternal friendship that is so difficult to find in our time.
But why exactly the processed cheese "Friendship"? For people who are not familiar with the Soviet era, this may seem strange. At that time it was the most budgetary, versatile and affordable food product. It was used as a snack and snack, and it was also an ingredient that was added to many more complex dishes. Therefore, it becomes clear why this creator wanted to perpetuate this product.
The sculpture was fond of Moscow newlyweds, therefore it is often included in their wedding itinerary. They do this not only for the sake of unusual photographs, but also so that their future family is strong and friendly. Apparently, the cheerful and kind heroes of the fable help in this. In addition, it happens that the leaders of Karat give the newlyweds a basket with their products. Therefore, it is not surprising that the monument is so popular among wedding processions.
Once the plant management planned to set up a square around the monument to Druzhba cream cheese, so that visitors could admire Krylov’s favorite characters in a relaxed atmosphere, but, unfortunately, this did not happen.
