In Irkutsk, the improvement of a new square within Gorky, Stepan Razin and Marat streets is nearing completion. Benches, trash bins, lawns and lighting are already in place, and shrubs and perennials will soon be planted. The main attraction will be a bronze cat sculpture, a symbol of comfort, warmth and financial well being. Before the square opens on September 25, a contest for the best name is also being held, and the winner will receive a valuable prize.

The improvement of the new recreation area within the boundaries of Gorky, Stepan Razin, and Marat streets is being carried out by the financial solutions bureau “Poydem!” The work is being done as part of an agreement signed between the Committee for Urban Planning Policy of the Irkutsk city administration and a commercial organization.
Partners in the project include the ISU Botanical Garden, the “Nikola Forged” smithy, and the “Krasnoyarsk Creative Workshops”
As Anna Niktoyenko, head of the Department of Architecture and Design of the Urban Environment of the Irkutsk city administration, said, the landscaping of the 1,200-square-meter square began last autumn. Tree pruning was carried out then, and landscaping began this year. Over the summer, benches and trash bins were installed in the square, electricity was supplied, and lawns were laid out. Here, according to the project architect Elena Faleychik, bushes of Amur and Hungarian lilac, viburnum, and perennials (irises, daylilies, goutweed) will be planted.
In the coming days, a sculpture of the main heroine of the new recreation area—a cat—will be installed. The domestic animal, Elena Faleychik says, is an attribute of the old city, a symbol of coziness, warmth, and financial well-being.
The bronze figure, 1.2 meters in size (one and a half times life size) and weighing 120 kg, was cast at the Krasnoyarsk Creative Workshops. Along with the cat, outdoor surveillance cameras will be installed in the square.
By September 25, when the square will be opened, the financial solutions bureau is holding a contest for the best name for the square. The winner will receive a valuable prize.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration