The Russian monument in Sofia

The Russian Monument in Sofia was the first monument erected in the newly liberated Bulgarian capital and was unveiled on June 29, 1882. It stands on the road along which Osman Nuri Pasha fled from the Russian troops in December 1877. Russian citizens funded the monument, while the architectural design is thought to be the work of either Vokar or Vladimir Sherwood. The obelisk consists of a rectangular pyramid with a truncated top set on a three-tier base. On the east side, a marble relief bearing the Russian coat of arms and the Order of St. George, along with an inscription honoring Alexander II, adorns the structure. Today the monument forms the centerpiece of a busy traffic circle at the intersection of Skobelev and Totleben boulevards, close to Macedonia Square and the Pirogov Hospital.