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15. Monument to the Conquerors of Space
Such was the Russian confidence in their dominance of the space race that they had started to plan this 350-foot high monument a good three years before Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 orbit of the earth, with construction of the thrusting titanium structure eventually completed in 1964. Topped with a rocket, the stone foundation from which it soars features relief images of cosmonauts and scientists hard at work on expanding Russian knowledge of space; for more insights into how Russia’s relationship with the heavens progressed, head to the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, which is also on site and offers interactive and educational displays.
