An expert panel in the Russian city of Smolensk has refused to recognize the sculpture of a deer in one of the city's parks as a protected monument on the grounds that it was created in 20th-century Germany, which is deemed to have been a "hostile" country. A decision signed by Vitaly Kazepin, the panel head, said that protecting "a sculpture created in a hostile country that destroyed some of Russia's historical monuments would be unfair to other monuments." The sculpture, titled Deer, was created in 1910 by German artist Richard Friese and was brought to Smolensk at the end of World War II. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Russian City Refuses Protected Monument Status For Sculpture Made In 'Hostile' Germany
The Deer sculpture in a Smolensk park by German artist Richard Friese