Monument to Nikolai Fedorovich Yakovchenko

Opposite the Ivan Frank Theatre, a bronze man sits on a bench with a pensive, distant-looking look. There's a dachshund around his legs. Such was the Ukrainian comedy actor Nikolai Fedorovich Yakovchenko during his lifetime. And the dog is his faithful dog named Fan-fan. She visited the Franko Theatre every day, where the actor worked since 1928. Once, a dachshund was hit by a car and Nikolai Fedorovich was very grieving without his friend. After that, he planned to put a monument to his pet, but did not manage to fulfill his dream during his lifetime. For him, it was done by architect Vladimir Cherelik, who created a monument to Yakovchenko. The architect decided to capture the actor in his favorite place, on a bench near the fountain in the square opposite the theater, and next to place a figure of his dachshund. The opening of the monument took place in 2000, in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nikolai Fedorovich.

Nikolai Fedorovich Yakovchenko is known in cinema for such roles as Prokop (father of Proni) in the film “For Two Rabbits”, Patsyuk in the film “Evenings at a Farm near Dikanka”, Lopata in the film “Queen of a Gas Station”, etc.