Scary statue for sale! Much-derided monument to Russian girl put up for auction after local residents demand its removal

Always wanted to own a terrifying statue? Now you can! A monument designed for the western Russian town of Novovoronezh has been put up for sale after locals demanded ‘Alyonka’ be taken down. It stood for just three days.

The unnerving 'work of art' has been listed at a starting price of 1 million rubles ($13,600), with an auction to be held next month.

According to Vladimir Pilipenko, the owner of the much-maligned sculpture, some of the proceeds will be donated to a good cause.

“The goal is for Alyonka to find a worthy home,” he told TASS. “An agreement was signed that most of the proceeds from the auction will be directed to charity, to children living in Voronezh.”

The statue was created for the 250th anniversary of Novaya Alyonovka, a part of Novovoronezh, about 500km south of Moscow. According to local legend, a girl named Alyonka was looking for a place to live. She found a beautiful spot on the bank of the stream, founding the settlement. The girl was later killed by a robber, and soon afterwards, the village was named after her – Novaya Alyonovka. Nowadays, it has been absorbed into the local town.

But how much will Alyonka eventually be sold for? According to Pavel Zhirunov, the head of the Russian Auction House’s Moscow office, chances are it might do quite well.

“The creators of Alyonka were lucky. Their work has already caused a reaction, public discussion, and general interest,” he said. “Internet users have already made it a symbol of the pandemic era. These are excellent prerequisites for a successful auction.”

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!