Around Ulitsa Sovetskaya

Levsha Monument

Levsha Monument (March 2014)

This interesting monument was unveiled in 2007 and depicts the hero of Nikolai Leskov's The Tale of Cross-Eyed Levsha from Tula and the Steel Flea. In this story Levsha (meaning left-handed) is one of the gunsmiths ordered by Emperor Nicholas I to create something more impressive that a clockwork steel flea made by the British. At first the Emperor is not impressed with the results, thinking that they have broken the flea as it now dances differently. However Levsha explains to him that in fact what they have done is put horse shoes on each foot.

Location Ulitsa Sovetskaya (just before bridge across the Ula)