Mikhail Lermontov Gardens are located in between Ulitsa Karla Marksa and Ulitsa Lermontova on what is known as Sovetskaya Ploschad (Soviet Square).  The gardens are located in the south of the square and of course feature a bust of the great Russian writer.

Saviour Cathedral and Eparchial Administration

Originally the square was called Sobornaya Ploschad (Cathedral Square) as the Saviour Cathedral was located here until it was blown up by the Soviets in 1934.  Work begun on rebuilding the cathedral in 2011.  The admistrative building for the Penza Eparchy survived the Soviet period in tact and are located in the north-west of the square.  The building includes St Innocent of Penza's Church. 

Fighters for the Revolution Monument

In 1928 a monument was installed on Sovetskaya Ploschad dedicated to the red army soldiers and civilians who died defending Penza from the White Army and Czechoslovakian Legion Uprising in 1918. It is located on the site of a mass grave where the revolutionaries are buried and depicts a soldier, a worker and a peasant standing around a communist banner.

Glory to Heroes Monument

Also found on the square is a simple  monument entitled Glory to Heroes which was unveiled in 1970 on the 25th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.  The monument resembles an open book and is inscribed with the names of citizens from Penza who were decorated with various medals for heroism.

Karl Marx Monument

Another monument on Sovetskaya Ploschad it the one of Karl Marx. In April 1918 what is believed to be the world's first monument of Marx was put up.  It only lasted 10 days as it was made out of clay.  A more permanent one was erected in 1960 on where the Saviour Cathedral's altar was once located.  In 2011 the monument was moved, supposedly temporarily, to make way for the reconstruction of the cathedral.

Yemelian Pugachev Memorial Stone

In 1774 Pugachev and his army of Cossack and peasant rebels were welcomed into Penza and this event is commemorated in the Yemelyan Pugachev Memorial Stone on the north-east of the square which contains a metal relief depicting Penza's role in the dramatic events of the so-called Peasants War. According to legend the stone is placed on the site of the building where Pugachev stayed.