“Vladvystoskij asteroid” Medal at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

On Wednesday 5th July at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Jurij Kajda and Jānis Strupulis, representatives of the Latvian “Goblet of peace” association (Čaša mira” in Russian, “Miera kauss” in Latvian), met with Professor Silvia Burini, director of the Centre of Russian Arts Studies (CSAR).

The CSAR was awarded with a symbol dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Vysotskij, legendary Russian poet, actor and singer-songwriter whose iconic ballads were a special favorite of Russian astronauts on the soviet space station and whose name was given to the 2374 Vladvysotskij asteroid.

The 77mm x 77mm bronze medal featuring an image of the asteroid, was created by Latvian sculptor Jānis Strupulis, molded in plasticine by astronomer Ljudmila Žuravlëva who first discovered the asteroid and dedicated it to Vysockij among the over 200 asteroids she discovered between 1972 and 1992, including 1858 Lobachevskij, 1859 Kovalevskaya, 1909 Alekhin, 1959 Karbyshev, 2562 Chaliapinil 2576 Yesenin, 2720 Pyotr Pervyj, 3214 Makarenko. 

Vladvysotskij medals are currently on show at the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden, at the Public History Museum and the Memorial Museum of Space Exploration in Moscow and in the museum dedicated to Vysotskij at his home in the Taganka neighborhood of Moscow.

This ceremony was part of the “Vladimir Vysockij and our contemporaries in time and space” peace project supported by famous astronauts from the countries of  Poland, Russia, Germany and the Czech republic and dedicated to the anniversary of Vladimir Vysockij.

The Russian embassy in Italy contributed to the organization of the event in Venice.