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The Joy of Work — is a mosaic-style stele panorama located at the former Sports Palace of Volgar in the automotive factory of Tolyatti.

Work on the monumental panorama "The Joy of Work" began in 1977, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the USSR. The work was completed in 1981. The total area of the mosaic panorama is 530 square meters. The length of the panorama is 100 meters, the height is 5 meters, and the width is 3 meters.

The author of the panorama was the monumental artist Jurij Koroljow. The project was funded by the Volga Automobile Plant.

For the creation of the mosaic panorama, Smalt (coloured opaque glass) was specially melted in various cities of the Soviet Union and transported to Tolyatti. It is said that the mosaic of the panorama contains Smalt in more than a hundred shades, including four different shades of black. More than three and a half million individual mosaic elements were needed to create the panorama.

The motifs depicted in the panorama (a total of 16) are dedicated to the achievements of the Soviet Union, starting with the revolution, the founding of the Red Army, the elimination of illiteracy, the victory in World War II, the conquest of space, as well as the construction of the city of Tolyatti and the Volga Automobile Plant.

In recent years, the stele panorama "The Joy of Work" and the adjacent area have been in a neglected state, and a significant part of the mosaic has been lost.

But thanks to the specialists from the Mosaic Centre of Tolyatti State University (TSU), the lost fragments have been restored.

You can read about the history of the city of Tolyatti here.

📍 The coordinates of the location (map point) available here

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