Yekaterinburg Authorities Declare Installation of 'Last Address' Plaques Illegal

Yekaterinburg Authorities Declare the Installation of 'Last Address' Plaques Illegal

The Yekaterinburg administration issued new methodological recommendations stating that the “Last Address” plaques are being installed in violation of city rules.

🟠 What the Officials Objected To

The document, reviewed by the outlet Vechernie Vedomosti, says that the installation of the plaques is not coordinated with city hall. In addition, the authorities criticized their appearance: in the officials’ opinion, they are too small, hard to read, “overload” building facades, and disrupt their architectural appearance.

Although the recommendations themselves are not binding, the head of the city’s architecture department instructed staff to use them in their work.

It is still unknown whether the new document will affect plaques that have already been installed. However, in recent years the project has increasingly come under pressure. For example, last year the prosecutor’s office found that the installation of the memorial plaques violated the rights of the building’s residents.

🟠 The History of 'Last Address'

“Last Address” is a civic project in memory of the victims of political repression. Small metal plaques are installed on the houses where people lived who became victims of political repression during the years of Soviet rule. The first such plaques appeared in Yekaterinburg almost ten years ago, in August 2016. There are now 27 memorial markers installed in the city.

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'Last Address' plaques / Photo: Vechernie Vedomosti