The monument to Colonel Kelin and the defenders of Poltava - one of the main attractions of the city - is located on Pervomaisky (formerly Kelinsky) Avenue, where in 1709 the fortress wall with the Mazurov Gates passed and fierce battles with the Swedish army took place. The three-month defense of the city was led by the commandant of the fortress, Colonel A.S. Kelin.
The monument was opened on June 27, 1909 - on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II. The monument, 8.8 meters high, is a granite obelisk depicting the old coat of arms of Poltava, with a bronze figure of a lion on a pedestal. Initially, the obelisk was crowned with a bronze double-headed eagle, which was removed after the establishment of Soviet power in Poltava. During the Nazi occupation of 1941-1943. all the bronze parts: the figure of a lion, boards with inscriptions, the coat of arms, metal balls-cores of the posts of the chain fence were taken to Germany. During the restoration of the monument in 1949, all the details, except for the eagle, were cast anew, the balls on the fence posts were replaced with granite ones. The plate on the front side of the monument reads: "Monument to the commandant of Poltava Colonel Kelin and the glorious defenders of the city in 1709."