Penza, 18 April 2014. PenzaNews. Concerned residents of Penza washed the sculptural composition “First Settler” on the International Day of Monuments and Historical Sites celebrated on Friday, April 18.

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The action was attended by about 20 people.

They also swept the area and cleared the nearby metal fences of debris that accumulated over the winter.

Similar events were held throughout the city.

As the deputy head of culture and archive of the Penza region Kirill Zastrozhnov told news agency “PenzaNews,” around half of 200 monuments included in the protection register are planned to be cleaned up as a part of the action.

According to him, seven years ago, when such activities were just beginning to take place in the region, the monuments were in a deplorable state, but over the years great work has been done.

“We should not be indifferent, because monuments keep our history,” Kirill Zastrozhnov said.

He also added that everyone is able to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage.

“One can remove debris, dig up the lawn or simply call us and inform about existing problems,” the agency interlocutor said.