Plain This table medal was likely issued as a commemorative keepsake for dignitaries, foreign visitors, and notable guests to Zvyozdny Gorodok (“Star City”), the training base for Soviet and later Russian cosmonauts. Star City held—and continues
Period
Soviet Union (1922-1991)
Notice
Reference(s)
Obverse description
The obverse presents a left-facing, high-relief bust of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, rendered with remarkable sculptural precision, capturing the clean-cut, almost idealized physiognomy emblematic of Soviet-era portraiture. The hair is stylized with subtle incised detailing, and the expression conveys calm determination—an intentional iconographic choice linking Gagarin’s visage to Soviet virtues of courage, composure, and patriotic service.
Obverse lettering
ЮРИЙ ГАГАРИН (Translation: `Yuri Gagarin`)
Obverse script
Cyrillic
Reverse description
A minimalist depiction of a stylized orbital path terminating in a star suggests spaceflight, while below, a single five-pointed star is anchored by a vertical line, symbolically representing the ascent from Earth to the cosmos. The reverse’s uncluttered field and crisp lettering evoke the Soviet design ethos of functional clarity and ideological directness.
Reverse lettering
В ПАМЯТЬ
О ПОСЕЩЕНИИ
ЗВЕЗДНОГО
ГОРОДКА (Translation: “In memory of visiting Star City”)
