OREANDA-NEWS. 47 bridges have been offered by Russians as symbols for new Bank of Russia banknotes from 28 June to 12 July within a campaign on a dedicated website (Твоя-Россия.рф). Two bridges – the Golden Bridge in Vladivostok and the Bugrinsky Bridge in Novosibirsk -- have already collected 5,000 votes each and appeared on the interactive map. Also, the voters actively support the bridge across the Volga in Saratov, the bridge to Russky island in Vladivostok, the Lovers’ Bridge in Tyumen, the Starovolzhsky Bridge in Tver, the pedestrian bridge across the Ural river in Orenburg, the Kerchensky bridge under construction in the Crimea, the Oktyabrsky Bridge in Cherepovets, the Muromsky Bridge across the Oka river, and the Millennium Bridge in Kazan.

Most different monuments and memorials collected 5,000 votes on a website (Твоя-Россия.рф) to qualify. The town Kremlin and fortress are the most popular symbols among those offered by the people from old Russian cities (including the Golden Gates in Vladimir which used to be a part of the defensive earthworks).

Kazan turned out to be the first city which managed to get three symbols to qualify. Users voted in favour of the Kremlin, the Kul Sharif Mosque, and the Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University. As of July 8, citizens from 970 Russian cities out of 1,113 took vote on a dedicated website (Твоя-Россия.рф).

From 28 June to 12 July, 559,732 people took vote to select symbols for new Bank of Russia banknotes on (Твоя-Россия.рф) website. 483,926 people used social networks to vote, and 75,806 users sent SMS messages. They offered 4,112 symbols with 20 of them from 16 cities already passed the minimal threshold of 5,000 votes and thus qualified.

By 12 July, symbols of the greater part of Russian cities have been offered (1,012 out of 1,113).

According to the competition rules, a symbol shall collect 5,000 votes to qualify. This is how the interactive map looks like now (in order of appearance):

1. Motherland Calls Monument (Volgograd);

2. Golden Bridge (Vladivostok);

3. Monument to the Scuttled Ships (Sevastopol);

4. Citadel of Naryn-Kala (Derbent);

5. Monument to Salavat Yulaev (Ufa);

6. Lake of Baikal (with reference to Irkutsk);

7. Heart of Chechnya Mosque (Grozny);

8. Vostochny launching site (with reference to the city of Tsiolkovsky);

9. Kremlin (Kazan);

10. Monument to the Defenders of the Russian Arctic during the Great Patriotic War (Murmansk);

11. Bugrinsky Bridge (Novosibirsk);

12. Defensive Wall (Smolensk);

13. Novosibirsk State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Novosibirsk);

14. Monument to the Conquerors of Samotlor (Nizhnevartovsk);

15. Golden Gates (Vladimir);

16. Kul Sharif Mosque (Kazan);

17. Holy Assumption Cathedral (Smolensk);

18. Kremlin (Nizhny Novgorod);

19. Rosa Khutor Resort (Sochi);

20. Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (Kazan).

The all-Russian selection of symbols for new 200 and 2000 ruble banknotes was initiated by the Bank of Russia. Never before the Russians could offer and select symbols for new banknotes by themselves. The competition will be a three-step procedure with 7 October 2016 being its final day when the winners will be announced.