Contralto of Florina

At the entrance of the city, you are welcomed by a bear playing the double bass: Florina’s “Kontralto,” crafted from scrap metal, sheet iron, and steel plates. This striking sculpture, created by local artist Giorgos Bardakas as part of his graduation project at the School of Fine and Applied Arts, was immediately donated to the Municipality of Florina. Kontralto is more than an artistic symbol; it is a tribute to independence and resilience—a bear that, without a master, plays its own double bass, finding rhythm within a barren city, as the artist himself describes it. With its strength and gentleness, it has become the city’s unofficial landmark, a metaphor for Florina’s spirit, which remains creative, proud, and deeply human.