A very unique commemorative plaque from the Soviet Ukranian town of Dniprodzerzhynsk, now known by it's pre-Soviet name of Kamianske. This plaque was manufactured in 1986 to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of renaming Kamianske to Dniprodzerzhynsk in honor of Felix Dzerzhynsky's significant contribution of funds for the revitalization the town's steel industry. Around Dzerzhyznsky's portrait it reads: "The most noble knight of the proletarian revolution, F.E. Dzerzhinsky. The tireless builder of our heavy industry. Kamianske-Dneprodzerzhinsk 1936-1986" A fascimile of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour is present on the left side of the plaque, under which is a single laurel.
 
This bronze bas relief is mouned on a plastic form with a hanger attached for display which is exactly how it left the factory in 1986. Some damage is present to one of the corners where a very small section of brass has broken off - this is visible in photos. Excellent display size. 
 
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, nicknamed "Iron Felix", was a Bolshevik revolutionary and official, born into Polish nobility. From 1917 until his death in 1926, Dzerzhinsky led the first two Soviet state-security organizations, the Cheka and the OGPU, establishing a secret police for the post-revolutionary Soviet regime. He was one of the architects of the Red Terror and decossackization.
 
The first written evidence of settlement in the territory of Kamianske appeared in 1750. At that time the villages of Romankovo and Kamianske, which make up the modern city, formed a part of the Nova (New) Sich of the Zaporizhian cossacks. The city was known as Kamianske until 1936 when it was renamed to Dniprodzerzhynsk – the name honored the Dnieper River and the communist Felix Dzerzhynsky.