The £135,000 sculpture was designed by the Scottish artist David Annand. Two figures stand on a stainless steel hexagonal pedestal, the sides of which bear the names of the six towns.
City residents were asked to choose between four designs for the sculpture, with city council and museum staff making the final decision between the two most popular.
The city council also ran a competition to find a poem which would be written on the sculpture. The winning entry was a two-line poem written by Penkhull musician David Vickers.
His poem reads:
"Salute with light, our city's year;
a century embracing.
Reflect with pride, our city's skills,
from earth to table gracing."
The words are etched on the underside of the plate held by the male figure.
