The Independence Monument is a

victory column A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned with a victory symbol, such as a ...

located on

Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti ( uk, Майдан Незалежності , literally "Independence Square") is the central square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchen ...

(Independence Square) in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

, commemorating the

independence of Ukraine The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine ( uk, Акт проголошення незалежності України, Akt proholoshennya nezalezhnosti Ukrayiny) was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR on 24 August 1991.

in 1991. Stylistically it presents a mix of

Ukrainian Baroque Ukrainian Baroque, or Cossack Baroque or Mazepa Baroque ( uk, Українське бароко або Козацьке бароко), is an architectural style that was widespread in the Ukrainian lands in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was th ...

and

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...

. The monument was built in a compositional center of the square to the 10th Anniversary of the independence of Ukraine in 2001. The monument itself is a column with a figurine of a woman ( Berehynia) with

guelder-rose ''Viburnum opulus'', the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. Description ''Viburnum opulus'' is a deciduous shr ...

branch in her hand. The height of the monument is . The column is faced with white Italian marble that stands on a pedestal in the form of a Christian temple of

and weighs 20 tonnes.

History

A monument to

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

formerly stood in the current position of the Independence Monument, which was dismantled in September 1991 after the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine on 24 August 1991. The reconstruction of

(Independence Square) began only in 2000, and a competition was held from 7–21 September 2001 to design a new monument. The organizers decided on three finalists and merged their proposals into a single structure, with commissioned as the sculptor who used as model for the Statue of Berehynia his daughter

Christina Katrakis Christina Katrakis is an International coordinator and curator, writer, artist, Ambassador for the Foundation for United Nations SDG, in charge of the Humanitarian Aid Base FFUNSDG-HELP.UA in Vorokhta, Ukraine as an Ambassador for Internationa ...

. The Independence Monument was inaugurated on 23 August 2001 by President

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma ( uk, Леоні́д Дани́лович Ку́чма; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. Kuchma's presidency saw numerous corru ...

to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. In December 2014, the chief architect of Kyiv, Sergey Tselovalnik, proposed replacing the monument with a new one commemorating the

Heavenly Hundred Heavenly may refer to: * Pertaining to Heaven Music Bands * Heavenly (British band), an English pop band * Heavenly (French band), a French heavy metal band Albums * ''Heavenly'' (Johnny Mathis album), 1959 * ''Heavenly'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel a ...

protestors killed during the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

. The monument was cleaned on 23 May 2019, which required the use of special equipment and cranes. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, the monument was included in a list of heritage sites to be fortified against shelling and bombing. It was removed from the list owing to cost concerns and its height making it difficult to defend.

Design

The Independence Monument consists of a triumphal column and statue at its apex. The total height of the monument is stated to be 61 or 62 metres. A

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

is contained within the column.

References

{{Khreschatyk History of Kyiv Maidan Nezalezhnosti Monuments and memorials in Kyiv Ukrainian independence movement Monumental columns in Ukraine Victory monuments Outdoor sculptures in Ukraine

History

Design

See also

References