Freedom Square () in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, is the 8th largest city-centre square in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. On 1 March 2022, during the battle of Kharkiv in the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the square and the surroundings were hit by Russian missiles.

Names

Originally named Veterinarnaya square, its name was changed to Maidan Dzerzhynskoho () in 1926, following the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

takeover of the city. This name refers to

Felix Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (; ; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed Iron Felix (), was a Soviet revolutionary and politician of Polish origin. From 1917 until his death in 1926, he led the first two Soviet secret police organizations, the Cheka a ...

, the founder of the Bolshevik secret police (the

Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə, links=yes), ...

, precursor to the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

). It is depicted on maps of Kharkiv of 1938. During the brief German occupation the name of the square changed twice: in 1942 the square was named German Army Square, and in 1943 Leibstandarte SS Square. After the independence of Ukraine it was renamed Freedom Square.

Location

The main part of the square is bordered to the west by the site of a removed statue of Lenin, to the east by

Sumska Street Sumska Street (, ) is the main street of Kharkiv, Ukraine. It stretches through the centre of the city from the Constitution Square to Bilhorodske shose (Bilhorod highway). The street also serves as an administrative line between Kyivskyi and ...

, to the north by the Hotel Kharkiv and to the south by . It is approximately long and wide. The area of the complete square is approximately .

Landmarks

A notable landmark of the square is the Derzhprom building, a prime example of

constructivist architecture Constructivist architecture was a constructivism (art), constructivist style of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. Abstract and austere, the movement aimed to reflect modern industrial society a ...

. The other two major buildings are the

House of Projects The House of Projects (, ) is a building located on Freedom Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is one of the three major buildings of the square together with Derzhprom (House of State Industry) and the House of Cooperation. Construction history ...

and the House of Cooperation, which were originally constructivist but later reconstructed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the Stalinist style. The Kharkiv regional state administration is situated at one end of the square. A monumental statue of

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

was erected in 1964 and was torn down by protesters on 28 September 2014. In August 2016, pavers were laid on the site where the statue of Lenin stood. A new fountain on the site of the former statue was opened on 23 August 2020.A new attraction has appeared in Kharkiv (photo, video, updated)
Gorod.X (24 August 2020)

My Kharkiv (18 April 2020)

My Kharkiv (17 August 2020) In 2019, the reconstruction of the Round Square, located in the northwestern part of the square, began. It is planned to reconstruct all the paths, install benches, upgrade lighting, plant trees, and install a dry fountain. The work is expected to be completed by the city's day on August 23, 2019. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 1, 2022, the square was attacked by Russian Kalibr missiles. The explosion severely damaged the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building and nearby buildings.

Usage

Protests and rallies

In 2014, the square was the site of demonstrations by pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists in Kharkiv. The issue was the statue of Lenin, which was fiercely defended by pro-Russian demonstrators against pro-Ukrainian activists' attempts to dismantle it.

Other events and recreational activities

Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * ...

kicked off their Rock the Cosmos Tour at Freedom Square on 12 September 2008 & gathered 350,000 audience members, the show was recorded for a DVD release, entitled '' Live in Ukraine'', which was released on 15 June 2009.

Victory Parades

From 2010 to 2013, it hosted an annual

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

in honor of

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

with the participation of the troops of the Kharkiv Garrison, military academies located in Kharkiv and troops from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Gallery

File:Kharkov Freedom Square.jpg, Freedom Square, Kharkiv in 2003, showing half of the square area (only the circular neighbouring park on the north-western edge). The square proper begins at the large statue of Lenin (this statue has since been removed). This statue of Lenin is seen in the lower right corner, casting a long shadow which points into the square. File:Destructed Lenin monument Kharkiv 3.JPG, The vacant plinth where the statue of Lenin stood before it was pulled down on the night of 28 September 2014. File:KharkovDzerghinskySquareNewYearNight.JPG, New Year, 2009 File:Kharkov Dzerzhinsky Square (1943).jpg, The square, then called Dzerzhinsky Square, in 1943

References

External links

Freedom Square events

Kharkiv Square Webcam
{{Coord, 50, 00, 16, N, 36, 14, 00, E, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Kharkiv Squares in Ukraine Buildings and structures completed in 1926 Tourist attractions in Kharkiv Oblast Shevchenkivskyi District (Kharkiv)