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 heroic commemoration, including victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned ...

located on

Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti (, ) or Independence Square is the central town square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchenko Raion. The square contains the iconic Ind ...

(Independence Square) in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, commemorating the

independence of Ukraine The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (''Verkhovna Rada'') on 24 August 1991.Ukrainian Baroque Ukrainian Baroque (), also known as Cossack Baroque () or Mazepa Baroque, is an style (visual arts), artistic style that was widespread in Ukraine in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the result of a combination of local traditions and Europea ...

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 duri ...

. The monument was built in the center of the square for the 10th anniversary of the independence in 2001. The monument itself is a column with a figurine of a woman ( Berehynia) with guelder-rose 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.

History

A monument to

Vladimir 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 ...

formerly stood in the current position of the Independence Monument, which was dismantled in September 1991 after the

Declaration of Independence of Ukraine The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (''Verkhovna Rada'') on 24 August 1991.Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti (, ) or Independence Square is the central town square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchenko Raion. The square contains the iconic Ind ...

(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, and his daughter Christina Katrakis served as model for the Statue of Berehynia. The Independence Monument was inaugurated on 23 August 2001 by President

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (, ; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine, serving from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. The only president of Ukraine to serve two terms, his presidency was marked by demo ...

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 protestors killed during the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

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

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 Kyiv

History

Design

See also

References