The capital of Ukraine, the city of Kiev, invites its guests to see many interesting monuments. The Peoples' Friendship Arch is one of them. This is a pretty impressive monument of the Soviet era, the attitude to which the people of Kiev is very ambiguous.
Khreshchaty Park - the green heart of the capital
This green pearl is located in the central part of Kiev, on the picturesque slopes of the Dnieper. Initially (before the revolution of 1917 ) the garden was called Merchants, and under Soviet rule - Pioneer.
Today, Khreshchaty Park covers an area of 12 hectares. He retained his layout from the first third of the 19th century. In this park there are several famous institutions and attractions, including the Water Museum, the Academic Puppet Theater, and the National Philharmonic. The arch of Friendship of Peoples (Kiev) is also located here. You can see the photos of this famous monument below.
The monument is viewed from different parts of the city and is the dominant feature of the right bank of Kiev.
Peoples' Friendship Arch: how to get there?
Finding a monument is not difficult. Right in the center of Kiev is the arch of Friendship of Peoples. The address of the structure is as follows: Vladimirsky descent, 2.
How to get to the arch? To do this, you need to get to the Independence Square metro station, and then walk to the European Square (several hundred meters to the north). After this, you need to enter the Khreshchaty Park, in the depths of which there is a wide area with a monument.
Near the Arch there is an observation deck - a grandiose amphitheater, which offers a wonderful view of Kiev: Podil, Trukhanov Island and the Left Bank.
A little bit about Pereyaslav Rada
The installation of this monument is closely connected with one important event in the history of Ukraine - the so-called Pereyaslav Rada.
As you know, in 1648, the People's Liberation War began under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Within five years, the hetman managed to rescue most of modern Ukraine from Polish oppression. However, the newly formed territory was sandwiched between three powerful states of that time - the Ottoman Empire, the Commonwealth and Muscovy. Bogdan Khmelnitsky was forced to enter into an alliance with one of them. And he chose the last option.
In 1654, in Pereyaslav (now the city of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky), a meeting of two negotiation groups, Ukrainian and Moscow, took place. Evaluation of the results of this meeting still causes a lot of discussion among historians. Indeed, on the one hand, Ukraine was able to secede from Poland, but on the other hand, it gradually lost its autonomy, finally falling under the influence of the Russian Empire.
Friendship of Peoples Arch: Monument History
It is curious that today it is impossible to find in the documents the exact date of the official opening of the monument. The Friendship of Peoples Arch in Kiev was built in 1982. It is believed that this event was dedicated to the celebration of the 1500th anniversary of the city. At the opening ceremony of the monument, Vladimir Shcherbitsky himself, the head of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR at that time, spoke.
Work on this gigantic complex lasted about four years! The Peoples' Friendship Arch was opened in the fall, on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution, and immediately became a very popular place with people of Kiev and guests of the capital.
The structure and symbolism of the monument
The main element of the gigantic composition is the monument, which consists of two sculptures of workers - the Russian and the Ukrainian, who are holding the Order of Friendship of Peoples. It is made of bronze and a titanium alloy designed by Alexander Skoblikov. The height of this monument is 6.2 meters. It symbolizes the fact of the reunification of Ukraine and Russia.
Nearby is a stele with a multi-figured composition, carved in a block of pink granite. It is dedicated, in fact, to the events of the Pereyaslavl Council of 1654. The stele depicts the Ukrainian hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, the Russian ambassador Vasily Buturlin, as well as other participants in the negotiation process.
Two sculptural compositions are connected by a huge arch, symbolizing the unity of two Slavic peoples. Its height is 30 meters and its length is 70 meters.
It is interesting that the architect A. Skoblikov, who worked on the sculptural composition of the Arch, is also the author of the memorial complex of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev.
One fascinating legend is also associated with the Kiev arch of Friendship of Peoples, according to which the structure actually has a rounded shape. The lower part (arc) of the entire structure is supposedly hidden under the ground of the Dnieper slopes.
Friendship Arch today
Of course, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this monument lost its original meaning and relevance. And after the aggravation of Russian-Ukrainian relations in 2014, many Kievites even began to react negatively to it.
So, the letters of the inscription “To commemorate the reunification of Ukraine with Russia” disappeared from the pedestal of the sculptural monument. However, the inscription, as it turned out, was well read without them. Therefore, soon it was painted with yellow-blue paint and covered with the words "Glory to Ukraine!" In addition , the vandals recently repulsed the nose to the sculpture of Vasily Buturlin.
In the spring of 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced the possibility of dismantling the Arch. However, as the minister clarified, the solution to this issue lies exclusively with the Kiev authorities.
But in spite of everything, the arch of Friendship of Peoples continues to be a rather popular object on the map of Kiev. Foreign tourists do not bypass this monument. The Friendship Arch is especially beautiful in the evening, when it is highlighted with all the colors of the rainbow.