Many interesting monuments offerTo visit our guests the capital of Ukraine - the city of Kiev. The Arch of Friendship of Nations is one of them. This is quite an impressive monument of the Soviet era, the attitude to which Kiev residents are very ambiguous.
Kreschaty 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 the Merchants' Garden, and under the Soviet regime it was called the Pioneer Garden.
Today Kreshchaty Park covers an area of 12hectares. He retained his layout from the first third of the XIX century. In this park there are several famous institutions and attractions, in particular the water museum, the Academic Puppet Theater, the National Philharmonic Hall. Here is the arch of Friendship of Peoples (Kiev). Photos of this famous monument you can see below.
The monument is viewed from different parts of the city and is the dominant of the right bank of Kiev.
Arch of Friendship of Peoples: how to get there?
Find a monument is a snap. Right in the center of Kiev is the arch of Friendship of Peoples. The address of the building is as follows: descent Vladimirsky, 2
How to get to the Arch?To do this, you need to get to the metro station "Independence Square", and then walk on foot to the European Square (a few hundred meters to the north). After that, you need to enter the Kreshchaty Park, in the depth of which is a wide square with a monument.
Near the Arch there is an observation deck - a grand amphitheater, which offers a wonderful view of Kiev: on Podol, Trukhanov Island and the Left Bank.
A bit about Pereyaslavskaya 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 in Ukraine beganPeople's Liberation War led by Bogdan Khmelnitsky. For five years, the hetman managed to get most of today's Ukraine out of the Polish yoke. However, the newly formed territory was caught between the three powerful states of the 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 cityPereyaslav-Khmelnitsky) a meeting of two negotiating groups, Ukrainian and Moscow. Evaluation of the results of this meeting still causes a lot of debate among historians. After all, 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.
Arch of Friendship of Peoples: the history of the monument
It is curious that today it is impossible to find indocuments the exact date of the official opening of the monument. The Arch of Friendship of Peoples in Kiev was built in 1982. It is believed that this event was timed to the celebration of the 1500th anniversary of the city. At the opening ceremony of the monument, Vladimir Scherbitsky himself spoke - the head of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR at that time.
Work on this gigantic complexlasted about four years! The Arch of Friendship of Peoples was opened in autumn, on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution, and immediately became a very popular place among Kiev residents and guests of the capital.
The structure and symbolism of the monument
The main element of the giant composition isa monument consisting of two sculptures of workers - a Russian and a Ukrainian, who hold in their hands the Order of Friendship of Peoples. It is made of bronze and 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-figurecomposition, carved into a block of pink granite. It is dedicated, in fact, to the events of Pereyaslav Rada of 1654. The stela 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.
Interestingly, 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.
The Kyiv arch of Friendship of Peoples is also connectedone fascinating legend, according to which the building actually has a rounded shape. The lower part (arc) of the whole structure is supposedly hidden under the ground of the Dnieper slopes.
Friendship Arch today
Разумеется, после распада Советского Союза этот The monument has lost its original meaning and relevance. And after the aggravation of the Russian-Ukrainian relations in 2014, many people of Kiev began to treat it negatively at all.
So, from the pedestal of the sculpture monument disappearedletters of the inscription "To commemorate the reunification of Ukraine with Russia." However, the inscription, as it turned out, was well read without them. Therefore, it was soon painted in yellow-blue paint and covered with the words “Glory to Ukraine!”. In addition, the Vandals have recently beaten off the nose of a sculpture by 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 decision of this issue is the sole responsibility of the Kiev authorities.
But no matter what, the arch of Friendship of Peoplescontinues to be quite a popular object on the map of Kiev. Do not bypass this monument side and foreign tourists. The Arch of Friendship is especially beautiful in the evening when it is highlighted with all the colors of the rainbow.
