Arch of Friendship of Peoples in Kyiv: history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Many interesting monuments offer its guests to see the capital of Ukraine - the city of Kyiv. The Peoples' Friendship Arch is one of them. This is a rather impressive monument of the Soviet era, the attitude towards which the people of Kiev are very ambiguous.

Kreschaty Park - the green heart of the capital

This green pearl is located in the central part of Kyiv, on the picturesque slopes of the Dnieper. Initially (before the revolution of 1917) the garden was called Merchant, and under the Soviet regime - Pioneer.

Today Khreschaty Park covers an area of 12 hectares. It retained its layout from the first third of the 19th century. In this park there are several famous institutions and attractions, in particular, the Water Museum, the Academic Puppet Theater, the National Philharmonic. The Arch of Friendship of Peoples (Kyiv) is also located here. You can see a photo of this famous monument below.

The monument is visible from different parts of the city and is the dominant feature of the right bank of Kyiv.

Arch of Friendship of Peoples: how to get there?

Finding a monument is not difficult at all. Right in the center of Kyiv is the Arch of Friendship of Peoples. The address of the structure is as follows: Vladimirsky descent, 2.

How to get to Arka? To do this, you need to get to the metro station "Independence Square", and then walk to the European Square (several hundred meters to the north). After that, you need to enter Khreshchaty Park, in the depths of which there is a wide square with a monument.

Next to the Arch there is an observation deck - a grandiose amphitheater from which a wonderful view of Kyiv opens: Podil, Trukhanov Island and the Left Bank.

A little 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 War of Liberation began in Ukraine, led by Bogdan Khmelnitsky. 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 Commonwe alth 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 negotiating groups, Ukrainian and Moscow, took place. Evaluation of the results of this meeting still causes a lot of discussion 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 in the documents the exact date of the official opening of the monument. The Arch of Friendship of Peoples in Kyiv was built in 1982. It is believed that this event was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 1500th anniversary of the city. Vladimir Shcherbitsky himself, the head of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR at that time, spoke at the opening ceremony of the monument.

Work on this giant complex lasted about four years! The Peoples' Friendship Arch was opened in autumn, on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution, and immediately became a very popular place among Kyivans and guests of the capital.

Structure and symbolism of the monument

The main element of the giant composition is a monument consisting of two sculptures of workers - a Russian and a Ukrainian, who hold the Order of Friendship of Peoples in their hands. It is made of bronze and titanium alloy according to the design of 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-figure composition, carved in a block of pink granite. It is dedicated, in fact, to the events of the Pereyaslav Council of 1654. The stele depicts Ukrainian hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Russian ambassador Vasily Buturlin, and other participants in the negotiation process.

Two sculptural compositions are connected by a huge arch, symbolizing the unity of the two Slavic peoples. Its height is 30meters, and the 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 Kyiv.

One fascinating legend is also connected with the Kyiv Arch of Friendship of Peoples, according to which the building actually has a rounded shape. The lower part (arc) of the entire structure is allegedly hidden underground on 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 Kievans began to treat him negatively.

So, the letters of the inscription "In commemoration of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia" disappeared from the pedestal of the sculptural monument. However, the inscription, as it turned out, was well read even without them. Therefore, soon it was painted with yellow-blue paint and covered with the words “Glory to Ukraine!”. In addition, vandals recently beat 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 solution of this issue is exclusively within the competence of the Kyiv authorities.

But in spite of everything, the Arch of Friendship of Peoples continues to be a fairly popular object on the map of Kyiv. Do not bypass this monument and foreign tourists. The Arch of Friendship is especially beautiful in the evening, when it is illuminated with all the colors of the rainbow.