People’s Friendship Arch in Kyiv

The history of People’s Friendship Arch in Kyiv.

The landmark of Khreshchatyi Park (formerly Garden of Merchant Assembly, Proletarian Garden, and Pioneer Park) is a sculptural group crowned by the grandiose People’s Friendship Arch. It was unveiled on the site of the former open-air theatre on November 7, 1982 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the USSR and the celebration of the 1500th Anniversary of Kyiv. The monument consists of the rainbow-shaped arch, made of titanium, dedicated to the unification of Russia and Ukraine and a bronze statue depicting Russian and Ukrainian workers holding up the symbol of the People’s Friendship ribbon. The monument stands 6.2 m high.

Close by you can also see a granite obelisk with a multi-figured sculpture. Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Russian boyar Buturlin, the key negotiators in an agreement that saw the reunification of the Ukraine and Russia in January 1654. Its creators were sculptor Alexander Skoblikov, architects Igor Ivanov, Sergey Mirgorodsky and Konstantin Sidorov. At dusk, the arch is lit in spectacular fashion with rainbow colors. This site offers splendid views of the left bank of the Dnieper.

Alexander Anisimov

This article was published in the book Interesting Kyiv.
You could download this book in PDF file for free here.

© Sky Horse Publishing House (Kyiv) / Nahs Haus, 2019
Copying and publication of this article is possible only with the written permission of the publishing house.
Official website of the Awesome Heritage series: awesomeheritage.com

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