Kharkiv, Freedom Square: history, architecture, interesting facts

Many interesting tourist sites are ready to show their guests the city of Kharkov. Freedom Square is one of them. What is its history? And what sights can be seen on this square?

Freedom Square (Kharkov): photo and location

Freedom Square (Maidan Svobod in Ukrainian) is the main one in Kharkov. It is here that various citywide events are regularly held: fairs, rallies, concerts.

The area has an unusual shape. It consists of two parts: the western round (with a small square in the center) and the eastern rectangular. At one time the city architects proposed to form here not one but two squares, dividing them by a flower bed or a fountain. However, this idea was abandoned, and instead of a fountain in 1963, an impressive monument to Vladimir Lenin "grew".

Almost the entire perimeter of the square is occupied by important and valuable buildings in an architectural sense. On the south side, the park named after Taras Shevchenko (the former City Garden) directly adjoins it.

How to get to Freedom Square in Kharkov? This is easy, because it is located in the heart of the city. Under it are two stations of the Kharkov underground - "Gosprom" and "University". In addition, you can reach the square by tram (route No. 12) or by trolleybus (No. 2 and No. 18).

A Brief History of the Square

What is Kharkiv famous for? Freedom Square will immediately name many of its residents the main attraction. It began to form only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Before that, on the site of a modern and large-scale area, there were various buildings of the Kharkov University (the oldest in Ukraine).

The erection of the square began in 1925. Soviet architects initially wanted to create something gigantic and impressive. And they quite succeeded. Six years later the square was already paved. It is interesting that initially it was named in honor of Dzerzhinsky. Many foreigners still so it is called. At different times on this square there were monuments to Stalin and Lenin. None of the Soviet leaders have survived to this day (Stalin's sculpture was removed in 1960, and the monument to Lenin was dismantled in 2014).

Kharkiv: Freedom Square - the largest in Europe?

Very often in different sources can be foundinformation that the Freedom Square in Kharkov is the largest in Europe. In fact, this is not so. Its size is 11.9 hectares. For comparison: The chess square in Bordeaux is 12 hectares, and the Kuibyshev square in Samara is 17 hectares.

Nevertheless, the scale of this facility is indeedamazed. The well-known Soviet journalist Yaroslav Golovanov once described this area as "gigantic" and "frightening by its size". Its length reaches 750 meters, and the maximum elevations are almost 11 meters!

Building area and attractions

The architectural ensemble of the square is represented byseveral interesting and valuable buildings. First and foremost is Gosprom, a construction that is considered a standard of Soviet constructivism. The building was built during 1926-1928 from solid reinforced concrete. Then it was called the first skyscraper of the Soviet Union.

The main building is on Liberty SquareKharkiv University named after Karazin. It was erected in the early 30's in the same style as the building of "Gosprom." In its architecture, the main building of KhNU reminds famous Stalin skyscrapers in Moscow.

There are neoclassical buildings on the square. So, in 1954, in its eastern part, a beautiful six-story building was built for the Kharkov Regional Committee of the CPSU.

Finally…

What places are worth visiting a tourist whofate brought in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov? Freedom Square is a must for any orientation tour of this metropolis. It is among the ten largest areas in Europe, its dimensions are really impressive. In addition, the area is surrounded by a number of buildings and structures of historical and architectural value.