Halytska Square

Halytska Square (Ukrainian: Площа Галицька, lit. 'Galicia Square', translit.: Ploshcha Halytska) in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is a large square in the city. The square is in Shevchenkivskyi District and located on Kyiv's main westward thoroughfare (Prospect Beresteiskyi – Tarasa Shevchenka boulevard) being its one of the main transportation hubs.

Located on the opposite side of the Old Kyiv, the square is also one of extreme points of the neighborhood along with Maidan Nezalezhnosti. It is a crossing of several historic streets such as Saksahanskyi street, Tarasa Shevchenka boulevard, Zhuliany street, Bulvarno-Kudriavska street - it is a beginning of Prospect Beresteiskyi - one of the longest and broadest avenues (parkway) in the city.

History

The square was established in the mid-19th century, when in February 1858 the Russian Governor General of Kyiv Illarion Vasilchikov allowed the Kyiv Jewish community to conduct trade fairs. From 1869 to 1952 the square was known as Halytska Square (Ukrainian: Галицька площа), being located towards Halychyna (Eastern Galicia). Before the 1950s this area was also commonly known as Yevbaz (Russian: Евбаз, literally: Jewish market), after the Jewish market that used to be there but was dismantled at the end of the 1940s. From 1952 to 2023^[1] the square was named Victory Square (Ukrainian: Площа Перемоги, translit.: Ploshcha Peremohy), this name was dedicated to victory in World War II.

The most notable building and one of focal features of Halytska Square is the Kyiv Circus. This was formerly the site of the Church of John Chrysostom, of cast iron construction, which was destroyed by the Soviet regime in 1934. Among other notable buildings are a department store "Univermah Ukrayina" and a hotel "Lybid".

The 30 m-tall (98 ft) Hero City monument, an obelisk situated on the square to commemorate the victory. In its original form it has a "hero star" (reflecting Kyiv's status as a Soviet Hero City) and "1941" and "1945" markings, marking the beginning and end years of World War II as recognised by Soviet history.

One of shops of the Kuznya na Rybalskomu separates Halytska Square from Vokzalna Square where the train station Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi is located.

The square is served by numerous marshrutkas, trams, buses and trolley-buses.

On 9 February 2023 the Kyiv city council renamed the square back to Halytska Square.^[1]

On 15 September 2023, all Soviet medals and inscriptions in Russian language on the surface of the obelisk were removed.^[2] Furthermore, the "1941" marking was changed to "1939", acknowledging the Ukrainian view of when World War II began.^[2] On 4 November the communists star on top of the monument was also removed.^[3]

Gallery

Darker building is the Hotel Lybid (eastward view)
Right next to the "Ukraina" department store (eastward view)
Ukraina department store between the Hotel Lybid and the Victory stele
A perspective onto the Kyiv circus, to the left is the Hotel Lybid
Right next to the Kyiv circus (westward view)
Beginning of Bulvarno—Kudriavska vulytsia (formerly Vorovskoho), to the right is the Kyiv circus
Panorama (southward)
Eastward view
Westward view
The Victory obelisk (focused); the Soviet medals still visible on this 2014 photo were removed in September and November 2023^[3]
The Kyiv circus (main stage)