Taras Shevchenko is the greatest writer of Ukraine and is known throughout the world. He is widely recognized on all continents and is considered to have the greatest number of monuments erected around the globe.
There is a monument to Taras Shevchenko both in Washington and in the jungle in South America.
Often, in order to learn something interesting and unusual, it is enough to walk around your native city and take a detailed look at its places. In Dnepropetrovsk, formerly Dnepropetrovsk, there are 4 monuments to Taras Shevchenko and each of them can be called unique in its kind.
Let’s go to the city districts and look at the local Shevchenko monuments!
The oldest monument to Shevchenko in Dnipro city
There is a bronze bust to Taras Grigorievich in the public garden on Peredovaya Street. It was installed in 1925 (according to other information in 1929). Not so many years passed after the October Revolution, before a monument to the Ukrainian poet appeared in Dnepropetrovsk. The Soviet authorities pity Shevchenko, and therefore contributed to the perpetuation of his memory.
The bust was in its place for a long time, even during the war. It was overhauled in 1985 and 1990. Now some of the letters in the surname have disappeared from the monument, but in general it is in good condition.
And in the 1970-80s next door there was a square of the soldiers who died in World War II. Those who took part in defense and liberation of Dnepropetrovsk in 1941-43.
Shevchenko Square on Peredovaya Street in Dnipropetrovsk
There are 27 mass graves and 3 individual graves next to the T-34 tank, and among the graves there is a remarkable grave of a young underground fighter – Alexander Miroshnichenko. The boy was behind the Germans to destroy communications, for which he was shot at age 13. Somewhere in the city there is his memorial plaque on one of the houses.
The square itself can also be called unique. Here stands the second tank in the city. The first one is in the center, near the historical museum. And the neighborhood with Shevchenko is unusual.
The territory was last reconstructed in the early 2000s. It was cleared of debris, the bust and pedestal were cleaned of dirt. The tank was painted.
At the moment, the square can rather be called untended. There are benches here, lawns seem to grow, you can take a walk in the evening and have a quiet time. But in the fall and spring there are a lot of leaves. It seems that the order is not taken care of, and the fence at the pedestal is almost destroyed.
In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an unknown person painted on a tank with white paint the aggressor’s symbol – the Latin letter “Z”. The vandalism was washed away, and the offender was issued an administrative protocol. It is possible that the tank will be dismantled in the future.
How to get to the square on Peredovaya str
By bus 64G (you will need to go from Petrozavodskaya). She leaves from the center. And also 4, 48, 240. These buses go from Staromostova Street.
Google Maps – 48.5246939,34.9754418
“Independent” or “Young” Shevchenko
This monument immortalizes the very young Shevchenko, as he is rarely portrayed. Here he sits and thinks. It is said that here Shevchenko is 29 years old, the way he is remembered by Yekaterinoslav in 1843.
The monument was erected on the first anniversary of Independence of Ukraine – August 24, 1992.
At that time, the patriotic activists of the city raised the issue of installing another monument to Shevchenko. The authorities supported it. According to the legend, it happened not because of any great love for the poet, but because this is the very center of the city – Lenin Street, which has not yet been renamed. It’s just a short walk from the city council and the regional administration for state events – no need to go to Monastyrsky Island. And the place is good, cultural – near the Philharmonic, Drama Theater, the building where the flag of Ukraine was first raised over Dnepropetrovsk.
That’s how it was installed – “young Shevchenko”. Now at the pedestal gathers many rallies, meetings for the poet’s birthday and even a festival in 2021, and on ordinary days there is a flea market.
Celebration of Shevchenko’s Birthday in 2023
On March 9, 2023, the Birthday of Taras Shevchenko was celebrated in Dnipro. At the monument to the young Shevchenko the actors of the Shevchenko theater performed, sang songs and recited poems. The event was attended by both ordinary citizens of Dnipro city and representatives of the civil-military administration of the city.
Young Shevchenko is located at st. Voskresenskaya, 4a.
The tallest Shevchenko Monument in Ukraine and in the world
The most notable monument to Shevchenko is located on Monastyrsky Island in Dnieper, which is part of the city’s Shevchenko Park. It is a visiting card of the city of Dnieper.
There’s a story here with mysteries and historical twists and turns!
Shevchenko Park used to be called Potemkin Park. This was before the revolution of 1917 and in the early years of Dnepropetrovsk. After the renaming of the park by the Soviet authorities to a more appropriate name for a proletarian city, Taras Shevchenko was supposed to be located here. Ukrainian poet who did not fall under the ideological ban of the Communists.
According to the plan, the kobzar was supposed to be 2 meters high, sitting on a steep slope and looking at the Dnieper. It seems that they were preparing a pedestal for it in the far corner of the park. But it didn’t work out and the mention of that monument remained only in an old brochure.
In the 1930s there is a simple bust of Shevchenko. It would be placed on the Alley of Writers. Now it no longer exists, because it was destroyed during the war – the city was subjected to incredible artillery fire. The plaster sculpture itself also perished under those bombings.
After the war, when the city was being rebuilt, the Shevchenko Park was quickly cleaned up as well. Finally, in 1949, a normal monument to Kobzar was erected here. It was a large statue on granite blocks.
Shevchenko was looking at the Dnieper, and the pedestal made of stones symbolized the steepness of his beloved Dnieper. On this observation deck, there were a lot of pictures taken by citizens and tourists. The hero himself sat in deep contemplation and was like a living, more natural than what will be placed later on the island nearby.
Remarkably, Stalin himself stood with his back to Taras Grigorievich. The tyrant was placed facing the park entrance in the middle of a large flowerbed to greet visitors.
A little later, then Komsomolsky and now Monastyrsky Island will become part of the cultural site. Stalin will be removed after the debunking of the cult of personality, and Shevchenko will be moved to the island.
This is where the mystery begins.
No one knows why they made such a decision, because the old monument perfectly fit into the park and was loved by many of its visitors.
The new monument will be unveiled on November 5, 1959. The old one would not be moved – it did not fit into the project and was too “lively”, “people’s”. Something monumental and impersonal was needed. That’s how it turned out. It was a colossal statue on a high pedestal of granite. The monument itself is a masterpiece of foundry art.
The sculpture was cast and brought to the site in two parts, and then assembled. Until 2011, there was a plaque on the pedestal on the back side with the creators. And during the modern reconstruction, it disappeared.
There is a mystery here. On the pants of the Colossus are noticeable lapels. They are worn out and indirectly confirm the rumor that this monument was meant for Stalin. The size of the monument was too big, as it should have been for the Soviet leaders. It was being prepared for installation, and then after the famous Khrushchev’s report it was redesigned. In addition, it is not clear why the Soviet leadership had to install the Ukrainian poet, if there was already one? So far, no documents have been found to explain all the points, so rumors and speculations will continue to circulate.
In the end, the old monument was taken to the outskirts, the new one began to live its own life. Shevchenko on Monastyrsky Island will be the highest monument to the poet in Ukraine and in the world. Its height with the pedestal is 20 meters, which is 1 meter higher than the Kiev Shevchenko.
In 2011 it was taken away for reconstruction and returned in 2014. Then the sculpture had to be divided into several parts and reassembled on the spot. During assembly, there was a scandal – the letters of the verse were placed incorrectly and had to be swiftly changed.
The highest Shevchenko in Ukraine and the world is in Shevchenko Park on Monastyrsky Island.
Shevchenko in the village of Shevchenko
Shevchenko village, which is part of the city limits of Dnieper, simply can not not have a monument to Shevchenko. It is located in Shevchenko Park on the picturesque bank of the Samara River. This monument was installed in 2013. It would seem that it does not have such a long history and there is nothing to tell about it. However…
Until 2007, there was another monument to Shevchenko in this place, a real historical artifact. It appeared here in 1959, when it was moved from the Shevchenko Park in the city center. This monument, as the years passed, was in a deplorable condition, it was gradually deteriorating; according to rumors, they wanted to reconstruct it, but one morning it just disappeared.
Until 2007, there was another monument to Shevchenko in this place, a real historical artifact. It appeared here in 1959, when it was moved from the Shevchenko Park in the city center. This monument, as the years passed, was in a deplorable condition, it was gradually deteriorating; according to rumors, they wanted to reconstruct it, but one morning it just disappeared.
There are several versions. According to one of them, the artifact was broken by vandals, and according to the other, it was taken by municipal workers, allegedly for restoration. The bottom line is that no one has seen the old monument again. Its fate is unknown…
The new one will open pompously in 2013 and will be unique in its unusual composition. Shevchenko stands here in full height, which is very rare for the immortalized Kobzar.
The park in the settlement is sparsely populated and overgrown with grass, so the new statue looks unusual, as if Shevchenko is not from here, and does not look at provincial Samara river…
The monument can be found at Shevchenko, Zaozernaya str.
These are such interesting stories at the Shevchenko monuments in Dnipro. As always it seems that everything is trivial, but if you dig – it will be fun and interesting!