When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Kyiv became the capital of Ukraine. And the center of the capital is Freedom Square. The house we rented was just around the corner from Freedom Square.. The Ukrainian pronunciation of Freedom Square is “Maydan Nezalejnasti“. This area was a forested area until the 10th century and was called “High Grove”.. However, after the 10th century, the trees here began to be used in house construction and a large plain emerged.. It was even called Goat Plain at that time.. Because it was a plain where ambassadors, merchants and caravans coming to Kiev waited and traded.. 18. After the century, it was decided to build the entrance walls to the city here.. 18. At the end of the century, the great walls and the Lyadskie Entrance (Lyadskie Gate), one of the three gates that provide the entrance to the old historical city, were built.
In 1833, the walls in the square Like the entrance door, it was destroyed.. 19. When Kreshatik Street gained the status of main street in the 19th century, this square became the main square of the city of Kyiv.. There are 2 important monuments in this square.. One is the Statue of Liberty... There is a very similar statue in the square in Riga.. The other is the world monument surrounded by birds.. It symbolizes peace and is beautifully illuminated at night.
In 1991, demonstrations and meetings were held in this square for months for Ukraine’s separation from the USSR.. In the end, the Ukrainian People ensured the separation of Ukraine from Russia and Belarus. After the Presidential elections in 2004, the Ukrainian People gathered in this square again and protested the election results for months and realized the world-famous Orange Revolution.. That’s why it is one of the rare places in the world where recent history is written.. A large shopping mall, the statue of liberty, the statue of the founders of Kiev and one of the city’s entrance gates are symbolically located in this square.
This square is the meeting point of all Ukrainians, it’s very crowded at 8 am and 2 am. In the evening, they usually hold various events in this square.. We witnessed at least 100 couples making Merenge with music and audience on the first evening.. I recommend that you stop by this square before returning home or to your hotel.. Because every evening you may encounter a different event that may surprise you.
When you turn right from this square, you see Kreshatik street. This main street in the city is almost wider than our E5.. The length of the main street is 1,100 meters. There is Freedom Square at one end and Arena City Mall at the other.
The infrastructure in the city is very developed, just like in all old iron-curtain countries. Crossings on the streets are mostly provided by underpasses.. However, when we say underpass, it is not underpasses in the classical sense we know.. The underpasses here are as good as shopping centers.. There is everything from shops to food courts and it consists of several floors.
The width of the sidewalks next to the street is twice the width of a street in the city in Istanbul.. There are tall buildings with wide facades rising on both sides of the street.. In general, the showcases on the street are very wide and world brands have kept them.. There are not many cafes or restaurants on the main street.
Kreshatik street is closed to motor vehicle traffic on weekends and holidays for pedestrians to travel comfortably.. Taking advantage of this, we go freely from the middle of this road toArena City. Next to Arena City is a Bezarapski market. You can find interesting things in this market. It should not be forgotten that Kyiv is a very cheap city when compared to Istanbul.