Monuments and statues are a very important part of Ukrainian culture. A trip to Kyiv wouldn’t be complete without a sightseeing tour of at least a few of these historic landmarks. Often times, the monuments are sculptured after people that made significant impacts on the life of the people of Ukraine.

Mikhail Hrushevsky, the politician

This prominent historian and politician was elected as the first President of the Ukrainian republic in 1918. His statue is located on the corner of Valdymirskaya Street and Taras Shevchenko’s Boulevard.

Vladislav Gorodetskiy, the architect

This famous architect sits outside of a café which he often frequented in the Kyiv passage. He is well-known for building prominent Ukrainian landmarks such as the House with Chimeras, the National Museum of Arts, St. Nicholas Church, and many others.

Yaroslav Mudriy, the grand duke

This monument is placed near the Golden Gates and honors a grand duke of Kyiv. Yaroslav promoted the development of Christianity and enlightenment, while also founding the Golden Gates and St. Sofia Cathedral. He issued an ancient Russian law codex called Russkaya Pravda (Russian Truth) and citizens granted him the name of Mudriy (The Wise).

Pronya Prokopovna and Golohvastov, the characters

This humorous monument can be found near St. Andrew’s Church on Andreevsky Descent. The comedic characters are from the popular 1961 Ukrainian film Chasing Two Hares at a Time and many tourists and newlyweds often take photos with the statues.

Panikovksy, the swindler

This statue of Mikhail Panikovsky stands on Prorizna Street, not far from the Khreshchatyk metro station. He’s a fictional con man in The Golden Calf, a popular novel by authors Ilf and Petrov. He would pretend to be a blind man in order to swipe rubles from good Samaritans pockets. If you take a mirror and look under his shoe, you can see a picture of a fist with a thumb sticking out.

Valeriy Lobanovskiy, the coach

This monument honoring the excellent Ukrainian football coach sits outside the entrance of the Dynamo Stadium. He’s sitting on a bench, anxiously watching the game, and tourists often take photos while sitting beside him.

Nikolai Yakovchenko, the actor

This great comedic actor of Ukrainian theater and cinema sits with his beloved dachshund Fan-Fan at his feet. He’s located in a park near Ivan Franko’s theater where he spent most of his acting career. One of Nikolai's most famous roles was Pronya Prokopovna’s father in Chasing Two Hares at a Time. This is another popular photo opportunity for tourists, as well as locals.

These are only a few of the hundreds of must see monuments in the great city of Kyiv. Why not experience them up close and in person on your next trip to Ukraine?

Source: www.mykiev.info