Maidan Nezalezhnosti

Maidan Nezalezhnosti
Майдан Незалежності
View of Maidan Nezalezhnosti in 2013 before Euromaidan; the Independence Monument in the foreground
Location within Kyiv
LocationKyiv, Ukraine
Coordinates50°27′0″N 30°31′27″E / 50.45000°N 30.52417°E / 50.45000; 30.52417

Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Ukrainian: Майдан Незалежності, IPA: [mɐjˈdɑn nezɐˈɫɛʒnosti] or Independence Square is the central town square[1] of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchenko Raion. The square contains the iconic Independence Monument.

In the 19th century, the square contained buildings of the city council and noble assembly.

Since the start of Ukraine's independence movement in 1990, the square has been the traditional place for political rallies, including four large-scale radical protest campaigns: the 1990 student Revolution on Granite, the 2001 Ukraine without Kuchma, the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013–14 Euromaidan.[2] Maidan is also a regular site for non-political displays and events; however, since 2014, most of them were moved to Sofiyivska Square or elsewhere, because making entertainment on a place where people were killed during Euromaidan was considered inappropriate. Most notably, Christmas Fairs and New Year celebrations were moved to Sofiyivska Square.[3]

  1. ^ Kyiv: Encyclopedic Handbook. Main Edition of Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia. Kyiv 1982
  2. ^ Why Ukraine Is So Important, Business Insider (28 January 2014)
    The Process of Politicization: How Much Politics Does a Society Need?, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017, ISBN 1-4438-9628-4 (page 154)
    Where does the key to political change lie in the post-Soviet space? Archived 17 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, openDemocracy (23 August 2016)
  3. ^ Київська влада оприлюднила план святкування Нового року та Різдва [Kyiv government published the plan of New Year and Christmas celebrations] (in Ukrainian). Тиждень.ua. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2019. But, like in previous year, considering the events of winter of 2013-2014, no celebrations are planned on Maidan Nezalezhnosti.