Taras Shevchenko Boulevard is one of the main arteries of Kyiv, running through the Latin Quarter and connecting various historical parts of the city. It was laid out in the mid-19th century, when the university ensemble around the Red Building was taking shape. At that time, it was called University Boulevard.
Later, during the period of the Russian Empire, the boulevard was renamed in honor of the Kyiv governor-general, as was commonly done in imperial cities. But with time, history restored justice — and today it bears the name of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko, whose words became a symbol of Ukrainian dignity.
The boulevard connects two former bustling trading points of Kyiv: Bessarabsky Market — at the end of Khreshchatyk Street, and the former Yevbaz, the Jewish bazaar, which was located near today’s Halytska Square. This route has always been a place of movement, exchange, and encounters — a kind of lifeline of the city.
Today, Shevchenko Boulevard is a straight thoroughfare linking central Kyiv with the western districts. It begins near Bessarabka, passes by the university and Shevchenko Park, crosses Halytska Square, and continues further as Beresteiskyi Avenue.
But for Kyiv residents, it is more than just a transportation route — it is a historical axis of the city, along which an entire era unfolds: from the old university quarter to the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, founded at the end of the 19th century, and onward to the modern metropolis, which still preserves its cultural roots.