Taras Shevchenko Park is located directly opposite the Red Building of the university. It is one of the oldest and most beloved parks in Kyiv.
It was established in the 19th century, based on a design by Kyiv gardener Karl Christiani. The park immediately became part of the new urban ensemble created around the university, and quickly turned into a favorite walking place for professors, students, and Kyiv residents.
Interestingly, at first, a monument to Russian Emperor Nicholas I stood in the center of the park. It remained there until the establishment of Bolshevik rule, when it was dismantled. In its place, in 1939, a monument to Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko appeared, and it was then that the park received its modern name.
Since then, this place has become a symbol of the Ukrainian spirit — a space of freedom where generations meet and intersect. Today, the park remains vibrant and multifaceted: festivals, art events, and concerts take place here, children’s playgrounds operate, and modern street sculptures can be found along the paths.
Among them is the mini-sculpture “Kyiv Chess” from the Seek project, reminding us that Kyiv is a city with deep cultural traditions, where history and modernity harmoniously coexist.
Shevchenko Park continues to be a place of gathering and inspiration — just as it was envisioned more than a century and a half ago.