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Freedom Square (Ukrainian: Площа Свободи, Plóshcha Svobodý; Russian: Площадь Свободы, Plóshchad' Svobódy) in Kharkiv is the 8th largest city-centre square in Europe.
Contents
Names
Upon the Soviet takeover the square was named 'Dzerzhinsky Square' in 1926 after Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Bolshevik secret police (the Cheka, precursor to the KGB). After the independence of Ukraine it was renamed Freedom Square. During the brief German occupation the name of the square changed twice: in 1942 the square was named German Army Square, and in 1943 Leibstandarte SS Square.
Location
The main part of the square is bordered to the west by the site of a removed statue of Lenin, to the east by Sumska Street, to the north by the Hotel Kharkiv and to the south by Shevchenko park. It is approximately 690–750 metres (2,260–2,460 feet) long and 96–125 metres (315–410 feet) wide. The area of the complete square is approximately 12 hectares (30 acres).
Landmarks
A notable landmark of the square is the Derzhprom building, a prime example of constructivist architecture.
The Kharkiv regional state administration is situated at one end of the square.
A monumental statue of Lenin was erected in 1964 and was torn down by protesters on September 28, 2014. In August 2016 pavers were laid on the site where the statue of Lenin stood.
After an open competition it was decided on 3 February 2017 that Freedom Square will get a new 86 meters high monument. At its top an angel with an Orthodox cross watching over four figures who somehow resonate with the history of Slobozhanshchina (Anacharsis, Igor Svyatoslavich, Semen Hulak-Artemovsky and Mykhaylo Petrenko).
After the monument has been approved the intrigue was highly spread in social networks; the civil society in Kharkiv had clearly expressed its opposition to the competition since the designed sculpture doesn´t fit in the urban context of this square and surroundings obliterating the symbolic value of the space that, until the interventions in 2014, was considered of historical value.
A petition demanding to cancel the decision on installing the column was registered on the official website of the Kharkiv City Council and more than 5000 people have voted, establishing the minimum number for the Kharkiv City Council give an official answer for the request, but till now no willingness to address this exposure has been shown. This petition was supported by Docomomo International.
Protests and rallies
In 2014 the square was the site of demonstrations by pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists in Kharkiv.
Other events and recreational activities
Queen + Paul Rodgers kicked off their Rock the Cosmos Tour at Freedom Square on September 12, 2008 & gathered 350,000 audience members, the show was recorded for a DVD release, entitled Live in Ukraine, which was released on June 15, 2009.