Europe

[Visited: May 2023]

When I arrive in Kharkiv after a comfortable night on a sleeper train from Odesa, I only have a vague idea of where to go. I drop my bag at the station, and learn that they close at 8pm, likely because of curfew and safety issues. As soon as I step outside the station, I am basking in the sun. I decide to take a subway straight to Freedom Square. When I have my money in hand to buy a ticket, the supervisor points to the entrance, and indeed I see that the tourniquets are open. The subway is free - I assume because it is used as a bomb shelter. A short ride takes me to University station, and when I get back into the sun again, I find myself on a huge square. Some locals claim this is the second biggest square in the world, but it really ranks eighth in Europe. But who cares about rankings - it is enormous.
When I look east, I immediately recognize the building that defines the end of the square on that side. The regional state administration building that took a direct hit by a Russian missile on March 1, 2022 - I remember the footage accompanying the terrible news. Surprisingly, the building still stands, including the decoration on top - but all the windows have gone and are filled by cardboard. I watch the video again, and it seems amazing that the building is still standing in the first place, when you see the massive explosion after the Russian missile hit this civilian building. The attack killed 29, and the east side of Freedom Square was severely damaged. Indeed, surrounding buildings also have cardboard where they should have windows. It is impossible to imagine how this blast must have felt by people who happened to be here, at 8 on a Tuesday morning. At the bottom of the frontside, I see a small memorial with pictures of some of the people who perished here. A woman silently stands in front of it. Together, we observe silence.
Directly opposite the enormous building, I see what look like barricades, which have been turned into a centre of anti-war artwork. There are drawings, there are statements, there are slogans, and some of them are not surprisingly, anti-Russian. In the pavement, a Russian missile has been placed, which apparently was fired on Kramatorsk in 2015 - the war had already started the year before of course. After seeing other parts of the city, I emerge from Taras Shevchenko Park, and find myself on the west side of Freedom Square. According to my old guide, a statue of Lenin should be here, but the square is empty. I read that in demonstrations in 2014, the statue has been removed. It is not even possible anymore to see where the statue once stood. What I do see, are high-rise buildings on the circular west side of the square. Originally, it was named after the founder of secret services KGB in 1926, renamed German Army Square and Leibstandarte SS Square, and finally renamed to Freedom Square after Ukraine achieved independence in 1991. I walk the entire length of the square, and once again have a look at the stand on the east side. One of the many questions: will the administrative building of this second largest city of Ukraine be rebuilt?

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Kharkiv Freedom Square (Ukraine)

Kharkiv Freedom Square > Ukraine > Europe

[Visited: May 2023]

Around the World in 80 Clicks