War Memorial & Park

K

iev: War Memorial Park

 

June 19, 2002




Note: We have tried to use the Ukrainian spelling (or rather, transliteration) for the names of people and places in Ukraine. Sometimes, however, as with Kiev, the Russian version has become a kind of standard and so we have used it instead.




Ukrainian Flag



War Memorial Park
War Memorial Park

Along one of the bluffs above the Dnieper River is a rather large park dedicated to the military and in particular their victory over the Nazis during World War II. The main feature of the park is a giant soviet realist statue of a woman wielding a giant sword. It represents, of course, the victorious motherland and is called in fact Rodina Mat, Ukrainian for motherland. As you can see from the photo, it is a very well-kept park, with manicured lawns and wide avenues that are great for strolling along in the summer sunshine.

Rodina Mat - Mother of the Nation
Rodina Mat - Mother of the Nation
View of the Dnieper from the Park
View of the Dnieper from the Park
View of Perchersky from the Park
View of Perchersky from the Park
Psychedelic Tank
Psychedelic Tank

Apart from the big statue, the main theme of the park was military hardware. There were tanks, planes, and helicopters of various vintages, some of them even American. This tank, for some reason, was painted in rather garish colors. Others were in the usual military drab. There was also a museum in the park, but we didn't visit it for lack of both time and interest. The main attraction for us was to see Kievans and get some great views of the river and its surroundings.




Updated September 21, 2002