Taras Shevchenko

Born a serf south of Kiev in 1814, Taras Shevchenko was a painter/poet who was persecuted for satirizing Russian oppression of Ukraine. A major figure of the Ukrainian national revival, his DC statue is one in a series honoring foreign heroes who symbolize freedom in their native countries. Shevchenko spent the 1850s in exile, impressed into Russian military service. He was forbidden to write poetry or return to Ukraine until 1859, and died a week before the emancipation of the...

I sit there and and eat my lunch there on occasion. During the lunch hours the sun, when permitting, exposes itself perfectly on the statue. During the spring and summer months, amazing spot! Fall and winter, so so, for obvious reasons. An oasis in the...

I was not expected to see the monument to Taras Shevchenko here. Then I learned that Taras Shevchenko has the world record in the number of monuments erected to honor him – 1384, (128 statues are in 35 countries). Very big statue, easy to locate on a...