Archived photos show Maidan Nezalezhnosti as a cozy park in the 1900s

Archived photos show Maidan Nezalezhnosti as a cozy park in the 1900s AI

OBOZ.UA has republished an archival photograph, originally shared by the Historical Kyiv Facebook community, showing Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the early 1900s as a small leafy square with flowerbeds and low tea pavilions — long before the glass mall dome and modern fountains. A visual reminder for Kyiv residents: the city’s main square once held gardens and small kiosks, not the contemporary glass shopping dome and fountains.

OBOZ.UA republished an old photograph, first posted by the Historical Kyiv community on Facebook, that shows Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the early 1900s. The image captures a compact, tranquil square with flowerbeds, bushes and several modest pavilions where people could drink tea, rather than the large glass dome of a shopping centre that stands there today.

The accompanying OBOZ.UA text notes how the central square has changed over time. It recalls that prior to 1975 visitors could see a historic building designed by architect Oleksandr Beretti, and that a 1961 photograph preserves details of the area that have not survived into the present day.

Readers interested in Kyiv’s urban history can view the photo via the Historical Kyiv Facebook community or the OBOZ.UA piece linked below.

Know what Kyiv knows.