The design and concept of the Golda Meir Square in the center of Kyiv have been developed

A beautiful green square named after Golda Meir will appear on Borychiv Tik Street in Kyiv's Podil district — next to Andriyivsky Uzviz, one of the most famous tourist routes in the Ukrainian capital.

Golda Mabovitch (Meir after marriage) was born on 3 May 1898 in Kyiv, where she spent the first years of her life. She became Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs (1956-1966) and then Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. She died on 8 December 1978 in Jerusalem.

She went down in history as the second woman in the world to become a prime minister of her country (Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka was the first, and Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom was the third).

The main element of Golda Meir Square will be a wall made of a special "Jerusalem stone" —pink-golden limestone, traditionally used to decorate the surfaces of houses in Israel's capital.

The wall will symbolize the life of one of the most outstanding women of the 20th century. Quotes from Golda Meir's memoirs will be engraved on the surface of the Jerusalem limestone.

The park will be developed in compliance with all barrier-free access standards for disabled people and parents with strollers.

Interestingly, this area, in the most prestigious area of Ukraine's capital, was on a long-term lease to the Russian Embassy, which planned to build new facilities for Russian diplomats there. In 2014, the lease agreement was terminated, and the land was returned to the municipal property of Kyiv.

In 2023, the Kyiv City Council granted the site the status of a park and named it in honor of Golda Meir on the 125th anniversary of her birth as one of the founders of the State of Israel.

To develop the design project for the future park, the efforts of several architectural bureaus — two Ukrainian, German, and Spanish — were combined, which developed several concepts. The Department of Cultural Heritage of Kyiv chose the best option.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine will be engaged in developing the park.

Text: Shimon Briman (Israel),
Photo: Kyiv City Council website.