Alley of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred is a pedestrian street in the heart of Kyiv, leading from Independence Square to Instytutska Street. Its history dates back to the times of Kyivan Rus, and since the 19th century it has been called Instytutska Street – in honor of the Institute of Noble Maidens, built here in 1838–1842. Today, the building of the former Institute of Noble Maidens houses the International Center for Culture and Arts, or the October Palace, as it was called in Kyiv. During Soviet times, the street had several names, until in 1993 it was returned to its historical name.
Everything changed on February 20, 2014, when the mass shooting of Euromaidan participants took place here. The dead were called the Heavenly Hundred, and the very next day thousands of Kyivans took to the streets with flowers – the spontaneous memorial gradually turned into a permanent one: along the alley, memorial signs and sculptures appeared in honor of each of the fallen, and a chapel was built in the upper part of the street near the entrance to the Khreschatyk metro station. In November 2014, the Kyiv City Council officially renamed this part of Instytutska, and since January 30, 2015, the street has been named after the heroes who gave their lives for Ukraine’s right to independence, dignity and freedom.