Ivan Franko Square is a cozy yet historically rich space in Kyiv’s Pechersk district, located between Architect Horodetski Street, Olhynska Street, and Bohdan Stupka Street. Stone stairs connect it to the higher-elevated Bankova Street, creating a characteristic Kyiv landscape with elevation changes. The square was formed in the late 19th century on the site of a filled-in pond within the former estate of Friedrich Mering.
Initially, the square was called Mykolaivska, and from 1919 — Spartaka. It received its current name in 1944 in honor of Ivan Franko. The defining architectural dominant of the space is the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre, located in the former Solovtsov Theatre building and serving since 1926 as one of the country’s main theatrical centers.
The square also functions as a kind of memorial ensemble. It features a monument to Ivan Franko, as well as sculptures dedicated to prominent figures of Ukrainian theater — Mykola Yakovchenko, Hnat Yura, and director Serhii Danchenko — which elegantly decorate the square alongside the Teremen Fountain at its center.
The combination of theater, park space, monuments, and surrounding historic buildings makes Ivan Franko Square an important place of cultural memory and vibrant urban life in Kyiv.