Taras Shevchenko Monument

Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko, commonly known as Kobzar Taras or simply Kobzar (in Ukrainian culture, kobzars are bards), was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political personality, folklorist, and ethnographer. His literary legacy is considered as the cornerstone of modern Ukrainian literature and, to a significant part, the modern Ukrainian language, despite the fact that the language of his poetry was not contemporary Ukrainian. Shevchenko is also well-known for his works as a painter and illustrator.