Madrid unveils Lesia Ukrainka monument, marking writer's 155th anniversary
Photo source: Facebook / Larysa Peliukh
On October 2, the Spanish capital hosted a solemn unveiling ceremony for a monument dedicated to the prominent Ukrainian writer Lesia Ukrainka.
The head of the Union of Ukrainian Women in Spain (SUY), Larysa Peliukh, announced the event on Facebook, according to Rubryka.
The monument, created by Honored Artist of Ukraine Mykola Obeziuk, stands on Lesia Ukrainka Square (Plaza de Lesya Ukrainka), located next to the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid.
Organizers timed the ceremony to honor the 155th anniversary of the writer's birth.
Photo source: Facebook / Larysa Peliukh
Representatives from the Ukrainian Embassy in Spain and members of the Ukrainian community attended the ceremonial unveiling.
According to Larysa Peliukh, Ukrainian Ambassador to Spain Yuliia Sokolovska and former Ambassador Valerii Tsybukh significantly contributed to bringing the project to fruition.
Reports about the installation of the Lesia Ukrainka monument in Madrid emerged in August, ahead of the official unveiling ceremony on October 2.
Photo source: Facebook / Larysa Peliukh
The idea to erect the monument originated in 2018. Thanks to joint efforts by the Ukrainian Embassy in Spain and the Ukrainian diaspora, the Madrid City Council decided in 2020 to name one of the capital's squares after Lesia Ukrainka.
The Ukrainian Foreign Policy Association and the Ukrainian Embassy in Spain coordinated efforts to implement the project.
Photo source: Facebook / Larysa Peliukh
Background
Over the past five years, communities in Hungary and France have installed monuments and memorial plaques dedicated to Lesia Ukrainka. In Ukraine:
- Local authorities installed a memorial plaque to the writer in Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi region
- Local authorities erected a monument in Odesa
UNESCO recognizes Lesia Ukrainka as one of the most internationally recognized figures in Ukrainian culture. In 2021, the organization joined in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the writer's birth.
Additionally, Odesa selected the winner of an open all-Ukrainian design competition for a Lesia Ukrainka monument and park landscape plan — the jury recommended a project by sculptor Mykola Bilyk and an architecture team for implementation.
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