Outstanding Ukrainians

Upon arrival at any country it's good to know its most famous historical characters. With this knowledge you'll be informed about the origin of local monuments and street titles.

Our top list of prominent persons in the history of Ukraine

Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) - poet, novelist and artist. His work is considered as the foundation of modern Ukrainian literary language. He was born a serf and for his talent was purchased from his landlord by leading representatives of Russian art and literature. For a satire of the emperor and the empress he was arrested and sent to Asia as a soldier, banned from writing and painting, for 10 years. Most Ukrainians would name him as the most outstanding Ukrainian. Buried in Kaniv.



Yaroslav the Wise (983-1054) - grand Prince of Kiev, son of Vladimir the Great who baptized the Kiev Rus. Author the Truth of Yaroslav (Russian Truth), the first known set of laws in Kiev Rus. Did enormous reforms in Kiev Rus due to which the state achieved its peak of prosperity and development.



Bogdan Khmelnytsky (1596-1657) - Hetman of the Zaporizhzhia Sich, a general and a statesman. Organizer of the uprising against the Polish nobility, which culminated in a national liberation war of Ukrainian people against Poland and Lithuania. As a result, the Ukrainian land entered the Moscow State in 1654. He joined Ukraine and Russia.


Mykola Amosov (1913-2002) - doctor, scientist, heart surgeon, transplantologist, biocybernetist. Famous for innovative techniques in cardiology and systematic approach to health. For a long time he was working on the possibility of life prolongation. Buried at the Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv.



Lesya Ukrainka (1871-1913) - poet and writer who brought new themes to the Ukrainian literature and completely changed the Ukrainian poetry. Throughout her life she was sick with incurable diseases of bones and kidneys. Buried at the Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv.


Ivan Franko (1856-1916) - writer, poet, scientist, playwright, philosopher, historian, ethnographer, psychologist. One of the greatest literary figures in the history of Ukraine. In 1915 he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize, but died soon and the candidature was removed. Buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.



Hryhory Skovoroda (1722-1794) - outstanding philosopher. Persecuted by secular and religious authorities. Led a life of a wandering philosopher, having only the most necessary stuff in his bag and staying in peasant huts. Refused to offered jobs, teaching the people morality instead,  both in word and way of life. His texts were not published during his life. In his works he almost never quoted anyone. He saw the meaning of life in modesty, temperance and asceticism.


Valeriy Lobanovskyi (1939-2002) - outstanding football coach, known for his work with Dynamo (Kyiv). He is present almost in all rankings of best football coaches in the history of world football. Dynamo Stadium was named after him. Buried at the Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv.