Taras ShevchenkoUkrainian poet, artist, thinker, revolutionary-democrat, and the founder of critical realism and revolutionary-democratic trend in Ukrainian literature and visual arts Taras Shevchenko was born in 1814 in the family of serfs. His works have played a significant role in the development of genre of political lyrics and satire in Ukrainian literature. There is a street and a school named after him in Baku. The grand opening of Taras Shevchenko’s monument took place in June 30, 2008. The ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. The bronze monument is of 3.5 meter tall. The author is a well-known Ukrainian sculptor Igor Qrechanik.