At a meeting this morning, the Reykjavík Planning and Transport Council unanimously agreed to name the square on the corner of Garðastræti and Túngata Kænugarður, or the Kyiv Square, Vísir reports.
The Department of Environment and Planning has been instructed to begin preparations for constructing a sign for the square, which in English will be called “Kyiv Square.”
The explanatory memorandum to the proposal states that the idea to create the Kyiv Square is based on the idea of renaming streets, for example, Garðastræti and/or Túngata to Kænugarðsstræti. This is done to reflect the Icelandic name for Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, which in Icelandic is Kænugarður.
“After an inspection, it is appropriate to propose that the square on the northeast corner of both of these streets, Garðastræti and Túngata, be named after Kænugarður or Kyiv. The name ‘Kænugarður’ refers to the historical name of the city in Icelandic and underlines its millennial history. Then the name creates a certain impression as the square is at the same time a garden,“ says the report on the proposal.
It should be noted that the Russian Embassy is located at Garðastræti.
Eyþór Laxdal Arnalds, city council representative for the Independence Party, said: “Reykjavík is sending a clear message of support for the Ukrainian people and at the same time a reminder of the age-old connection between Iceland and Kyiv.”
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