Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

The Red Building of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv was built in classical forms in 1837-1842 according to the project of architect Vikenty Ivanovich Beretti. The building is a huge, closed structure with an inner courtyard. The walls of the building are painted red, and the cast-iron bases and capitals of the columns are black. This corresponds to the colors of the ribbons of the Order of St. Volodymyr, whose name the university bore, so the order's motto, "Benefit, honor and glory" (Latin: "Utilitas, Honor et Gloria"), was also its motto. Built on top of a hill, the university building significantly influenced the formation of the architectural face of Kyiv in the 19th century. Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv has a number of auxiliary facilities: Astronomical Observatory, the Fomin Botanical Garden, the Maksymovych Academic Library, the Kaniv Nature Reserve, a publishing and reprographics unit called "Kyiv University", an Informatics Centre, a Ukrainian Studies Centre, a Geological and Zoological Museum, a Museum of the History of the University, an interfaculty Museum of Linguistics, and others. The institution has broad international ties with universities worldwide. Today Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is a classical university with a research profile, whose primary objectives are education, research and innovation.