The main civic square of central Donetsk, Teatralna Square was the heart of the city's public life before 2014. Flanked by the Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Musical Drama Theatre, it was the place Donetsk residents came for concerts, celebrations, and summer evenings. Fountains, rose gardens, and broad paving gave it an unexpectedly pleasant character for a city best known for steel and coal.
Teatralna Square
A story
The square takes its name from the Opera and Ballet Theatre that anchors one end of it. During Soviet times the square hosted mass rallies; by the 2000s it had become the city's main social gathering place, with fountains, benches, and an outdoor cafe culture that surprised visitors expecting a grim industrial town.