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CHANGES IN MARKET SQUARES OF HISTORICAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF UKRAINE IN THE 20th CENTURY // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2015. Issue 4 (6). P. 76-91

Market square of a city or town is a spatial frame where the notion of lower middle class was formed and in which memorial events took place. Due to the tragic events of the 20th century – the First and Second World Wars, Holodomor (famine) and Holocaust, emigration and moving of peoples, destructions and distortions of town space – market squares have become a certain mythological construct. After the damages of the First World War the market squares were restored and were actively functioning. In the second half of the 20th century, most market squares were completely destroyed. Distortions of the market squares resulted in the disappearance of urban patriotism and deformation of town resident’s identity.

Keywords: market squares, historical town, spatial symbol, architectural monument, town resident’s identity