CHINGGIS KHAAN SQUARE

Cement lung of the center of Ulaanbaatar, the Chinggis square is one of the essential sites of the Mongolian capital. Very Stalinist, with however a touch of Russian architecture from the beginning of the 20th century, it surprises by its dimensions (600 m long and 300 m wide). It bears the name of the Mongolian emperor, but it was named so only in 2014: it is one of the symbolic decisions of the power to recover the first identity of the Mongolian people which is intimately linked to Chinggis Khaan. For a long time, this square was named after another Mongolian hero, Sükhbaatar, who had dared to declare the independence of his country to the Chinese in 1921. His statue representing him as a conqueror on his horse stands in the middle of the square. It is from here that the anti-communist and pro-democracy demonstrations of the early 1990s started.

To the north stands the Mongolian parliament, protected behind a massive and magnificent statue of Chinggis Khaan. Beside him, the two other great emperors, Ögedeï and Kubilai. Work undertaken in 2006 has given a new and much more modern face to this place. The windows placed between the columns of the main facade give it a futuristic look. The result is very successful. Around the square are the Palace of Culture, the opera house, stores and bars, the post office and the Blue Sky Tower.

It is customary to go to Chinggis Square during a wedding for a photo session. The guests are often dressed in traditional clothes.