Monument to Taras Shevchenko, Bronze monument in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

The Monument to Taras Shevchenko is a bronze statue located along the Caspian Sea coast in Aktau, positioned between Mikrorayons 4 and 5 in the city. The sculpture depicts the Ukrainian poet in a standing figure, set within landscaped grounds that are part of the main waterfront promenade.

The memorial honors Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian poet who was exiled to Kazakhstan during the 1850s as punishment for his political writings. Despite his distant location, he continued his literary work and left a powerful legacy that resonated across cultures.

Local residents called Shevchenko "Taras the akyn" during his Mangyshlak exile, and the monument keeps that name alive. Willows grow beside the statue because the poet picked a willow branch in Guryev (now Atyrau) on his way to the peninsula and planted it here. A garden in Fort-Shevchenko still has trees he planted himself.

The monument stands in a square above the Caspian shore, reached by a stairway descending to the sea; the complex also includes viewing terraces, a cantilevered slab and flower beds. The square was repaved and its steps and marble cladding replaced in 2014, and the statue was given a protective coating.

Shevchenko is shown at the age he was during his Mangyshlak exile, not as an older man. A smaller version of the same sculpture stands in the museum at Fort-Shevchenko. Willow trees grow beside both monuments because the poet picked up a willow branch at Guryev (now Atyrau) on his way to the peninsula and planted it here.