One of the oldest cities in the Ukraine, Kanev was founded in the 11th Century during the reign of Prince Yaroslav. Situated on the right bank of the Dnieper River, the city was successively ruled by Tatars, Lithuanians, Poles, Turks and Russians. Kanev is inseparably linked with Taras Shevchenko, the great Ukrainian poet and painter whose grave site is decorated with a monument atop Taras Hill.