It was founded in 1874 and is one of the oldest in Kyiv. The park, like the nearby palace, is named after the wife of Emperor Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the park was used for provincial institutions. After the construction of the Pechersk Fortress, the area was cleared of buildings, and in 1869 it was officially named Palace Square. In 1900, a cast-iron fountain by O. Tremen was installed here, made using the technology of recycling ferrous scrap and the remains of metallurgical production. Among the preserved monuments are a monument to General Vatutin and several park sculptures.

Mariinsky Park is designed in a landscape style, with well-equipped recreation areas and observation decks overlooking the Dnipro River and the Left Bank. The area in front of the Verkhovna Rada often serves as a gathering place for activists, and in summer, people rollerblading, longboarding and dancing are popular in front of the Mariinsky Palace.