Attractions of Kyiv region

The museum of the outstanding Ukrainian artist Mykola Pymonenko was opened in Maliutianka in 1997 at the place where his workshop used to be.

At the age of 11, Mykola helped his father, an icon painter, to paint churches in Maliutianka and neighboring Boiarka.

Pymonenko studied at the icon-painting school at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, then at Mykola Tereshchenko's Kyiv Art School, and in 1882 was enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.

From 1888 to 1911, Mykola Pymonenko and his family spent every summer in Maliutianka, where he created more than 100 of his famous canvases in the style of realism, which are now exhibited in museums in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, St. Petersburg, Paris and other European cities. Among the main ones: "Divination on Christmas Eve", "Home", "Wedding in the Kyiv province", "Matchmakers", "Divination", "On the river", "Ford", "Geese, go home".

Part of the exposition of Mykola Pymonenko's museum was made up of unique exhibits from the family collection, which were given to the museum by the artist's great-grandson.

Today, it is a branch of the Boiarka Museum of Local Lore.

By prior agreement, the Mykola Pymonenko Museum conducts tea-party tours.

A popular natural photo location between Vasylkiv and the village of Velyka Buhaivka is called "Kazkovy yar" (Fairy Yar) or "Ukrainian Iceland".

This is quite typical for the Vasylkiv region, but an incredibly picturesque truss-beam system with steep slopes, the height of which sometimes reaches 30 meters.

It often serves as a location for filming and professional photo shoots. In particular, Vasylkiv landscapes can be recognized in the films "Toloka" and "Zakhar Berkut", the TV series "And there will be people". Jamala and Pianoboy's music video for the song "Endorphins" was filmed directly in the "Kazkovy yar".

The tract does not have a nature conservation status, but on the slopes of the ravines in some places the typical typchakovo-kovila steppe vegetation has been preserved, wild animals live. The hunting grounds of the Vasylkiv region Hunting and Fishing Club are located on the territory of the "Kazkovy yar".

The location is to the right of the road from Vasylkiv to Velyka Buhaivka, a dirt driveway leads to it.

On the opposite side of the village of Velyka Buhaivka, there is another raft and beam system - the landscape reserve of local importance "Vasylkivski Carpathians", with which the "Kazkovy yar" is often confused.

The Geological Museum of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is located in the premises of the Institute of Geology of KNU.

The museum was founded in 1834 as the Mineralogical Office of the Department of Mineralogy and Geognosy of the University of Saint Volodymyr. The materials of the liquidated Volyn Lyceum, Lutsk Gymnasium and Vilnius University became the initial foundation for it. After the paleontological collection was added in 1997, the current Geological Museum was created.

The exposition is located on an area of 880 meters. The Geological Museum has departments of general geology and geological processes, history of the Earth and paleontology, mineralogy and petrography, geology and minerals of Ukraine.

The exposition of the museum demonstrates the position of the Earth in outer space, the peculiarities of its structure and development, the evolution of the organic world. About 10,000 samples of minerals, rocks, precious and decorative stones, fossilized remains of fauna and flora, among which many are unique, are exhibited.

The National Academic Drama Theater named after Ivan Franko is the most popular in Kyiv.

The theater building was built in 1898 on Mykolayivska Square, which appeared on the site of a filled-in pond, which was located in the estate of the Kyiv professor Mering.

The theater premises were built by architects Eduard-Ferdynand Bradtman and Heorhiy Shleifer for Mykola Solovtsov's Society of Dramatic Artists theater, which later became the basis of the troupe of another Kyiv theater named after Lesya Ukrainka. The audience hall is decorated in Rococo style.

In 1919, the Solovtsov Theater was nationalized and transformed into the Second Lenin Theater of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1926, the theater building became a permanent stage for the theater group named after Ivan Franko. The theatrical season of 1926 in the renamed theater opened with the production "Eyelashes" based on the work of Mykola Hohol and adapted by Ostap Vyshnya.

People's Artist of the USSR and Ukraine Bohdan Stupka was the artistic director of the Ivan Franko Theater for a long time.

"Natalka Poltavka", "Shelmenko-Denshchik", "Pygmalion", "Shveik" are considered the most successful productions from the modern repertoire.

The National Museum of Natural History at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is located in the center of Kyiv, in an old building with original neoclassical architecture.

Founded in 1966. Now it is a large museum complex that unites 5 museums: archaeological, geological, paleontological, zoological, botanical.

In 24 halls on an area of 8,000 square meters, more than 30,000 exhibits are collected, which tell about the origin of the Earth, its structure and evolution, plant and animal life, as well as the history of the material culture of the tribes and peoples who inhabited the territory of Ukraine in ancient times.

A prominent place is occupied by a complex of dioramas - about 30 landscape expositions and biogroups. In particular, in the paleontological exhibition you can see the dioramas "Paleozoic Sea", "Northern Black Sea Coast at the end of the Miocene" and "The site of primitive man in the Kyik-Koba cave", skeletons of a Deinatherium, a mammoth, a hairy rhinoceros and a giant deer, reconstructions of settlements from Paleolithic sites in Mezyn and Mezhyrich.

The Archaeological Museum of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences is located on the basement floor. In particular, a set of painted Upper Paleolithic mammoth bones from the Mezyn Paleolithic site, interpreted as the world's oldest musical instruments, is presented here.

Church of Saints Borys and Hlib in Pereyaslav was built in the early XIX century on the site where in 1015 by order of Svyatopolk Okayannyi was killed Prince Borys, son of Volodymyr the Baptist, who became one of the first Rus saints.

The first shrine at the confluence of the Alta and Trubizh was erected by the will of Prince Volodymyr Monomakh. In 1125, according to the chronicles, Monomakh died "near his favorite church built on the Alta, seventy-two years from birth." After some time Borys and Hlib Church was destroyed by the Polovtsians, but in 1806-1839 it was rebuilt in the style of classicism.

Architectural monument of national importance. The main shrine is a stone cross that pours myrrh, made in 1664 by the folk craftsman Kharko Bespaly. In fact, the Saints Borys and Hlib Church was built around it. The anointing of the cross began in the 1980s.

To mark the 1000th anniversary of the deaths of Saints Borys and Hlib, an eight-meter wooden cross has been erected on the church grounds.

The Private Local Lore Museum "Zinchenko Manor" was opened in 2021 by the family of Viktor and Lyubov Zinchenko in their native village of Derevyana near Obukhiv. Initially, it was called "Kutok Museum" (Kutok is the part of the village where the museum is located).

The ethnographic exposition is located in the restored country house of Viktor Zinchenko's parents, built in 1934. The interior preserves the atmosphere of a traditional Ukrainian hut of the first half of the 20th century.

A traditional stove painted by a local folk artist occupies a prominent place in the house. Ceramic and wooden dishes are displayed on the bowls. Ancient paintings, icons, and photographs hang on the walls. A large collection of embroidered towels and embroidered towels is presented (some of them are embroidered by the hostess herself). Household items are exhibited in the halls: kerosene lamps, irons, nightstands, scythes, etc.

In winter, the Residence of Saint Nicholas operates on the basis of the "Zinchenko Manor".

The historical and local lore museum "Parent's House" was created in 2016 at the Maslivka Agrarian Vocational College named after Prokip Harkavyi.

The main exposition tells about the stages of creation and development of the educational institution since 1920. Historical documents, old photos, awards, items of clothing, fragments of weapons from the Second World War are presented here.

Other chapters are devoted to the nature of Kyiv region, the ancient agrarian culture of Ukrainians, the history of the village of Maslivka from the the Cossacks time, agricultural technologies of different eras, life and lifestyle of the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, and the peculiarities of traditional Ukrainian cuisine. Ancient embroidery, embroidered towels, handkerchiefs, artistic and decorative products, household items, work tools are exhibited.

The Maslivka Agrarian Institution History Museum "Parent's House" organizes tours and art events.

The constructivist building of the National Center "Ukrainian House" appeared at the foot of Volodymyrska Hill in the center of Kyiv in 1982.

The building was intended to house the Kyiv branch of the Central Lenin Museum, which occupied these premises from 1982 to 1993. In 1993, the exposition of the former museum was dismantled, and the building was handed over to the newly created center "Ukrainian House".

From 2004 to 2012, the exhibition of the Kyiv History Museum was temporarily housed here, which was "evicted" from the Klovsky Palace, and now occupies a new building on Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street.

Currently, the National Center "Ukrainian House" provides services for the organization of summits, symposia, congresses, congresses, conferences, presentations, scientific-technical and trade-industrial specialized and international exhibitions, business forums, literary and artistic promotions, concerts, screenings films, corporate parties, balls, art exhibitions, openings. He is a permanent partner of the Kyiv ethnic music festival "Folk Virtuosi" and in December 2019 started his own holiday festival "DoDomu for Christmas", which the organizers plan to make an annual event.

The Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv is the leading center of Shevchenko studies and the richest treasury of works by the most famous artist of Ukraine.

Here is the largest collection in Ukraine of his paintings and graphics, as well as manuscripts of his poetry, rare photographs of the poet and his friends, the first editions of Shevchenko's works with his autographs, personal belongings of Kobzar. In total - 4 thousand exhibits in 24 halls.

The main museum exhibits are the originals of Shevchenko's most famous paintings: "Odaliska", "Kateryna", "Mariya", "Gypsy fortune teller", a portrait of Anna Zakrevska, several self-portraits. Also of great interest to visitors is the portrait of the poet Vasily Zhukovskyi by Karl Bryullov, which was drawn in a lottery to buy Taras from the serfs.

The exposition of the National Museum of Shevchenko is located in a mansion of the XIX century, which once belonged to the patron and businessman Mykola Tereshchenko. After the reconstruction in 2014, the interior of the museum turned into a modern cultural and artistic center, where interactive exhibitions, children's and educational programs are practiced.

The Shevchenko National Museum also includes the Shevchenko Literary Memorial House-Museum and the Memorial Museum "House at Priorka", which were opened in burgher houses where the poet lived in 1859 during a visit to Kyiv.

The National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex "Art Arsenal" (Mystetskyi Arsenal) in Kyiv is a leading Ukrainian cultural institution that integrates various types of art - from contemporary art, new music and theater to literature and museum work. Founded in 2005 on the initiative of President Victor Yushchenko.

The museum is located in the complex of historic buildings of the Old Arsenal opposite the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. This is the best preserved building of the Old Pechersk Fortress of the XVIII century, which later became the citadel of the New Pechersk Fortress. The large two-storey rectangular building was erected in 1784-1801 by the military engineer Carl de Chardon from yellow Kyiv bricks without external plastering, which is why contemporaries called the Arsenal porcelain. Also preserved is part of the main fortress wall with bastions, Vasylkiv and Moscow gates, two powder cellars. From the beginning of the XIX century the Arsenal was at the disposal of the Kiev military garrison, during the XX century the military unit was located here, the defensive Kiev repair plant worked.

Since 2005, the restoration and transformation of the monument of architecture and military engineering into a modern cultural and artistic space has been carried out. So far, less than half of the total exhibition area, reaching 60,000 square meters, is used for exhibitions of contemporary art and various art events.

In the future, the Art Arsenal will become a progressive museum complex that will present the history of Ukrainian art from ancient times to the present and will host collections of masterpieces from the world's leading museums. Now there is a Small Gallery, which presents young Ukrainian art, as well as chamber projects of leading domestic artists. The largest annual event is the Book Arsenal International Festival.

According to the project "Inclusive Travels in Ukraine: accessibility of museums of Ukraine", this largest cultural, artistic and museum complex in Ukraine is successfully implementing a program to increase inclusiveness.

The memorial in honor of the heroes of the military offensive operation "Bukryn bridgehead" (1943), built on the site of the ancient Rus Hillfort of Chuchyn, which was first mentioned in chronicles in the 11th century.

In princely times, there was a fortress here that controlled the surroundings, and a port on the Dnipro. Remains of shafts up to 4 meters high have been preserved, partial reconstruction has been carried out. A monument to Boyan - the author of "Words about Ihor's campaign" was erected.

In 1943, during the operation to liberate Kyiv, the Soviet troops, at the cost of terrible losses, forced the Dnipro in this area and captured an 11-kilometer bridgehead, twice tried to launch an attack on Kyiv, but failed both times. The conditions of the terrain, which complicated the offensive actions of the troops, especially the tank army, were not taken into account. Losses in manpower were colossal.

According to the most conservative estimates, 250,000 Soviet soldiers died at the Bukryn Bridgehead. This episode is considered one of the bloodiest in the entire Second World War.

The "Mezhyhirya" national significance park-monument of landscape gardening art was officially created in 2023 on the basis of the Mezhyhirya government residence - a former suburban residential complex in Novi Petrivtsi near Kyiv, which gained scandalous fame during the tenure of the ex-president Viktor Yanukovych and became the most famous symbol of corruption in Ukraine.

The residence was founded in 1935 on the site of the ancient Mezhyhirya Transfiguration Monastery, founded in the 12th century. During Soviet times, all monastic buildings were demolished, and in their place a recreation complex with the country house of the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, popularly known as "Dacha Shcherbytskoho", was placed.

In 2002, "Mezhyhirya" became the residence of Viktor Yanukovych, who was then the Prime Minister of Ukraine. After becoming president, Yanukovych privatized the residence with an area of 137 hectares and launched large-scale construction here through the use of false structures. The complex includes: the club house "Khonka" (the main palace), the old house of Yanukovych, a guest house ("Putin's House"), the "Galeon" landing stage, a sports complex, a spa center, a golf club, a yacht club, a garage with a collection cars, a zoo, a dog center, a huge park with artificial lakes, and more.

After the overthrow of the Yanukovych regime and the ex-president's flight to Russia in 2014, access to the "Mezhyhirya" residence was open to all. For almost ten years, the object was in an uncertain status. It was cared for by volunteers of the public organization "NPU Mezhyhirya", and they set a fee for visits and excursions. In 2023, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on the creation of "Mezhyhirya" national significance park-monument of landscape gardening art.

On the territory of the park there are walking tours with a visit to "Khonka" and the health center, sightseeing tours on electric cars. Bicycles can be rented. For an additional fee, you can visit the canine center, where more than 70 dogs are kept, and the retro car museum, where about 40 pieces of machinery (cars, trucks, military equipment, motorcycles) are presented. La petite Ecurie Equestrian Club offers horse riding lessons and carriage rides. There are barbecue and coffee shops on the territory.

The magnificent 19-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv is the oldest architectural monument of Rus, one of the largest Christian churches of its time, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.

The temple complex of the Sophia Monastery is located in the historical center of Kyiv, on Starokyivska Hill, within the City of Prince Yaroslav.

According to the latest research, Saint Sophia Cathedral was founded by the Kyiv prince Volodymyr the Great in 1011, and it was built no later than 1018. Earlier it was believed that the cathedral was erected in 1037 in honor of the victory of Yaroslav the Wise over the Pechenegs, as indicated in the Tale of Bygone Years. A grandiose building for those times with a very complex structure was built by Byzantine craftsmen on the model of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Constantinople.

The temple acquired the current Ukrainian Baroque style during the reign of Hetman Ivan Mazepa as a result of the reconstruction initiated by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, carried out in the 17th century by the Italian architect Oktaviano Manchini. The interiors have preserved priceless ancient Rus mosaics and frescoes, including the iconic mosaic image of the Mother of God of Oranta.

Saint Sophia Cathedral was the main temple of the Kyiv state, under its arches ceremonial entrances to the grand prince's throne, church cathedrals and receptions took place. Buried in the church are Prince Yaroslav the Wise, his wife Iryna (Ingigerda) and son Vsevolod with his family, Prince Volodymyr Monomakh, and many Kyiv metropolitans. A valuable source of historical information is numerous ancient graffiti, which can be considered an unofficial chronicle of the Saint Sophia Cathedral and the entire Rus-Ukraine of the 11th-18th centuries.

Today the National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv" unites 77 architectural monuments. Around the cathedral there are monastic buildings of the 17th-18th centuries: the house of the metropolitan, the fraternal building, a bursa, a refectory, a bakery, cells and a hotel. The complex is surrounded by a wall with Zaborovskiy gates and a southern entrance tower. The bell tower, which serves as the main gate, is open to the public.

On the square in front of the bell tower, there is the grave of Volodymyr, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, who was buried at the entrance to Sophia on Black Tuesday, July 18, 1995 after a violent clash between believers and police.

There is also a tactile model of the cathedral with relief plaques in front of the entrance. The reserve is made more accessible thanks to an inclusive information center.

Separate objects of the reserve are the Golden Gate, Saint Andrew's Church and Saint Cyril's Church in Kyiv, the Genoese Fortress in Crimea.

The building of the Karaite Kenasa was built in Kyiv in 1900 by the architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi at the expense of the "tobacco kings" Kohens.

The construction of the kenasa was ordered by the Kyiv community of Karaites, who are considered to be descendants of the ancient Khazars (Turks by origin, Jews by religion). The Kohens were the most influential representatives of the city's Karaite community.

The kenasa building is made in an unusual Moorish style. It was considered one of the most beautiful in the city, impressive with the luxury of decoration and the skill of execution. The exterior finish is made of the most progressive material at that time - cement. The walls are 1.5 meters thick at the base. The building was crowned by a dome with a spire.

In Soviet times, the kenasa building housed a puppet theater, a cinema, and since 1981 - the Actor's House.

The Actor's House hosts performances and concerts, presentations of magazines and books, creative evenings, anniversary celebrations and benefits, scientific conferences, and art exhibitions.