Attractions of Kyiv region

The architectural ensemble of the Saint Michael's Monastery is located on the territory of the Episcopal Court of the Pereyaslav Dytynets (Citadel). 

This fortification at the confluence of the Alta River and the Trubizh River was the historical core of medieval Pereyaslav in princely times. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

Saint Michael's Cathedral of the XI century, built on the initiative of the Bishop of Pereyaslav, the Reverend Ephraim of Pechersk, under Prince Volodymyr Monomakh was the largest church in the city. Many Pereyaslav princes were buried there (the tomb has not survived).

The cathedral was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars during the storming of Pereyaslav in 1237. Now you can see the later Saint Michael's Church, revived on ancient foundations by Pereyaslav Colonel Fedir Loboda in the middle of the XVII century. as a small wooden temple, and a century later rebuilt in stone in its present form. At the same time, a defensive bell tower with an entrance gate was erected. As a result of secularization in 1876, the church became a parish, received the status of a city council.

Under Soviet rule, Saint Michael's Church was closed and the dome torn down. Until recently, it housed the Museum of Folk Costume of the Dnipro region. The interior has preserved paintings of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Since 2010, the monastery complex has been in use by the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, the men's monastery of Archstrateg Michael was opened in it. Instead of the authentic dome recorded in Taras Shevchenko's painting, the religious community erected a dome-model of a 12th-century church above the church.

The monastery shares the territory with the Museum of Architecture of Ancient Rus Pereyaslav, which was opened in 1982 on the initiative of the founder of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav" Mykhaylo Sikorskyi. The outline of the temple destroyed by the Mongols is lined with stone around the perimeter of the church, and the original masonry and mosaics are available for viewing in the covered pavilion in the courtyard of Saint Michael's Monastery. There is also a model of an ancient Rus cathedral.

The remains of other structures of the baby are hidden underground. There is a memorial sign in honor of the ancient Rus chronicler Sylvester, one of the authors of the "Tale of Bygone Years", and several other sculptures.

In 2023, the Economic Court of the Kyiv region made a decision based on the lawsuit of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav", according to which the oldest shrine of Pereyaslav should return to the use of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve and obliged the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate to vacate the premises of the Saint Michael's Church.

The gloomy Neo-Renaissance building of the Zemska Administration, built on the order of the provincial authorities, in Soviet times was transferred to the NKVD department, then the KGB. During the German occupation, it served as the premises of the CD.

The entire block around the building is equipped for the needs of the secret police, including temporary detention cells.

The building still retains its profile - the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) is located here.

The caisson of the Stalinist metro is a huge reinforced concrete structure in the Natalka Park in Obolon, which is popularly nicknamed the "Concrete Ship" for its characteristic shape, reminiscent of a submarine with a cockpit.

This is "Title No. 12" - one of the objects of the so-called "Construction No. 1", as mentioned in secret documents, a project of an underground transport system duplicating railway bridges across the Dnipro in the Kyiv region. Currently, the object is known as "Stalin Metro". Two railway tunnels to the south and north of Kyiv (now within the city limits) were intended to ensure reliable, safe and secret transfer of troops and cargo between the right and left banks of the Dnipro.

The construction of the Northern tunnel in the area of present-day Obolon began later than the construction of the Southern tunnel in the area of Zhukiv Island. At the beginning of the Second World War, in 1941, underground work had not yet begun.

A reinforced concrete tunnel and caisson section remained on the surface of the earth near the bank of the Dnipro, designed to sink into the soil and create an underground working chamber for the work of walkers in water-saturated soils.

Since the information about "Construction No. 1" remained secret until recently, the history and purpose of the "Concrete Ship" - a caisson on Obolon was overgrown with many urban legends. The further fate of the building has not yet been determined.

A small recreation area on the Dnipro embankment near the new high-rise buildings near the Pivnichny Bridge on Obolon is called the "Garden of Stones" in Kyiv.

A miniature park with an area of ​​0.35 hectares with cobbled paths is decorated with many sculptures. 24 high basalt stone columns and 5 artificial, several bronze sculptures, 16 benches for rest, 24 decorative lanterns were installed in the park. All stones were brought for the park from different parts of Ukraine.

The main decoration of the square was a large fountain with a diameter of 11 meters, made of granite. In the center of the fountain there are three female bronze figures under an umbrella. A bronze mermaid sitting on a stone and holding a seashell in her hands attracts special attention. it is believed that love will surely come to those who touch her breasts.

Syretsky Park in Kyiv is a monument of garden and park art of national significance.

It was established at the end of the 19th century by the German Meyer as a demonstration park for ornamental crops in flower farming. The yews, thuja, spruces, maples and lindens planted at that time are still preserved.

Work on expanding the park territory, forming decorative tree-shrub groups, as well as expanding the collection of ornamental plants was continued in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century by the famous dendrologist, a great enthusiast of his work, Mykola Ptitsyn.

Currently, the park covers an area of 6.5 hectares.

The Arboretum does not have its own entrance. To get to its territory, you need to go through the transit agro-firm "Flowers of Ukraine".

The Television Museum of the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine (NSTU) was opened in 2006, to the 55th anniversary of Ukrainian television broadcasting. It is located in the premises of the Kyiv TV Center "Olivets", opposite the Kyiv Television Tower.

The 24-story building of the TV center in Syrka was erected in 1983-1992 on the site of the old Jewish cemetery. The Kyiv TV Center was planned as a backup for the central television of the USSR, in case of failure of the Moscow TV Center, which explains the excessive scale of the complex, given the needs of Ukrainian television at the time. In addition to the central office building, which resembles a pencil with its contours, there is a powerful equipment and studio complex for 8 television studios, an unfinished movie concert hall and a protected underground storage for broadcasting in conditions of martial law.

The Museum of Television is located on the lower level of the central lobby of the TV Center. The exposition visualizes the history of Ukrainian television with the help of a series of installations. In particular, the interior of the first television studio of the 1950s in the old television center at 26 Khreshchatyk Street has been recreated.

The permanent exhibition includes more than 800 exhibits, including a television with a magnifying lens KVN-49 and other tube televisions, old film and television cameras, video recorders of various periods and standards, editing equipment, etc. A gallery of sketches and mock-ups of scenery for famous TV programs, made by artists of the TV channel, is presented. A separate section is devoted to the participation of Ukrainian television broadcasters in coverage of the Chornobyl disaster.

The museum has an interactive film set, thanks to which you can try yourself as a presenter or cameraman. The permanent exhibition is complemented by an exhibition area in the main lobby.

Excursions introduce visitors to the exposition of the museum, the programs of the "UA: Public Broadcasting" TV channels, the production units of the TV center, the behind-the-scenes kitchen, television professions and interesting people. Pre-registration is required to visit.

The water mill on the Ros River in Bila Tserkva is currently not working. A complex of mill buildings and dams blocking the river has been preserved.

The mill offers a picturesque view of the Ros River and the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene.

The Central Artist House in Kyiv is the main exhibition site of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine.

Its eight-story building, erected in 1977-1978 according to the project of architect Anatoliy Dobrovolsky in the forms of Soviet modernism and functionalism, is part of the architectural ensemble of Lvivska Square.

The facade, decorated with white Inkerman stone and colored ceramics, is embellishes with seven allegorical figures – symbols of various types of art: art history, scenography, sculpture, architecture, painting, graphics, decorative and applied arts (known as the "seven hanged men").

The artist's house has five exhibition halls with an area of 90 to 360 square meters, as well as a concert hall with 350 seats. Large annual all-Ukrainian exhibitions take place here ("Picturesque Ukraine", "Christmas Vernissage", "Autumn Exhibition", etc.), exhibitions of graphic, sculptural, textile art, personal exhibitions of artists.

The complex includes an art salon, a hotel, a cafe.

Ascension Florivsky Convent (sometimes called Frolivsky) is the oldest active monastery in Kyiv.

It is mentioned in documents from the 16th century as the monastery of Saints Florus and Lavr. In 1712, the complex was transferred to the nuns of the closed Ascension Monastery in Pechersk, and since then it has had the double name Florivsky-Ascension (sometimes it is mistakenly called Frolivsky).

In 1722-1732, the Ascension Cathedral with a southern aisle was built on the territory of the monastery in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The belfry, the hegumen's house and the Ascension Church at the monastery hospital were built in the 19th century by the architect Andriy Melenskyi. The wall of the refectory is decorated with a painting. Later, other temples appeared.

In 1929, the Florivsky Monastery was closed, the Holy Trinity Church was destroyed. During the Second World War, it was reopened and was no longer closed, but part of the premises was taken from the nuns. Currently, all churches (except the destroyed Holy Trinity) have been returned to the monastery belonging to the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Kazan temple is being restored. The Florivsky Monastery was famous for its school of artistic sewing.

An active source of holy water has been preserved.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (House of the Government of Ukraine) is the largest administrative building in Kyiv (235,000 square meters).

It was built in 1938 for the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVS), which left its mark on the exterior and interior layout (rounded corridors and many corners facilitated defense). However, throughout its century, the building served as the premises of the Ukrainian government.

In 1997, on the initiative of the then Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, the upper floors of the Government House were repainted white, thereby softening the harsh appearance of the building.

Excursions are held in the building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The Government House also houses the Museum of the History of Governments of Ukraine. Original materials related to the activities of former heads of government, including documents, awards, and photographs, have been submitted. The interior of the office of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR has been recreated. Visitors can familiarize themselves with the technical means used by employees of the government apparatus. The exhibition of gifts received by leaders and members of the government of Ukraine as gifts to the state is constantly updated.

The Cheese Museum in Kyiv was created by farmers-cheesemakers from Bohuslav region to spread Ukrainian traditions of original cheesemaking. It is located in the city center, near Bessarabska Square and the "Palats Sportu" metro station.

The premises of the museum is a carriage drive into the yard of the house built in 1827, which was one of the first stone buildings on the descent of Shovkovychna Street. The authentic cobblestones and brickwork of the walls have been preserved.

The museum exposition presents a collection of unique cheese knives, an exact copy of a cheese press based on ancient drawings of the 18th century, an original lottery ticket for a cheese lottery in England, an engraving of the oldest cheese market in Holland from 1873.

Excursions are offered in Ukrainian and English. There are tastings of several types of cheese with wine, nuts and honey, as well as workshops for children on sculpting cheese horses. In the cheese shop, you can buy handmade farm cheeses made at the "Dooobra Farm" cheese factory.

Christer's Hill is a park on Kurenivka, the northern outskirts of Kyiv.

In 1850, the Saxon Wilhelm Christer bought about 40 hectares of forest here from Prince Esterhazi. Christer founded the company "Horticulture and Seed Farming. Wilhelm Christer", which became known far beyond Kyiv. He laid out a wonderful garden with nurseries of fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, the company annually sold more than 100,000 decorative trees.

After the Soviet-Ukrainian war, the garden was nationalized and transformed into the "Rose" horticultural park.

The 150-year-old "Christer's Spruce", 50-year-old pines, a huge old linden with a diameter of three meters, and old chestnuts have been preserved.

One of the oldest trees in Kyiv - the 700-year-old Christer's Oak - grows in the yard of the building on Baydy-Vyshnevetskoho Street, 3.

Three ponds have been preserved (two of them are regulated) and the wooden house of Christer, built in 1890 by the architect Schille.

In 2008-2009, the park "Christer's Hill" was reconstructed, new plants were planted, gazebos and bridges were built.

In 2021, a scaled-down copy of Christer's house was installed in the park "Christer's Hill". The minimaquette was made of wood by the sculptor Vasyl Markush. On the installed mini-maquette there is a sign with a description in Ukrainian and English, as well as in Braille.

Maydan Knyazhyi dvir (princely court) is located in the center of the ancient Pereyaslav. Princes of Pereyaslav lived here, state affairs were decided, the princely army was gathered, from here they set off against the enemy and returned here victorious.

In princely times, the area of the entire city center reached 2.5 hectares. The princely court (Knyazhyi dvir) occupied its northern part and was bounded from the east by the central street connecting the princely and episcopal gates, from the north and west by a defensive rampart, and from the south by a transverse street that departed from the city center.

It was at this place in 1654 that the Pereyaslavska Rada was held - the general military council of the leaders of the Ukrainian Cossacks, at which Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, before the Moscow embassy of the boyar Vasyl Buturlin, took an oath of loyalty to Tsar Oleksiy Mykhaylovych, the result of which was the conclusion of an agreement on a military-political union between Ukraine and by Muscovy.

On the square is the Cathedral of the Dormition, where the Cossack foreman was sworn in. Ukraine was under the protectorate of the Muscovite Empire. The process of curtailing the autonomy of the Cossack state and the complete absorption of Ukraine by the Muscovite state, which later became the Russian Empire, soon began.

In honor of the anniversary of those events in Soviet times, the square in front of the Cathedral of the Dormition was named "Pereyaslavska Rada Square". On September 26, 2019, by the decision of the city council session, Pereyaslavska Rada Square was renamed Maydan Knyazhyi dvir.

The Literature-Memorial Museum to Mikhail Bulhakov was opened in the so-called "Turbiny House", where the writer lived from 1906 to 1919 and where he "settled" the heroes of the novel "White Guard".

The interiors of the rooms are reproduced in the form in which they are reflected in Bulhakov's photographs and descriptions: a grand living room with a piano, a medical office, a room for the writer's sister Varya, as well as a room for Bulhakov himself and the hero of Mykolka's novel. apartment N50 from the novel "The Master and Marharita". The effect of the "fifth dimension" is especially impressive - from the dining room through the mirror you can see the room where Oleksiy Turbin died, and in real life - Bulhakov's father.

The exposition presents many Bulhakov's relics collected by the writer's relatives and enthusiasts.

Tea parties are arranged for visitors on the veranda.

National Complex "Expocenter of Ukraine" (VDNG) is the main exhibition site of the country.

The complex on the southwestern outskirts of Kyiv was built in 1958 as the Republican Agricultural Exhibition, but already at the time of its opening it was named "Exhibition of Best Practices in the National Economy of the Ukrainian SSR". Soon the complex was renamed "Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy" (VDNG). In 10 pavilions, the best samples of products of Ukrainian enterprises were presented.

Currently, "Expocenter of Ukraine" is the organizer of many international and national exhibitions and fairs, a modern demonstration center of Ukraine's achievements in the economic, scientific, industrial, humanitarian and other spheres. The closed exhibition display area is 18,000 square meters, the open area is 21,000 square meters.

From a tourist point of view, the Expocenter is interesting as a sample of grand Soviet architecture - 20 of the 180 buildings located on the territory have the status of historical and cultural monuments of Ukraine.