Attractions of Kyiv

The Astronomical Museum in Kyiv operates at one of the oldest university astronomical observatories of Ukraine, founded in 1845, shortly after the university was founded in Kyiv.

The first director of the astronomical observatory was the outstanding astronomer Vasyl Fedorov.

Over a century and a half, many scientific discoveries have been made here in the field of astrometry, solar physics and forecasting of solar activity, meteor astronomy, and observations of artificial Earth satellites. The observatory has several ancient instruments in its arsenal: a meridian circle, 8" and 10" Repsold refractors, a Zeiss astrograph, and a library with rare editions of the 16th-18th centuries.

The building of the astronomical observatory, designed by the architect Vikentiy Beretti, is an architectural monument of the 19th century.

The Astronomical Observatory of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University is one of the oldest university observatories in Ukraine, which has existed since 1845.

At different times, outstanding scientists worked in the observatory, who made a number of astronomical discoveries. In particular, in 1969, the Churyumov-Herasymenko comet was discovered, which in 2014 became the first in history to be landed on by a spacecraft.

The observatory's main building is built in a simplified style of late classicism, has the shape of an octagonal tower. The observatory complex also includes a meridian circle pavilion, a horizontal solar telescope pavilion, three brick pavilions, laboratories and living quarters.

The Astronomical Museum has been operating since 1990, and its collection includes 20,000 objects. The exposition presents devices and instruments, photographs and personal belongings of employees, manuscripts, documents, drawings, star charts, observation journals and old publications. In particular, you can see a portable telescope from 1838, an astograph from 1895, a meridian circle from 1870 and other astronomical instruments of the past.

During the excursions, you can participate in astronomical observations on the operating telescopes of the observatory. Excursions are conducted by appointment.

Babyn Yar in Kyiv is known throughout the world as a symbol of the genocide of the Jewish people. During the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, more than 100,000 civilians, prisoners of war, underground fighters, partisans, hostages, members of the OUN, mentally ill and other people were shot here. Now it is one of the most famous memorial sites associated with the Holocaust.

Deep between Syrets and Kurenivka in Kyiv, along the current Olena Teliha Street, has been known since the 15th century as the "Shalena Baba" tract. According to one version, this nickname was given to a local butcher who later sold these lands to a Dominican monastery.

A ramified 3.5-kilometer-long ravine stretches from the present Dorohozhytska metro station to the Kyrilivska Church. In the upper part of the ravine, since the end of the 19th century, the construction of the Lukyaniv Jewish cemetery began (the office building has been preserved).

During the Second World War, the natural topography of the ravine was supplemented with anti-tank ditches. They became the place of mass shootings and burials of Kyiv residents during 1941-1943. Only on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis executed 33 thousand Jews here.

In 1976, a monument to shot citizens and prisoners of war was erected near Babyn Yar, which for a long time remained the only monumental embodiment of the tragedy. In 1991, a memorial sign "Menorah" in the form of a Jewish ritual seven-century candlestick was installed directly at the burial site. In 2001, a monument to the dead children was opened.

In 2007, the complex of monuments in the Babyn Yar tract was declared a national historical and memorial reserve.

Since 2016, the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center has been building a large museum-memorial complex on the territory of the reserve. In particular, in 2020, the installation "Mirror field" was opened, in 2020 - the symbolic synagogue "A place for reflection", as well as the installation "Looking into the past" dedicated to the Kurenivka tragedy.

Every year on September 29, mourning events take place in Babyn Yar.

Baikove cemetery is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Kyiv.

It was opened in 1834 on Baikova Hill, named after General Serhiy Baikov, a participant in the Franco-Russian War of 1812 and the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, who lived here after his retirement.

On the territory of the cemetery there are about 20 old crypts of various architecture, some of them designed by famous architects Vladyslav Horodetsky, Volodymyr Nikolaev and others.

The Baikovo cemetery is actually a Ukrainian pantheon, many prominent people are buried there: Mykhaylo Hrushevsky, Lesya Ukrayinka, Vyacheslav Chornovil, Mariya Zankovetska, Amvrosiy Buchma, Mykhaylo Stelmakh, Pavlo Zahrebelny, Vasyl Stus, Yevhen Paton, Mykola Amosov, Oleksandr Shalimov, Valeriy Lobanovsky, Roman Ratushny and many others.

A small one-story house on Oleksandrivska Street (now Petra Sahaydachnoho Street) belonged to the Balabukh merchant family from a long time ago.

Balabukh became famous thanks to the production of candies from the signature "Kyiv dry jam" (candy), which were called "balabukhs" or "balabushkas". These delicacies were supplied even to the imperial court.

Judging by the location in relation to the streets, the Balabukh house was built before the fire of 1811. In 1839, a new two-story building in the style of late classicism with features of the Ukrainian Baroque, built according to the project of the architect Lyudvik Stanzani, appeared nearby, in which a pastry shop worked.

In Soviet times, the restaurant "Zaporizhzhia" (now - restaurant "Khachapuri and Wine") was opened there. In a beautiful square between the houses, there are sculptures of a Cossack and a kobzar.

The monument to the Baptism of Rus on the Dnipro embankment is the first monument in Kyiv.

It was installed in 1802 over a spring that once existed in Khreshchaty Yar at the foot of Volodymyr Hill, where, according to legend, Prince Volodymyr baptized his children. Since the reason for its construction was the confirmation by Tsar Alexander I of the Magdeburg Law of Kyiv-Podil, the monument is also called the "Column of the Magdeburg Law".

According to the plan of the architect Andrit Melenskyi, the monument was originally a two-story chapel with a golden dome. An octagonal pool with a fountain was located in the arched pedestal. During Soviet times, the dome was demolished, leaving only arched passages, but by the millennium of the Baptism of Rus, which was celebrated in 1988, the column with the dome and the cross was restored.

The monument is connected to the upper part of the Volodymyrsky Descent by steep stairs.

The beautiful building with many spiers belonged to the Baltic baron Volodymyr Ikskull-Hildenband (his coat of arms is preserved above the double arch of the front entrance and entrance).

It was built in 1901 according to the project of civil engineer Mykola Vyshnevsky as a profit house, designed in the Gothic style. During the Second World War, the wooden parts burned down, and the Gothic spiers were lost. After the war, the building was renovated, changing the layout. The main details of the facade and a beautiful stylish lobby (it can be seen in one of the episodes of the film "His Excellency's Adjutant") have survived.

In recent years, the building was reconstructed again, according to the author's drawings that have survived, the spiers were restored, and an extension was added to the yard.

The Bessarabian covered market, which Kyivans call simply "Bessarabka", is the central and most expensive market in Kyiv.

It owes its name to merchants from Bessarabia (a region on the border of the present Odesa region and Moldova). According to another version, this area was called Bessarabka even before the appearance of the bazaar (allegedly, "Bessarab" was called street children in Kyiv).

The idea of tidying up the unattractive Bessarabian market by building the first covered market in Kyiv arose as early as 1873, but the construction began only in 1910 with the funds allocated by the will of the sugar factory, philanthropist and philanthropist Lev Brodsky. The project was developed by the architect Henryk Gai, who had experience designing an indoor market in Warsaw. The walls were built of brick, and the floor with a glazed roof rested on a metal vault frame. The facade of the market is decorated with sculptural compositions "Peasant with oxen", "Milkhouse", as well as heads of bulls, fish and fishing nets, flying geese. The first underground refrigeration unit in the city was installed in the basement.

The Bessarabian market embodied new European trends, which emphasized not the decorative decoration of buildings, but economy and functionality. It still serves its purpose properly.

The estate with a park in Kmitiv Yar on Tatarka in Kyiv served for some time as the residence of the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Mykyta Khrushchev, and since then it has been called "Khrushchev's dacha".

The construction of the first manor house, according to the project of the architect Mykola Kazansky, for the apothecary assistant Octavian Bilsky, began here in 1893. This house has remained unchanged.

After the revolution and nationalization, the manor was set up as a government residence. In 1934-1937, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR, Vsevolod Balytskyi, one of the organizers of the Holodomor in Ukraine, lived here. It was the heyday of the park - a complex of park bridges, gazebos, park sculptures, and artificial lakes were built.

After the liberation of Kyiv in 1943, Mykyta Khrushchev settled here. With him, the park continued to sparkle with its luxury - bears lived in a small castle above the precipice, peacocks walked around the park.

After Khrushchev's departure to Moscow, the estate remained the residence of the first secretaries of the party's central committee. In 1978, the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology moved to the building near the park, and its administration was located in the country houses.

Today, the park has preserved only the remnants of its former luxury and is in a rather neglected state. Entrance through the passage from Platon Mayboroda Street. Free entrance.

The monument to defenders of the borders of the Motherland of all generations is one of the most original equestrian monuments in Kyiv.

It decorates the square in front of the building of the State Border Service of Ukraine and was installed in 2004 at the initiative of its management.

The bronze figure of a Cossack with a bare saber, who has risen on the stirrups of a horse and looks into the distance in search of enemies, is installed on a narrow pedestal.

The monument immediately earned the sharp criticism of art critics, and invariably causes smiles and laughter from passers-by. The highly simplified figure of the rider looks disproportionate due to the horse's short stature. A slender horse, standing in an unnatural position with an elongated neck, pointed ears and raised tail, looks more like a thin-legged dog. Since the sculptor did not depict the stirrups, one gets the impression that the Cossack is hanging above the horse in the air.

Botanical garden named after academician Oleksandr Fomin at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University is located behind the Main (Red) building of the university.

The main inhabitants of the garden are introduced plants (moved outside the natural range), which were primarily intended for study by university students. The first plantings in the garden were carried out in 1839 with plants transplanted from the Kremenets botanical garden. The formation of the garden's main collection ended in 1850.

Currently, the garden occupies an area of 22.5 hectares. The territory is divided into zones, which mostly correspond to the origin of the plants. In the middle is a pool surrounded by exotic plants. In the spring, the most beautiful magnolias bloom here, the collection of which, numbering 65 species, is the largest in Ukraine and is considered one of the main dominants of the garden.

One of the most valuable in the collection is the southern Lewiston palm, which gives a unique flavor to the exposition of the subtropical flora of Australia. Its age is more than 200 years, its height is almost 28 m. The central place in the exposition is occupied by a unique specimen of the Encephalartos horridus, which is one of the oldest in the country, its age is more than 200 years.

Access to the open part of the botanical garden is possible free of charge through the central entrance near the "University" metro station. Group tours with greenhouses must be booked in advance. You can also visit the Museum of the History of the Botanical Garden named after academician Oleksandr Fomin, which opened in 2009 in a separate room.

The People's Museum of Bread has been operating since 1981 in the premises of the National Ecological and Naturalist Center for School Youth on Priorka in Kyiv, next to the Shevchenko museum "House at Priorka".

The museum has collected more than 2,000 exhibits that tell about the history of bread, its importance for humans, the origin of the main grain crops (rye, wheat, corn, barley, and others). More than 100 samples of various agricultural crops are presented.

The decoration of the exposition is the section "Bread is the head of everything", where 150 breads from different parts of Ukraine and other countries are presented. Agricultural tools of different times are exhibited - from a wooden plow to a modern tractor, from a bucket for manual sowing to a combine harvester.

An honorable place in the museum is given to the works of the poet Taras Shevchenko, who wrote a lot in his works about bread and the hard work of farmers.

A separate exposition is dedicated to the terrible events of collectivization and the Holodomor-genocide organized in Ukraine by the Russian occupiers in 1932-1933.

Considerable attention is paid to the works of Ukrainian scientific breeders. You can even see "cosmic" white and brown bread, donated to the museum by cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych.

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.

Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi is the main passenger railway station of Kyiv. It belongs to the Central Railway, which has been operating since the 1860s. It consists of the old Central, new Southern and Suburban railway stations. The "Vokzalna" metro station is located in the immediate vicinity of the Suburban Station.

The laying of the central building took place in 1927 on the site of the old station, built in the form of English Gothic in 1868-1870. The first line started working in 1932.

During the Second World War, the station was partially destroyed, and after the war - it was restored. In 1954-1955, pedestrian tunnels were laid from Station Square to the platforms, in 1967-1969 a canopy was built over the first platform, and the two original passages at the second floor level were replaced by a large waiting hall with exits to the platforms.

The station was designed for 72 pairs of trains and 40 thousand passengers per day. The main volume has an overall symmetrical composition, in the center of which is a departure lobby with an area of more than 1,200 square meters and a height of 32 meters.

In 2001, a general reconstruction of the station was carried out, during which the facade of the central building was renewed, and the lobby became much more spacious. Its walls were decorated with granite and marble of different colors, and panels with views of the historical monuments of the capital were placed under the vaults. A large escalator was installed near the central entrance, which takes passengers to the second floor. At the same time, the spacious seven-story building of the South Railway Station was built, which is considered one of the most beautiful railway terminals in Eastern Europe.

The Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine was created in 1966 with the assistance of the chairman of the board of the Writers' Union of Ukraine Oles Honchar.

It is located in the historical building of Sophia Monastery Bursa (1763-1767), on the territory of the National Reserve "Sofia of Kyiv". 

The archive-museum holds documents from the literature, art and culture of Ukraine of the 18th-20th centuries, biographical and epistolary materials, manuscripts of works, graphic works and photographs of many Ukrainian writers, artists, composers, actors of theater and cinema. Some of these materials are presented in the exhibition halls of the museum. 

Of particular interest are the recreated interiors of work offices with personal belongings of outstanding figures of Ukrainian culture. Among them are the memorial offices of film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko, writers Yuriy Yanovsky, Mykhaylo Stelmakh, Ivan Mykytenko, poet Andriy Malyshko, artist Mykola Hlushchenko. 

The State Archive-Museum has a reading room where you can order archival documents for perusal.

The department of the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine is the "Literary and Artistic Pliuty" Museum on the outskirts of Kyiv.