Attractions of 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 National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Bykivnia Graves" was established at the site of the mass burial of victims of the political repressions of 1937-1941.

In Stalin's time, a special purpose NKVD facility was located near the village of Bykivnia (now within Kyiv near the Kyiv-Brovary highway), where executed Kyivans, Polish officers, and other victims of Bolshevik terror were secretly buried. In particular, prisoners of Kyiv prisons, who were shot after the German attack on the USSR, were hastily buried here.

According to preliminary data published in Soviet times, 6,783 victims of repression are buried near Bykivnia, but the actual number may be several times higher. Research continues today.

A monument to the victims of repressions has been erected at the entrance to the Bykivnia Graves Memorial.

Funeral services are held every year in mid-May.

The National Museum of Medicine of Ukraine was established in Kyiv in 1973 on the basis of the Anatomical Theater of Kyiv University.

The museum building was built according to the project of the famous architect Oleksandr Beretti in 1853.

The exposition demonstrates the development of medicine in Ukraine from ancient times to the present day. In addition to traditional stands with photos, books, medical instruments and drugs, original interiors with portrait figures of famous scientists and doctors, as well as dioramas dedicated to the most outstanding events in Ukrainian medicine, are presented.

In the exposition of the museum, works of Ukrainian fine art on this topic are also widely presented.

The Museum of Medicine of Ukraine is considered one of the largest and original medical museums not only in Ukraine, but also in all of Europe.

The greatest treasury of Ukrainian antiquities of all time is the National Museum of History of Ukraine (NMHU), located in the historic heart of Kyiv, on the ramparts of the Kyiv Dytynets (Citadel).

The museum was founded in 1899 and officially opened in 1904 as the Kyiv Art, Industry and Science Museum. It was originally housed in a museum building built by architect Vladyslav Horodetsky, which is now occupied by the National Art Museum. The first museum department of archeology was headed by the discoverer of Trypillia and Chernyakhiv cultures, a prominent Ukrainian archaeologist Vikentiy Khvoyka.

After the Second World War, the historical museum moved to the current building in the style of classicism, which was built on Starokyivska Hill in 1937-1939 for the art school. Today, the National Museum of History of Ukraine is one of the leading museums in Ukraine in terms of the number and importance of collections. Its stock collections number about 850 thousand exhibits. These are world-famous archeological and numismatic collections, ethnographic collections, collections of weapons, monuments of decorative and applied arts, manuscripts, old prints, paintings and graphics, relics of the Ukrainian national liberation movement of the twentieth century. They are located in 33 halls and reflect the history of Ukraine from ancient times to the present.

In particular, you can see the mysterious binoculars of Trypillia vessels, an anthropomorphic idol of pit culture, an iron Scythian sword with a golden handle from the Bielsko settlement. The diorama "Kyiv of the X-XIII centuries" gives a clear idea of the medieval city. The grand royal carriage of Empress Elizabeth Petrivna, which she presented to Kyiv Metropolitan Raphael Zaborovskyi, impresses with its luxury. The pride of the National Museum of History of Ukraine is the holographic exhibition "Golden Treasury of Ukraine", where you can see in detail the hologram of the famous golden Scythian pectoral. The largest numismatic collection of the museum in Ukraine has 120 thousand units.

In addition to classic tours, the National Museum of History of Ukraine offers author's themed tours, theatrical tours with a deep immersion in the atmosphere of the era, interactive children's tours and quests. The museum shop offers historical publications, postcards, souvenir plates, magnets, etc.

Admission to the museum is free every last Monday of the month.

The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv is one of the most famous opera and ballet stages in Europe.

The building was built in the style of the French Renaissance on the site of the city theater that burned down in 1896. In 1911, Russian Prime Minister Petro Stolypin was assassinated here in front of Mykola II and the public.

In the park there is a monument to the author of classical Ukrainian operas, Mykola Lysenko.

The schedule of the Kyiv Opera Theater includes more than 50 performances by composers from different countries and eras: Verdi, Rossini, Chaykovskyi and others. Among the most successful productions of the theater troupe: "Swan Lake", "Rigoletto", "Romeo and Juliet" and others. The operas "Zaporozhets by the Danube" by Semen Hulak-Artemovsky and "Natalka Poltavka" by Mykola Lysenko enjoy constant popularity.

The elegant building of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, which now adorns the European Square in Kyiv, was built in 1882 by architect Volodymyr Nikolayev as a club of the city's Merchants' Assembly.

Balls, charity events, concerts took place here. The columned hall of the Philharmonic Hall has unique acoustics, Chaykovsky,i Rakhmaninov, Shalyapin performed here.

In 1991-1996, a full-scale restoration was carried out.

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 date of the foundation of the wooden Nativity of Christ Church in Podil is established by tradition. It was first mentioned in written sources in 1520.

The stone structure of the Nativity of Christ Church was built on Kontraktova Square in 1809-1814 according to the project of architect Andriy Melenskyi.

In 1861, the people of Kyiv said goodbye to Taras Shevchenko's ashes, which were transported from St. Petersburg to Kaniv.

The Nativity of Christ Church on Podil was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the middle of the 20th century and restored in 2003 in its original form.

The church in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nicholas the Good) in Kyiv was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by the hetman of the Zaporizhzhia Army, Matviy Kushka (Samiylo Kishka), to thank God for his rescue from Turkish captivity.

According to one of the versions, the "good" church was nicknamed for its neighborhood with the almshouse. In 1716, the temple was rebuilt in stone, and a stone bell tower was erected nearby. In 1800-1807, according to the project of the architect Andriy Melenskyi, a new stone temple in the style of classicism was built on the site of the fallen church. In 1913, the writer Mykhaнlo Bulhakov married his first wife, Tetyana Lappa, in the church of Nicholas the Good.

The temple was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1937, but the bell tower was preserved. In 1992, an altar was installed in the bell tower, and it was consecrated as the Church of Saint Nicholas. The congregation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church conducts divine services there.

Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex (NSC) is the main sports arena of Ukraine. It is the main venue for home football matches of the national football team of Ukraine.

The Central Stadium of the city of Kyiv (formerly the "Republican Stadium") is located in the very center of city, at the foot of Cherepanova Hill. Its slope served as the basis for the construction of the southern and eastern tribunes of the Red Stadium named after Lev Trotskiy, which was first opened in 1923. Already in 1936, according to the project of the architect Mykhaylo Hrechyna, the reconstruction of the stadium began with bringing the capacity to 50,000 spectators, but due to the Second World war, the opening took place only in 1946.

After another reconstruction in 1966-1968 with the completion of the second tier of stands, the stadium began to accommodate 100,000 spectators, becoming one of the largest in the USSR and Europe. It was modernized twice, and in 2011, the Olimpiyskiy NSC Stadium opened after a complete reconstruction for the Euro-2012 football championship.

The central part of the stadium is a large sports arena with a football field, athletic tracks and two-tier stands for spectators. The capacity was reduced to 70,000 seats due to the expansion of aisles to sectors, VIP boxes, places for commentators and places for people with disabilities. A canopy of modern material was built above the stands, covering all seats.

In 2013, the Olimpiyskiy NSC History Museum was opened, where posters of historical matches, balls used by great athletes, 3D models and interactive installations of events, rare exhibits from the 1980 Olympics and much more are presented.

Excursions are available by appointment, during which visitors are shown the Olympic courtyard, the arena and the football players' locker rooms.

The complex also houses the Dynamo Kyiv Football Club Museum and the Klitschko Brothers Sports Achievements Museum.

Park "Pochayna" in Kyiv is located on the banks of the legendary Pochayna River (the right tributary of the Dnipro), which is currently a system of Opechen lakes connected by collectors

The source is Lake Redkine (Ministerske). The point of confluence with the Dnipro is Volkovata Bay a little south of the Pivnichniy Bridge.

In ancient times, the mouth of the Pochayna was located in the area of ​​the current Poshtova Square, where the Kyiv harbor was located. According to legend, it was in Pochayna that Prince Volodymyr Svyatoslavych of Kyiv baptized the people of Kyiv in 988.

In 2016, activists of the "Pochayna" community initiated a project to revive the historic river. A small section of the channel near the "Pochayna" metro station was cleared and arranged. In 2017, the Kyiv City Council decided to create a 10-hectare Pochayna Park.

Literary Memorial Museum-Apartment of Pavlo Tychyna was opened in 1980 in the house where the prominent poet and statesman lived in Kyiv from 1944 to 1967.

It was during this period that he worked as Minister of Education, then was Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of the Soviet Ukraine. Tychyna's apartment was located on the second floor, but the museum was originally located on the first floor, and only in 1990, on the 110th anniversary of the poet, the museum was given his memorial apartment №3.

The exposition of the museum is deployed in five rooms of the apartment, in which the authenticity of the interiors and the atmosphere is preserved as much as possible, which creates the effect of "the presence of the owner". The main part of the exposition consists of memorial items of Pavlo Tychyna, which were handed over to the museum by his wife Lydia Petrivna.

His books, musical instruments, art collection and personal drawings are stored in the study. The master bedroom and the room of Pavlo Hryhorovych's mother-in-law, Kateryna Kuzmivna Paparuk, are very cozy. Pavlo Tychyna Memorial Library has more than 20,000 items of printed materials. The exposition of the living room reflects the life of the Ukrainian creative intelligentsia of the middle of the XX century. It is here that the museum holds various creative events.

The souvenir shop offers books by Pavlo Tychyna, souvenirs with the museum logo.

In the same building is the Literary Memorial Museum-Apartment of Mykola Bazhan, who was a neighbor of Tychyna.

The pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Volodymyrsky descent in Kyiv is called the "Klitschko Bridge" in honor of the initiator of the project, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.

It was opened for Kyiv City Day in 2019, and since then it has immediately become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the capital. The reinforced concrete bridge on four piers has a length of 212 meters (in some sources – 216), the height of the highest pier is 32 meters. The bridge has a winding canvas, on each of the two main bends there are viewing platforms with glass windows in the floor and observation binoculars.

A pedestrian and bicycle bridge connects Volodymyrska Hill with the Arch of Friendship in Khreshchaty Park. It is a key part of the tourist route through Kyiv parks from Landscape Alley to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

Petra Sahaydachnoho Street is the main thoroughfare of the old part of Podil, one of the most colorful streets in Kyiv.

Connects Kontraktova Square with Poshtova Square. It was part of the Podil-Pechersk highway. It is named in honor of hetman Petro Sahaydachnyi, whose monument is erected in the park on Kontraktova Square.

On weekends and holidays, Sahaydachnoho Street becomes a pedestrian zone, with many shops and cafes.

In the central part is the Balabukh Manor (27 Petra Sahaydachnoho Street).

The equestrian monument to Hetman Petro Sahaydachny was installed in the square at the intersection of Sahaydachnoho Street and Kontraktova Square, near the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

A hero of the Cossack era, a talented commander, a champion of Orthodoxy, hetman of the Zaporizhzhia Army, Petro Sahaydachny also became famous in the field of enlightenment and philanthropy. With the active participation of Sahaidachny, the Orthodox hierarchy was restored in Ukraine in 1620, which had been abolished after the Brest Church Union in 1596. In particular, he financially supported the Kyiv sister school - the future Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and after his death in 1622, he was buried on the territory of the academy - in the Kyiv Bratsky Epiphany Monastery.

The monument to Petro Sahaydachny was created by architects Mykola Zharikov, Ruslan Kukharenko and sculptor Valeriy Shvetsov. The funds for the construction of the monument were collected by the residents of the city of Kyiv, as well as the residents of the village of Kulchyntsi in the Lviv region, where Sahaydachny is from.