Attractions of Kyiv

The Rosenberg Synagogue on Podil is the main synagogue of Kyiv, the oldest of the city's Jewish temples.

The Moorish-style building was built in 1894-1895 according to the project of architect Mykola Hordenin. At that time, it was forbidden to build synagogues in Kyiv, so the Jewish synagogue was officially built as a private mansion of Habriyel-Yakiv Heselevych Rosenberg. Only after the construction was completed, Rosenberg received permission to open a prayer house.

In 1916, at the expense of Baron Volodymyr Ginzburg and the famous philanthropist Lev Brodsky, the choral synagogue was significantly expanded.

In 1929, the Soviet authorities closed the synagogue, and a club was placed in the building. After the Second World War, the Jewish community of Kyiv managed to return the shrine under the condition of carrying out restoration works, and for a long time it was the only active synagogue in Kyiv.

Currently, the Rosenberg synagogue houses educational institutions, a community center (the capital's Jewish community has 25,000 people), a matzah bakery, a kosher dining room, and a mikvah (reservoir for ablution).

Baroque pearl - Saint Andrew's Church - welcomes visitors to Andriyivskyi Descent in Kyiv.

The church was founded on the site of Saint Andrew's Bastion of the Old Kyiv Fortress in 1744 before the arrival of Elizabeth I in Kyiv. According to legend, Saint Andrew the First-Called erected a cross on this site and foretold the emergence of the "eternal city". Probably, this is the only work of architect V. Rastrelli that has survived in Ukraine. Rich interior decoration is close to the Rococo style. The balustrade of the church offers a picturesque panorama of Podil.

The Saint Andrew's Church holds services of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - daily morning liturgies, evening services, water consecration, baptisms, weddings, other rites and spiritual rites. A night service is held on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Since 1968, the Saint Andrew's Church has functioned as a museum. Since 2008, the Saint Andrew's Church Museum has been a sector of the Saint Sophia National Reserve.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Catherine in Kyiv is the main church of the Kyiv Lutheran community.

The Lutheran community has existed in Kyiv since the 18th century. The first religious services were held in the house of the apothecary Heyter in Podil (now it is a museum pharmacy). The wooden church built in 1799 in Podil burned down during the great fire of 1811. A new Lutheran church was built on "German Hill", in the Pechersky Lypky, where many Germans later built their houses. A parsonage and farm buildings were also built, a cemetery was laid out, and later a school and a House for the poor were also built.

The stone Lutheran church in the pseudo-Romanesque style was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century by the architect Ivan Strom. During the Soviet rule, the building survived - there was an atheism club, an exhibition hall. Today it is an active Lutheran church of Saint Catherine.

The slender bell tower of the Greek church of Saint Catherine is the main dominant feature of Kontraktova Square.

In the 13th century, there was the first Catholic church in Kyiv at this place, then the Orthodox monastery of Peter and Paul. In 1787, the monks of the Greek monastery of Saint Catherine, founded in 1738, were transferred to the building. During the great fire of 1811, the Greek monastery survived only because it did not open the door to the arsonists who fled with their possessions.

During the rebuilding of Podil, the monastery took its place. In 1915, a new belfry in the style of classicism (architect Volodymyr Eisner) and a building (architect Fedir Lidval) were built.

In the early 1920s, the church was closed. For some time, the building was used as an exhibition pavilion, then most of the buildings were dismantled. Nowadays, the premises belong to the National Bank. Divine services are held three times a week.

Saint Cyril's Church in Kyiv is a unique monument of architecture and monumental painting.

The church was founded by the Kyiv prince Vsevolod Olhovych in the first half of the 12th century and was the family tomb of the Olhovychs. After Saint Sophia of Kyiv, it is the second church in Kyiv that has survived to this day from the time of Kyivan Rus in almost its original form. In the 17th-18th centuries, it acquired the features of Ukrainian Baroque.

The interiors of the Saint Cyril's Church are impressive with monumental painting, including 800 square meters of 12th-century frescoes with unique plots that have been preserved almost completely, as well as works by the outstanding artist Mikhaylo Vrubel, works by famous and unknown Ukrainian artists of the 19th century.

In 1929, Saint Cyril's Church, given its exceptional historical and artistic value, was declared a state museum-reserve. In 1962, the Saint Cyril's Church became part of the State Architectural and Historical Reserve "Sophia Museum". In 1994, it received the status of a monument of national importance.

Today, the Saint Cyril's Church Museum is a department of the National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv".

Since the 1990s, services have been restored in the church, which are held every Saturday and Sunday, as well as on major Orthodox holidays.

Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral was built in the 12th century by Prince Svyatopolk (Mykhaylo) Izyaslavych on the site of the Dmytrivsky Monastery. Dedicated to Archangel Michael, who is considered the protector and patron of Kyiv.

In 1240, the cathedral was destroyed by the Tatar-Mongols, but soon it again became the cathedral of the monastery of the same name. It was rebuilt several times (a major reconstruction was carried out in 1710). It was almost completely destroyed during the Soviet regime in 1934-1937 to clear the place for the government quarter.

In 1999, the Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery was rebuilt, and in 2001-2004, frescoes stored in the Hermitage were returned to the cathedral.

The Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery History Museum functions in the premises of the bell tower and Barbarian cells. Unique antiquities of the 11th-19th centuries that were found on the territory of the monastery are presented, in particular, a copper gilded high-relief of Archangel Michael from the leading pediment of the cathedral. Employees conduct tours of the museum and the territory of the monastery.

A monument to Princess Olha surrounded by figures of the Apostle Andriy and Saints Cyril and Methodius (1911-1996) was erected on Mykhaylivska Square in front of the cathedral.

Behind the cathedral is the Volodymyrska Hill Park with the upper station of the funicular and the famous monument to Saint Volodymyr the Baptist.

In August 2015, a Wall of Memory of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine appeared on the walls of the Saint Michael`s Monastery.

On December 15, 2018, after the Unification Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, the Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery came under the control of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and became Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery came under the control of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and became the Cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Church of Saint Nicholas in Kyiv was built by the architect Vladyslav Horodetsky at the beginning of the 20th century on the order of the Catholic community of the city.

Saint Nicholas church became one of the first objects, during the construction of which reinforced concrete was used - a new building material at that time. Two 60-meter towers in the medieval Gothic style are richly decorated with artificial stone sculptures. On the left is a three-story house for the sanctuary.

Since the Soviet times, the Saint Nicholas Church has been used as the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine, since 1992 the service has been resumed.

A monument to the great Polish poet Yuliush Slovatskyi was erected near the church in 2012.

In December 2024, Saint Nicholas Church in Kyiv was damaged by a Russian missile strike. At the time of the Russian strike on Kyiv, a service was in progress in the church. The blast wave damaged the facade of the church, destroying the main stained glass composition in the shape of a Gothic "rose". The blast wave destroyed the window frames of the stairwells that lead to the spires of the north and south towers, known as the Crossflowers.

The Church of Saint Nicholas Naberezhny (Naberezhno-Mykilska Church) on Podil in Kyiv is one of the best works of the outstanding Ukrainian architect Ivan Hryhorovych-Barsky.

According to legend, the first wooden church of Saint Nicholas Naberezhny was founded in the 11th century at the place of a wonderful rescue of a drowned baby in Pochayna. The temple was first mentioned in written sources in 1552.

The stone church of Saint Nicholas Naberezhny on the Embankment was rebuilt in 1772-1775 in the late Baroque style according to the design of Ivan Hryhorovych-Barsky. Nearby in 1863, according to the project of the architect Mykhaylo Ikonnikov, a tented belfry with a warm church in the diocesan style was built. Painting was carried out in the middle of the 19th century. The iconostasis installed in 1852, designed in the forms of late classicism, is of significant artistic interest.

A granite cross with the inscription "To those who laid down their lives on the altar of Ukraine" was installed near the church of Saint Nicholas Naberezhny.

The Church of Saint Nicholas Prytyska in Kyiv is one of the oldest in Podil.

According to legend, the fallen icon of Saint Nicholas was "pressed" by a thief who tried to rob the church. According to another version, the name comes from the image of Nicholas Prytyska, which stood near the pier ("prityk").

The exact date of the founding of the original wooden church of Saint Nicholas Prytyska is unknown. (probably it was built in the 16th century on the site of an ancient Rus temple), and the stone building was erected in the 17th century at the expense of a merchant nicknamed "Iron Hrosh".

The Church of Nicholas Prytyska was reconstructed three times after fires. The last reconstruction was carried out according to the project of the architect Andriy Melensky, preserving the original forms.

Nearby is a two-story church building in which priests lived, a church school and a library.

The Church of Saint Nicholas Prytyska belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The church dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is located in Kyiv on a historical site known as "Askold's Grave" (in ancient times - the Hungarian tract).

In 882, Prince Oleh killed the Kyiv rulers Askold and Dir here. Since the time of Princess Olha, the wooden church of Saint Nicholas has stood here (according to another version, the burial place of the first Christian prince Askold is located higher, on the top of the hill in the area of the current Slava Square).

The stone church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in the form of a rotunda was built in the 19th century according to the design of architect Andriy Melensky.

In 1918, Kyiv patriotic students who died in the battle with the Bolsheviks near Kruty were buried at the Askold grave. During Soviet times, a park was built on the territory of the cemetery. Recently, the cross in memory of the heroes of Kruty has been restored.

Currently, the Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker on Askold's Grave belongs to the community of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

A memorial sign was installed (1997, architect Yanosh Vih) dedicated to the events of the 9th century, when the tribes of Ugrians (Hungarians) stopped at the Askold grave on their way from the Volha region to present-day Hungary.

Nowadays, in the lower part of the Church of Saint Nicholas, three memorial signs have been installed, on which the history of the latest Russian-Ukrainian war is engraved: the first - in honor of the "Cyborgs" who defended the Donetsk airport, the second - to the defenders of Debaltsevo, the third - to the heroes of Ilovaisk. A chapel called "military" was also rebuilt and restored. Paintings in the chapel were made by the famous artist Maryna Sochenko. The paintings depict prominent military figures, from the Kyiv princes and hetmans to the present day - portraits of Symon Petlyura, Yevhen Konovalets, Andriy Melnyk, Stepan Bandera, Roman Shukhevych, Oleh Olzhych, Olena Teliha, as well as Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

Therefore, Askold's grave becomes the pantheon of the Ukrainian people.

The Cathedral of Saint Oleksandr is the oldest surviving Catholic shrine in Kyiv.

The church was built in the style of classicism according to the project of the architect Lyudvik Stanzani at the expense of the Polish community of the city, headed by Count Potocki in 1842.

It is located on the south side of Volodymyrska Hill, at the corner of Kostelna and Tryochsvyatitelska streets.

In Soviet times, the building of the Oleksandr Church was used as a planetarium, then as a museum of atheism. In 1990, the Church of Saint Oleksandr was returned to the Roman Catholic community.

In 2001, Pope John Paul II visited the Oleksandr Church during his visit to Kyiv. On June 6, 2021, the church was elevated to the status of a Cathedral.

The Church of Saint Theodosius of Pechersky was built on the place where in 1091, during the transfer of the relics of one of the founders of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from the Far Caves to the Dormition Cathedral, the monks stopped to rest. The trunk of the oak, on which the crab stood, became the basis of the altar.

The wooden Theodosius Church was first mentioned in the 1630s. The stone temple was rebuilt in 1698-1700 in the Ukrainian Baroque style at the expense of the colonel of the Zaporizhzhian Army Kostyantyn Mokiyevskyi.

In 1992, the Saint Theodosius stauropygial Monastery was opened on the basis of the Church of Saint Theodosius. After the Unification Council of Ukrainian Orthodox Churches on December 15, 2018, it became part of the United Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Church of the Saviour at Berestove in Kyiv is an ancient temple located behind the northern wall of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Berestovt (now the territory of Glory Park) was the suburban residence of Prince Volodymyr the Great of Kyiv and his descendants.

It is believed that the construction of the temple in this place was started by Volodymyr Monomakh in the 12th century as the main cathedral of the Transfiguration Monastery - the residence of the princes of the Monomakhovych family. His daughters Yevfimiya and Sophia are buried here, as well as the founder of Moscow, Yuriy Dolhoruky, and his son, Prince of Kyiv, Hlib Yuriyovych.

In the 17th-18th centuries, the temple was reconstructed and became five-domed, the interiors were painted by Kyiv and Athos masters. In the 19th century, the architect Andriy Melensky added a bell tower to it.

The Church of the Savior on Berestove has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990.

The Soviet Occupation of Ukraine Museum was created in 2001 by the efforts of the Kyiv branch of the All-Ukrainian Society "Memorial" named after Vasyl Stus.

The exposition reflects the crimes of the communist regime in the period 1917–1991 and is divided into 10 sections: "Not to be forgotten. The Chronicle of the Communist Inquisition in Ukraine", "People's War", "Ukrainian Solovki", "Kyiv Martyrologist", "Lost Memory" , "Language exposition", "Broken destinies", "Destruction of spirituality".

Copies of documents, in particular from the declassified archives of the Security Service of Ukraine, photographs of private individuals, memories and testimonies of eyewitnesses and their relatives, video and audio materials are presented.

Starokyivska Hill is the historical heart of Kyiv. It is here, according to legend, that Prince Kiy founded his city in the 5th century, which is reminded of by a memorial sign - a stone with the words "From here the Rus land has left..." Now the National Museum of the History of Ukraine is located here.

On Starokyivska Hill, the ramparts of the prince's hillfort and the foundation of the first stone Christian church founded by Prince Volodymyr in Rus - the Tithe Church (989-996) in the Byzantine style (the prince took a tenth of the income for maintenance) have been preserved. It was destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, burying the last defenders of the city under it. Restored in the 19th century in the Byzantine-Moscow style, destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1929. The Church of the Tithes History Museum operates.

A four-hundred-year-old linden tree planted by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla grows nearby. The foundation of Princess Olha's palace (10th century) was discovered. In 1937-1939, the Museum of the History of Ukraine was built.

On the nearby Saint Andrew's Hill, where, according to legend, the apostle Andrew announced the birth of one of the eternal cities of the world, the baroque Saint Andrew's Church (1749-1754) was built according to the project of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Nearby is a monument to the heroes of the movie "After two hares" Holokhvastov and Pronya Prokopivna.