Attractions of Kyiv

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.

The State Museum of Aviation named after Oleh Antonov in Kyiv is the largest technical museum of Ukraine, a structural subdivision of the National Aviation University. Located near Zhulyany airport.

The museum was created for the 100th anniversary of aviation. Almost all major types of aircraft and helicopters that were in the service of the USSR Air Force or flew in civil aviation were collected on the territory of 14 hectares. The historical collection includes models of aircraft, prototypes of which have not survived: the world's first aircraft of the Wright brothers "Flyer-1", a light bomber "Anatra-Anasal", a YAK fighter. In the collection of ANs - the three most popular aircraft: An-2, An-24, An-26.

The exposition of the design bureau of Mikoyan and Hurevych includes four generations of MiG combat aircraft. The Tu-22M strategic supersonic missile bombers are impressive. Civil aviation is also represented by Tupolev's planes.

In total, the museum has more than 70 planes and helicopters, as well as missiles, weapons and engines.

It is possible to rent exhibits (holding events inside the aircraft: filming, presentations, etc.).

The Syrotkin House - an elegant building in the Renaissance style at the corner of Volodymyrska and Prorizna Streets was once the tallest residential building in Kyiv.

Once upon a time there was a small building that belonged to the nobleman Andriy Tarnovsky. In 1898, he sold the plot to the merchant Mykola Hryhorovych-Barsky. Soon, the construction of a profitable building started here according to the project of the architect Karl-Johan Szyman.

Construction was completed in 1902 by the new owner, merchant Oleksandr Syrotkin. On the first floor of the new building was the famous Marquis cafe in Kyiv, which is mentioned in the novel "The White Guard" by Mykhaylo Bulhakov: "The lamps, wrapped in gypsy shawls, cast two lights - a white electric one down, and an orange one up and to the side. The ceiling was covered with a star of blue dusty silk, big diamonds sparkled in blue beds and reddish Siberian furs shone."

In Soviet times, the popular restaurant "Leipzig" operated.

After the recent restoration, the building is preserved.

The monument to the outstanding Ukrainian poet and public figure Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv was erected in 1939. - 75 years after his death.

The question of perpetuating Shevchenko's memory in Kyiv has been repeatedly raised since 1904, but due to bureaucratic red tape, the project was never implemented before the Soviet-Ukrainian war. It was not until the 125th anniversary of the poet's birthday that a decision was made to erect a monument opposite the Red Building of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University, on the site of the monument to Emperor Nicholas I.

The monument was created by sculptor Matviy Manizer and architect Yevhen Levinson. The height of the bronze figure is 6.45 meters. It is installed on a red granite pedestal with the inscription: "T. H. Shevchenko. 1814-1861" and words from the "Testament".

The monument is located in the park named after Taras Shevchenko, which is considered the most comfortable and orderly in Kyiv. In the park you can see a fountain in the shape of the Black Sea. This is a favorite place of amateur chess players of Kyiv. Here is the oldest public toilet in the city, built before the Bolshevik coup of 1917.

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is one of the best higher education institutions in Ukraine, the largest university in terms of the number of students and majors. This is a classical research-type university, a leading modern scientific and educational center of the country.

The Imperial University of Saint Volodymyr was founded in 1833 on the basis of the Polish Kremenets Lyceum (Jesuit Collegium), which was moved to Kyiv, and was opened in 1834 on the day of commemoration of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr.

The main (red) building, built in 1842 in the form of classicism according to the project of the architect Vikentiy Beretti, received colors that corresponded to the color of the ribbon of the Order of Saint Volodymyr. Symmetrical library buildings (1914, 1940) are located on the sides. The yellow building was built in 1850 as a male gymnasium building.

The first rector of the university was the outstanding Ukrainian scientist Mykhaylo Maksymovych. Kyiv University received its current name in 1939 in honor of the outstanding Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who worked in 1845-47 in the University's Archaeological Commission. Mykola Kostomarov, Mykola Hrushevskyi, Volodymyr Antonovych, Mykola Starytskyi, Mykola Lysenko, Maksym Rylskyi, Mykhaylo Bulhakov, Viktor Hlushkov, Vyacheslav Chornovil and many other outstanding scientists and public figures studied and taught here.

The Kyiv National University History Museum, the Zoological Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Linguistic Educational Museum of KNU are located in the Red Building. In addition, the museum complex of the university includes the Geological Museum, the Astronomical Museum and the Museum of the Oleksandr Fomin Botanical Garden.

Taras Shevchenko Park with a monument to the poet, a fountain in the shape of the Black Sea, and a "five" for chess players is located between the buildings of the university. Behind the Red Building is the Oleksandr Fomin University Botanic Gardens (8,000 varieties of plants).

On October 10, 2022, during a Russian missile strike on Kyiv, the university's main academic building suffered significant damage. In addition, the university's museums were damaged as a result of the shelling. In particular, the blast wave damaged the windows of the Zoological Museum, as well as destroyed the stands that housed numerous exhibits and collections.

The Park named after Taras Shevchenko is located in the center of Kyiv in front of the Red Building of the Kyiv National University. It is considered the most comfortable and orderly in the capital.

Opened in 1860 as "University Square" on a wasteland. In 1896, a monument to Russian Tsar Nicholas I was erected in the center of the square. In 1939, on the 125th anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, a monument to the poet Matviy Manizer was opened.

In the park you can see a fountain in the shape of the Black Sea. This is a favorite place of amateur chess players of Kyiv. Here is the oldest public toilet in the city, built even before the Bolshevik coup of 1917.

Museum in the Dark "Third after midnight" in Kyiv - the first museum in Ukraine, where all tours are held in complete darkness and accompanied by blind guides.

The museum space with an area of 150 square meters recreates in 5 locations typical real-life places - a street, an apartment, a park, an art gallery. But everything that surrounds visitors, they can perceive only by touch, as well as hear sounds and smells.

During the 90-minute tour, visitors are invited to go through all 5 rooms, experiencing ordinary everyday situations, but without using eyesight, which gives the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities of the human body and how blind people live.

The museum also offers tours of the city "Feel Kyiv" with a blind guide and an online quest for children "5 senses", which in the format of the game helps children develop senses and empathy.

In 2023, the museum "Third After Midnight" opened in Lviv.

The National Public Radio Company of Ukraine is located in a legendary building in the very center of Kyiv, whose address "Khreshchatyk 26" was once the name of all Ukrainian television and radio.

The four-story building in the heart of the block was built in 1913-1914 as a telephone exchange on the site of the post office. After the transfer of the capital of Ukraine from Kharkiv to Kyiv in 1934, the radio committee was located here.

In 1941, the building was blown up by the retreating Red Army. In 1949-1951, reconstruction was carried out according to the project of architect Victor Yelizarov (the author of the Motherland Motherland monument, Khreshchatyk metro building, Zhulyany airport, Kyiv and Dnipro hotels), and a radio and television complex was built. The first TV tower was located on a nearby mountain.

After the new TV center was commissioned in the early 1990s, state television moved to Syrets in several stages, while state radio remained on Khreshchatyk. Currently, NPRC broadcasts on four channels: UR-1, "Promin", "Kultura", VSRU.

Enthusiasts have opened a museum room where archival documents and photographs, old sound recording equipment, and work equipment of radio journalists are presented. Visiting the Museum of Ukrainian Radio is possible only with the agreement of the NPRC management.

The bright building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is one of the best architectural buildings of the Soviet period in Kyiv.

The interiors of the lobby and the main lobby are decorated with stucco, inlays and monumental painting in the style of socialist realism with elements of Ukrainian folk decorative art. In the central part of the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is an octagonal session hall, covered with a glass hemispherical dome.

In 1991, the state independence of Ukraine was proclaimed here. Currently, the Verkhovna Rada is the main political center of the country. On session days, rallies and pickets often take place on the square.

The Information Department of the Verkhovna Rada conducts excursions on the history of parliamentarism for organized groups of enterprises, educational institutions, and public organizations.

Volodymyr's Cathedral is a classic example of the Rus-neoByzantine style in church architecture. The height of the cross of the main dome is 49 meters.

The idea of building a majestic temple in Kyiv in honor of Prince Volodymyr the Great arose on the eve of the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. The initial project was developed by the architect Ivan Shtrom, but due to the high cost it had to be revised. The construction was entrusted to the architect Oleksandr Beretta, but the building designed by him showed cracks, and the construction was frozen in 1864. The works were completed in 1882 by the architect Volodymyr Nikolaev based on the recommendations of the world-renowned vault specialist Rudolf Berhand.

The interior design of Volodymyr's Cathedral was supervised by professor Adrian Prakhov, who involved 96 famous artists, including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mykhaylo Nesterov, Pavlo and Oleksandr Svedomskyi, Mykhaylo Vrubel, Mykola Pymonenko, who turned the Volodymyr`s Cathedral into a real artistic gem. The compositional system is built around the monumental image of the Mother of God with the Child by Vasnetsov, who worked on the most significant plots of biblical history and the main events from the life of Prince Volodymyr. The solemn consecration took place in 1896 in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II.

During Soviet times, the property of Saint Volodymyr's Cathedral was nationalized, the bells were melted down "for the needs of industrialization", an anti-religious museum was opened in the premises, then the archive of the Academy of Sciences. Services in the Volodymyr`s Cathedral were resumed only during the Nazi occupation.

From 1992 until the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2019, Volodymyr's Cathedral it was the main temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. The relics of Saint Barbara and Saint Macarius are kept here.

A monument to the leader of the People's Movement of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Chornovil, was erected in Kyiv in 2006 at the corner of Mykhaylo Hrushevskyi Street and Muzeyniy Lane, near the building that housed the headquarters of the People's Movement of Ukraine in 1989.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chornovil was an ideologue of national revival and independence of Ukraine, and later the leader of the most influential national democratic party. Died in a car accident under dubious circumstances in 1999.

The author of the sculptural composition is the sculptor Bohdan Mazur. The figure of Chornovil in a billowing cloak, as if breaking through a stone wall, symbolizing Ukraine's totalitarian past. Above him hovers a muse with a viburnum wreath - symbols of glory and recognition.

The pedestrian bridge from Natalka Park to Obolonskyi Island in Kyiv is also known as the "Wave Bridge" due to the characteristic shape of the supports, which resembles five waves. According to the idea of ​​the architect Andriy Myrhorodskyi, the waves symbolize the dynamics and movement of the Dnipro River - the main water artery of the capital.

The wave bridge was built between 2021 and 2024 at the expense of patrons, including the Metropolis of Greater Paris and the government of Taiwan. About 300 tons of metal for the bridge were manufactured at the Azovstal plant on the eve of a full-scale Russian invasion.

The length of the bridge is 176 meters, the width of the new bridge is 3.5 meters. It is designed taking into account accessibility for the movement of people with limited mobility and does not interfere with the passage of small vessels to Obolon Bay.

Together with the construction of the bridge, the recreation area "Obolonskyi Island" was arranged. Pedestrian and bicycle paths were laid here, benches were installed, children's playgrounds were arranged, and public toilets were opened. New trees and bushes were planted on the island, including decorative apple trees, pink acacia and lilac.

The island has an equipped beach with changing rooms, coffee and ice cream outlets.