Attractions of Kyiv

The Literary Memorial House-Museum of the outstanding Ukrainian actress, the first People's Artist of Ukraine Mariya Zankovetska tells about the life and work of the representative of the luminaries of the National Ukrainian Theater of the late XIX - early XX centuries.

Zankovetska spent the last years of her life in Kyiv, living in the house of her sister Lidiya Karnaukhova. The first museum was organized in 1960. In 1980, the original architectural monument was destroyed, but 9 years later the house was restored to its original form and opened a renovated museum.

The historical and biographical part of the exposition presents manuscripts, photographs, play posters, stage costumes and personal belongings of the actress.

The memorial part recreates the interior of Mariya Zankovetskaya's apartment, which consisted of three rooms: an office, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. The rooms are mostly furniture and things that belonged to the hostess.

On the ground floor there is a museum living room and an exhibition hall.

Mariyinskyi Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in Ukraine.

The imposing building in the Baroque style was built in 1750-1755 according to the project of the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli for the empress Yelyzaveta Petrivna, who personally chose the place for it. During the highest visits to Kyiv, members of the royal family stayed here, including Catherine II, who visited Kyiv in 1787. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Mariyinskyi Palace served as the residence of the governor-generals of the Kyiv province.

Currently, the Mariyinskyi Palace is the ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine, where receptions at the highest level take place. Many decorated interiors in the style of classicism with baroque and renaissance elements, antique furniture, chandeliers, paintings by famous artists, and wall paintings have been preserved.

Initially, the main facade of the Mariyinskyi Palace faced the City (Royal) Garden, laid out in 1748 by order of Empress Elizabeth. On the opposite side of the palace (the current front) is the broken Mariyinskyi Park, which bears the name of Empress Mariay Oleksandrivna. A scandalous high-rise building was erected on the territory of the park, which became the highest (above sea level) residential building in Kyiv.

Maydan Nezalezhnosti is the central square of Kyiv, a symbol of freedom. The main events of the struggle for Ukraine's independence in 1990-1991, the "Orange Revolution" in 2004, and the "Revolution of Dignity" (Euromaydan) in 2013-2014 took place here.

The square began to take shape only in the 19th century (it used to be a wasteland), and already in 1876, when the City Duma moved here, the square was called Dumska. After the World War II, it was rebuilt, called Kalinin Square, then - October Revolution Square (the central element was a monument to Lenin, removed from the pedestal in 1991). One of the symbols is the electronic scoreboard on the tower of the House of Trade Unions.

The panorama of Maydan Nezalezhnosti opens from the hill, where the former building of the Institute of Noble Maidens (1843) is located, which later served as the premises of the NKVD, then the Palace of Congresses.

In 2000-2001, the Maydan Nezalezhnosti was thoroughly reconstructed (the "roulette" disappeared - the famous Kyiv fountain, which was a traditional meeting place). A series of new monuments appeared: Independence Monument, Lyad Gate, Monument to the Founders of Kyiv, Kozak Mamai and others. The "Globus" shopping complex was built in the underground part, which now adjoins the "pipe" - an underground passage where "informals" of all stripes gather.

Projects for the reconstruction of the Maydan Nezalezhnosti and the creation of a memorial to the heroes of the "Heavenly Hundred" who died during the protests in January-February 2014 are being discussed.

The residence of the Metropolitans of Kyiv and All Ukraine on the territory of the Sophia Monastery in Kyiv was founded in 1722–1730, during the time of Archbishop Varlaam Vanatovych.

It was completed by his successors, Metropolitans Rafayil Zaborovsky and Tymofiy Shcherbatsky.

The three-storey palace in the Ukrainian Baroque style was built next to Sophia of Kyiv with the participation of architects Johann-Gottfried Schedel and Semen Antonov. At the end of the 19th century, an extension was made on the western side and a balcony with a staircase was installed, which led down to the metropolitan garden from the second floor.

The interiors of the metropolitan rooms have preserved the authentic painting of the XVIII century, as well as authentic stoves, lined with tiles of the Kiev ceramic factory Andrzheyovsky. Among the original interior items of the XVIII-XIX centuries: floor clock, desk-cylinder, fireplace made of red marble. Old prints in Old Slavic and foreign languages of the XVI-XVIII centuries are presented.

The gallery of portraits from the collection of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine introduces the former residents of the Metropolitan's House.

The Money Museum of the National Bank of Ukraine is located in a magnificent building in the Italian Renaissance style, which was built for the Kyiv office of the State Bank.

Initially, the building was two-story, but 30 years later, two more floors were added. The central place in the building is given to the operating room with colored stained glass windows and a glass ceiling.

The exposition of the Money Museum of the National Bank of Ukraine tells about the monetary circulation in Ukrainian lands from ancient times to the present day. It presents primitive forms of money, antique, medieval coins, money of the Russian Empire, banknotes of the Ukrainian People's Republic, as well as money of the Soviet period and modern independent Ukraine.

In addition to excursion programs, the Money Museum of the National Bank of Ukraine offers interactive events for children and adults - lectures, master classes, quests, workshops. A thematic walking tour is available along the route of Kyiv bankers, industrialists and merchants of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries.

A monument to the legendary founders of Kyiv was erected in the park on the Dnipro embankment in the spring of 1982 as part of preparations for the 1500th anniversary of the city.

According to an ancient legend, Kyiv was founded by three brothers - Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv - and their sister Lybid . While sailing through the Dnipro, they were captivated by the beauty of the Dnipro hills, decided to settle here and named the city after their older brother. Probably, these were the princes of the tribal association of the Polyans, who are the founders of the three settlements that later formed the city of Kyiv. Their names have been preserved in the city toponymy.

The sculptural composition is presented in the form of a boat on which figures of the founders are installed. The sculpture is made of angled copper. There is a swimming pool at the foot of the granite pedestal.

More than 100 realistic figures of prominent figures of Ukrainian history are presented in the exposition of the innovative museum "Making of Ukrainian Nation" in Kyiv.

It is located on the territory of the National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War, on the back of the pedestal of the Motherland.

During the two-hour tour, visitors will get acquainted with the centuries-old history of the Ukrainian nation and its protagonists: kings and hetmans, military and scientists, artists and athletes.

The exposition consists of 25 plot compositions that model various historical scenes or reproduce real events in the history of Ukraine in chronological order: prehistoric period from Trypillya culture to the early Slavs, Kyivan Rus (Princess Olha, Svyatoslav the Brave, Volodymyr the Great, Yaroslav the Wise), Cossack era (Prince Kostyantyn Ostrozky, Dmytro "Bayda" Vyshnevetsky, Petro Konashevych-Sahaydachny, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ivan Vyhovsky, Ivan Mazepa and Pylyp Orlyk), periods of nation revival (Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrayinka, etc.), of Ukrainian Revolution (Mykhaylo Hrushevsky, Symon Petlyura, etc.), of liberation movements (Stepan Bandera, Andriy Melnyk, Roman Shukhevych), of modernity (Ihgor Sikorsky, Mykola Amosov, Vyacheslav Chornovil, Bohdan Stupka, etc.).

Each installation is accompanied by interactive audio and video content combined with special effects that immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of the era. Dioramas, multimedia stands, interactive screens, maps, holograms are presented. Media guides in eight languages are available to visitors. The installations are specially designed as photo locations. Separate stands are adapted for children. There are recreation areas, cafes, souvenir shop.

According to the project "Inclusive Travels in Ukraine: accessibility of museums of Ukraine", this innovation Museum with three-dimensional sculptures of figures in the history of Ukraine has a barrier-free exhibition space.

The Museum of Modern Fine Arts of Ukraine (MSIIU) in Kyiv is the first private museum in the country that presents the work of modern Ukrainian artists.

The museum was created by philanthropist Serhiy Tsyupko on the basis of his personal collection of paintings, graphics, sculptures and decorative and applied arts.

The museum collection includes more than 6,000 unique exhibits and is located on an area of 3,500 square meters. Its basis is modern non-figurative painting.

In addition, exhibitions of Ukrainian artists are constantly held in the halls of the museum.

The large museum quarter between Saksahanskoho, Zhylyanska, Pankivska and Lva Tolstoho streets in Kyiv unites the museums of several outstanding Ukrainian families who lived here at the same time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Kosach, Lysenko, Starytsky, Tobilevych.

The district of Pankivshchyna was then called the Latin quarter, because the Kyiv intelligentsia lived here: professors and students of Saint Volodymyr University, doctors, engineers, artists.

The outstanding composer, the founder of Ukrainian classical music, Mykola Lysenko, was the first to settle in building No. 95. In the apartment where he lived the last 18 years of his life and wrote his main works, the interiors of the hall, study, dining room and living room are recreated, where even today you can hear the magical sounds of the Lysenko grand piano.

The writer and theater actor Mykhaylo Starytsky lived in the neighboring house No. 93 with his wife Sofiya, daughter Mariya and son Yuriy. The exposition of the Starytsky museum consists of a memorial apartment, where the interiors of the living room, dining room, office of Starytsky and the room of the eldest daughter Mariya are reproduced, as well as the exposition "Continuation of family traditions", which is dedicated to the life and creative path of the writer's children and grandchildren.

The Lesya Ukrayinka Museum was created in building No. 97, where the Kosach family lived for a decade and Lesya herself occasionally visited. In fact, the editorial office of the magazines "Native Land" and "Moloda Ukraina" was based here, the editor-in-chief of which was the mother of the poetess Olha Kosach from the Drahomanov family (literary pseudonym - Olena Pchilka). The seven halls of the literary exposition tell about the life and creative path of Lesya Ukrayinka, about the Drahomanov and Kosach families, the circle of friends and associates of the poetess.

The museum of one of the luminaries of the Ukrainian theater, Panas Saksahansky from the Tobilevych family, will be opened in the memorial building No. 96 on Zhylyanska Street after its restoration.

In the course of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, on October 10, Russia once again carried out a massive missile attack on Kyiv. One of the Russian rockets hit near the Museum of Outstanding Figures of Ukrainian Culture. The houses of outstanding figures suffered significant damage. Extremely valuable unique artifacts from the museum collection were not damaged because they were secured in advance, but there is damage in the museum premises.

The historical and memorial museum of Mykhaylo Hrushevsky in Kyiv was opened in 1992 in a three-story building, which the Hrushevsky family purchased in 1908.

The outstanding Ukrainian historian, politician and public figure, chairman of the Central Council of the Ukrainian People's Republic Mykhaylo Hrushevsky lived here for many years together with his brother Oleksandr, daughter Kateryna and nephew Serhiy Shamray. Many figures of the Ukrainian revolution of 1917-1921 visited Hrushevsky here.

In the premises of the House of Hrushevskys, the authentic environment has been preserved: interior decor, staircase, parquet, window fittings, wooden terraces. The exposition presents pieces of furniture, household items, personal documents, manuscripts, a complete collection of Hrushevsky's works and publications under his editorship.

Two rarities are presented in the daughter's room - a photo portrait of the historian, presented to him by his students on the day of his 60th birthday, and a painting portrait of Kateryna Hrushevska painted by Ivan Trush.

Also in the exhibition you can see a clock from Mykhailo Hrushevskyi's office, English porcelain and Mezhyhirya faience from the collection of the Hrushevsky family.

The museum is located in a closed courtyard (entrance through an arch), surrounded by a garden, which was the decoration of the manor during the time of the Hrushevskys.

The museum regularly holds evening events "Coffee stories of the Hrushevskys" and others.

A monument to the outstanding theater and film actor Mykola Yakovchenko was erected in 2000 to the 100th anniversary of his birth in front of the Ivan Franko Theater, where he worked for a long time.

The talented comedian Yakovchenko, who starred in more than 60 films, was awarded the title of Honored and People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. All-Union fame was brought to him by the roles of Prokop Svyrydovych Sirko ("Behind two hares"), Lopaty's friend ("The Queen of the Gas Station"), Kindrat Perepelytsya ("Maksym Perepelytsya"), Patsyuk ("Evenings on a farm near Dykanka").

The bronze monument by Volodymyr Chepelyk depicts an elderly artist sitting on a bench with a newspaper in his hands, wearing a funny cap, a bow tie and barefoot sandals. Nearby was his beloved dog and best friend, the dachshund Fan-Fan, with whom Yakovchenko spent all his free time from rehearsals and performances. The popularity of the monument is evidenced by the polished knees of the artist and the back of the dachshund.

A copy of the sculpture was installed in the actor's homeland in Pryluky - in front of the City House of Culture, where he began his career.

The National Botanical Garden named after Mykola Hryshko was established by the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on an area of 130 hectares in the territory of Zvirynets, where in ancient times one of the country princely residences was located, and in later times - one of the forts of the Kyiv fortress.

Landscape and botanical areas reflect the flora of different parts of Ukraine, the collection of plants includes more than 10,000 species. Exotic tropical and subtropical plants are presented in the Orangery complex.

The National Botanical Garden after Mykola Hryshko is especially popular in the spring, during the flowering of lilacs (more than 200 species).

The Holy Trinity Ionine Monastery, located on the territory of the park, was founded in 1864, until 1917 it was the largest monastery in Kyiv after the Lavra. It belongs to the 11th-century Zvyrinets cave hermitage (Lomakivska Street, 22).

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 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 National Opera of Ukraine offers tours during which visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the theatrical atmosphere - from the lobby to backstage.