KYIV
Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine,
is one of the most beautiful and ancient cities in Europe.
Now it is more than 1500 years old. It has the population
of nearly 3 million inhabitants, covers an area of 790 square kilometers, and
year by year it is rapidly expanding.
There is a legend about its foundation. Once there were three brothers, one was named Kyi, the second Shcheck
and the third Khoryv, and their sister Lybid. They founded a city and called it
by the name of Kyiv in the name of their oldest brother. The monument erected
in their honour, stands on the bank of the River Dnipro.
In the late 6-th and early 7-th centuries,
during the reign of Volodymyr the Great, Kyiv consisted of two parts – the
fortified Upper City where the court of the princes was located, and Podil, the
lower part of the city, where artisans, fishermen and merchants lived. This
part developed into a busy trading district as ancient Kyiv was a large
commercial center of East Slavs. Its beneficial position on the important
waterway, which linked the city to the Black Sea, promoted its growth. With the
establishment of Kyivan Rus in the 9-th century, Kyiv became its capital. It
played an essential role in the development of written language, literature,
painting and architecture.
Thus there is an abundance of places of great
historic value in the city. In the times of Yaroslav the Wise the Golden Gate
and St. Sophia’s Cathedral were built. The Golden Gate, dating back to the
11-th century, in the distant past was the city’s main entrance. The foundation
of St. Sophia’s Cathedral was laid in 1037 to commemorate the victory over the
Pecheneg tribes. The first library in Kyivan Rus was established on the grounds
of this cathedral. The other places of historic interest in Kyiv are the
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – the Monastery of the Caves whose incredibly fascinating
architectural complex speaks of the exceptional talent and skill of geniuses of
many generations, St. Andrew’s Church, the Maryinsky Palace and many others.
Monuments and memorial plaques on the facades of the buildings tell the story
of important events and personalities that have played a great part in the
history of the nation. Here the outstanding philosophers, artists, architects,
poets and scientists lived, worked and dreamed of a better life. In Kyiv there
are monuments to Prince Volodymyr the Great and Bohdan Khmelnitsky, Taras
Shevchenko and Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Ivan Kotliarevsky and many other prominent
people of Ukraine. Kyiv’s history is full of dramatic events and glorious
deeds. Throughout its age-old existence, Kyiv was frequently attacked by
enemies but never failed to put up a heroic defence against invaders.
Nowadays Kyiv is a large political,
industrial, economic, financial, scientific and cultural center of Ukraine. It
is the residence of the President of Ukraine. The highest body of state power
of Ukraine, the Supreme Soviet, and the Cabinet of Ministers, government
offices, ministries and various committees are also housed here.
The considerable part of the country’s
industrial might is concentrated in Kyiv. The city has
highly developed machine-building, ship-building, precision tools and
electrical measuring instruments, light, food and other industries. There are
companies specializing in electronics, aviation, and chemical production. The
industrial output of Kyiv’s enterprises also includes motorcycles, excavators,
audio and video equipment, furniture, clothing manufacture, etc.
Kyiv is the center of science and education. The National Scientific Library, the Central Botanical Garden, and the
Main Astronomical Observatory are located there. It is the seat of the Academy
of Sciences of Ukraine, the Taras Shevchenko University, the Kyiv-Mohyla
Academy, many scientific-research institutes, various higher and secondary
schools and colleges. Students from different countries of the world are
enrolled in Kyiv’s numerous educational establishments.
Kyiv’s cultural life is rich and varied. The city attracts hundreds of tourists from this country and abroad.
They go sight-seeing and enjoy the beauty of the city. There are a lot of fine
museums, exhibitions, art galleries and theatres in it: the State Historical
Museum, the Shevchenko State Museum, the Museums of Ukrainian, Russian, Western
and Oriental Fine Arts, the Ukrainian Decorative Folk Art Museum, the Natural
History Museum, and many others. Tourists may get acquainted with unique
exhibits found in the Museum of Historic Treasures of Ukraine, with artifacts
dating back to the 6-th century B.C. The T. Shev-chenko Opera and Ballet House,
the Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theatre, the Lesya Ukrainka Russian Drama
Theatre, the Operetta Theatre, the Musical Comedy Theatre, the Puppet Theatre
are greatly appreciated by Kyiv audience and guests of the capital. There is a
conservatoire, philharmonics and several huge concert halls in the capital.
Spectators are sure to like the performances by famed vocal or dance companies
as well as popular variety shows.
Kyiv is old yet eternally young. Side by side with the relics of the past there are magnificent
multi-storeyed buildings, Metro stations and TV towers, fashionable stores and
supermarkets, up-to-date stadiums, tennis courts, swimming pools and gyms,
modern structures of comfortable hotels to accommodate tourists and business
persons, cafes and restaurants with Ukrainian, European, American and Eastern
cuisine, marvelous theatres and cinemas, wonderful parks and squares with
fountains and other attractions, night clubs and discos, offering numerous
facilities for entertainment and recreation.
The appearance of the city is unique due to the
original blending of architecture with the surrounding landscape. The city is situated on the picturesque slopes of the Dnipro River, the
longest river in Ukraine. One half of Kyiv’s territory is occupied by parks and
gardens with plentiful greenery of trees, bushes and floral planting. One of
the parks is the park of Immortal Glory with the Tomb of Unknown Soldier over
which an eternal fire burns. The chestnut tree forms the main ornament of the
city’s green attire and has become the symbol of Kyiv. The city is always
associated with the candle-flowering chestnut. Day by day our capital becomes
more and more splendid. Green hills and banks of the Dnipro are joined by
wonderful bridges. The most interesting of them is the Paton Bridge, named after
the distinguished Ukrainian scientist and academician E.A.Paton. This is the
first all-welded bridge in the world. The underground takes Kyivites to new
residential districts on the left bank of the river.
One can’t help admiring Khreshchatyk, the widest
and the most charming street in Kyiv. Being the central
and one of the busiest streets in the city, it is always flooded by heavy
current of cars, buses, trolley buses and other vehicles. Nevertheless it looks
like a park lane: it is a river of green and golden trees from early spring
till late autumn that adds up to the beauty of the Ukrainian capital. No wonder that this admirable and
hospitable city is the pride and glory of all Ukrainian people.
The Historical
Places of Kyiv
Inimitable in the beauty and variety
of its green landscape, a garden city, a city of museums, Kyiv is one the
oldest cities in Europe. Its
monuments of the past are perfectly integrated with modern buildings,
attractive hotels, cinemas, TV tower, Metro stations, banks and administrative
establishments. As Kyiv's history is full of dramatic events and heroic deeds,
there are many places of interest in it.
Kyiv
Pechery Lavra was created over a period of 9 centuries (11-18). The first
written mention of Kyiv-Pechery Lavra is found in the “Chronicle of Bygone
Years”. According to it, the monk Antony, a native of Lyubich in the Chernihiv
Region, and his follower Theodosius founded the Pechersk Monastery in
1051. It became an important cultural
centre of Old Rus. Among museums located on the grounds of the Kyiv Cave
Historical-Cultural Preserve there is the Museum of Ukrainian Decorative Folk
Art, which comprises more than 50,000 exhibits. The museum has extensive
collections of Ukrainian artistic folk kylyms (rugs and carpets), printed and
woven textiles, embroidery, needlework, dress, woodcarvings, ceramics, pottery,
porcelain, glass, and decorative painting dating from the 15th century to the
present. Besides, there is the Ukrainian Museum of Books and Printing, the famous
Ukrainian Museum of Miniatures, and the Museum of Historical Treasures, which
collection is especially rich. Some of its artifacts date back to the 4-th
century B.C. In 1926 the monastery ensemble of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was declared
a state museum of history and culture.
St.
Sophia Cathedral In 1037 St. Sophia Cathedral,
an outstanding monument of ancient Rus and world culture, was built on the site
of the 1036 battle against the Pechenegs, who had been constantly threatening
Kyiv and devastating Rus lands, and in which the Kyiv warriors were victorious.
The foundation of a new cathedral was laid during the reign of Prince Yaroslav
the Wise. The St.Sophia’s became the centre of the social and cultural life of
those times. Several schools and the first library in Kyivan Rus were organized
on the grounds of the Cathedral.
The Sophia Cathedral suffered destiny of many structures of Old Rus. It
was ruined in the 13th century during the Tatar invasion and subsequently
suffered many times from wars and religious strife. Metropolitan Petro Mohyla
restored the cathedral in 1633
in the style of Ukrainian baroque. For centuries this
remarkable building, the embodiment of the talent and assiduity of hundreds of
thousands of its nameless builders, has astonished the vision with its
magnificence and splendour and showed the great skill of the painters of that
time. Its appearance has changed many times as the result of reconstruction.
Numerous mosaics and frescoes have been discovered under the coating of later
ornamentation and restored to their former beauty. Of unique value, from the
scientific and the artistic points of view, are the ancient mosaic decorations
in the cathedral, which ornament the principal altar, the central dome, the
arches and pillars. They preserved the portraits of the members of the family
of Yaroslav the Wise. The cathedral has been declared a state monument-museum.
Leaving St. Sophia Cathedral through the gateway, one comes out into
Sophiyivsky Square. It is bordered to the right by a strip of trees and shrubs
while in the centre of the square there is the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky,
the 17th century outstanding Ukrainian statesman and military leader. He
headed the Ukrainian people in their liberation war in 1648-1654, and after
series of successful battles he established an independent Cossack State in the
Dnipro River area.
The Kyiv Mohyla
Academy, one of the
highest cultural achievements of our state, became a brilliant phenomenon in
the Ukrainian culture and spirit. Its history begins at
Kyiv Brotherhood School. In 1615 the lot of land in Podil was presented to a
monastery, hospital, and school for children of “all positions and ranks”. The
Brotherhood supported it both financially and intellectually. Sometime later
the school united with the Lavra School of metropolitan Petro Mohyla: it was
declared a higher educational establishment and was named Kyiv Mohyla, in
honour of its patron Petro Mohyla, the most educated man of that era. Hetman
Ivan Mazepa, protector of art and education in Ukraine, did much for the
development of the academy. Until 1661 the Academy was the only institute of
higher education of Eastern Europe. Its curricula comprised the Church
Slavonic, Greek, Latin, Polish, French and German languages, poetics,
literature, philosophy, geography, mathematics, physics, economics and history.
Graduates of the academy became writers, publishers, translators, prominent
diplomats and men of the church. Talented statesmen and illustrious persons
studied within its walls: hetmans Ivan Mazepa and Pylyp Orlyk, the composer
Dmytro Bortniansky, the great Russian scholar and poet Mykhailo Lomonosov, the
Ukrainian philosopher Hryhory Skovoroda, and many others. In 1817, the Academy
was closed by a tsar’s decree. It only resumed its work in 1991. Three
departments work now in the University: the humanities, social and natural
sciences.
St.
Andrew’s Church Among the sights of
Kyiv there is also St. Andrew’s Church. The recent archaeological excavations
have revealed the evidence that suggests that there might be a grain of truth
in the old legend of the city foundation by three brothers Kyi, Shchek and
Khoriv on the hills above the Dnipro River. But the very first,
"spiritual" foundation dates to the time when St. Andrew arrived at
the place where Kyiv was to spring several centuries later, erected a cross on
the top of a high hill and announced several centuries in advance that a mighty
city would sprawl over several hills and dales along the river boasting many
beautiful multi-domed churches. The ancient chronicles say that the cross erected
by St. Andrew was preserved and was seen as late as 13th century when a wooden
church was built on the hill where this cross had once stood. The church was
called Vozdvizhenska that is "the Church of the Erection of the
Cross".
In
the turbulent centuries that followed, full of wars and fires, the
Vozdvizhenska Church perished. In 1744 the Empress of the Russian Empire (of
which Ukraine was a part then) paid a visit to the city of Kyiv. She was very
much impressed by the beauty of the palace and she enjoyed the view from the
hill on the top of which St Andrew had once preached, so much that she decided
to have a new big church built there, at the sacred spot. The construction began
in 1747under the supervision of architect Rastrelli. It took six years to erect
the church and fifteen more to decorate its interior. The church is situated on
the hill, which is 90
metres above the Dnipro. If you look at it from the
streets of the ancient Podil district, it seems to be floating in the air. When
you walk inside, you cannot help being impressed by the lavishness and at the
same graceful beauty of the interior decorations, and looking at all these
splendours one stops wondering why it took so long to decorate the church with
paintings and stucco work. The church was consecrated in 1767. The beauty of
the church and of the place itself where it sits, solemn religious ceremonies
attracted a lot of people who came to worship and enjoy the sight. St. Andrew's
Church has survived the Bolshevik atheism but the cross of St. Andrew disappeared
in the storming years of the revolution of 1917 and the Civil War that
followed. St. Andrew's Church is a true architectural marvel. One has to see it
with one's own eyes. It is unique in its design and there is not a single one
like it anywhere else in the world. Could it be that it has attained an ideal?
Golden
Gate The remains of Golden Gate, which is about a thousand years old, are one
of the attractions of the city. In the distant past it was decorated with
precious metals what gave the gate its name. At that time, when Kiyv was the
capital of the feudal state of Kyiv Rus, as a large and powerful state, the
Golden Gate was the main entrance to the city.
The Kyiv Museum of Western and
Oriental Art is a state collection of art works from Western
Europe and the Orient. It was founded in 1919
on the basis of B. and V.Khanenko's private collection, which originated in
1870. The museum has three sections: ancient, West European, and Eastern art:
The exhibits include ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine art; paintings and
sculptures by Italian masters, the works of Spanish artists, French painters.
The Eastern collection contains sculptures and drawings from ancient Egypt,
Syria, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, India, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Thailand,
Japan, China, and Indonesia.
Khreshchatyk As one takes a bus ride through
Khreshchatyk or strolls in the shade of trees it is difficult to believe that
ages ago this was the sight of a deep valley covered with primeval forests and
numerous ravines. Actually it was the valley called Khreshchataya, which later
became Khreshchatyk, the main street of the capital. The valley first began to
resemble a street at the beginning of the 19-th century when one-storeyed
wooden houses were built; later on stone buildings were erected. During the
Great Patriotic War Khreshchatyk was completely destroyed by the Nazis. As soon
as the city was liberated, the restoration of the main street was begun. Its
initial architectural style was predominantly classicism, a combination of
decorative facades and stone-paved roads with an abundance of trees and shrubs,
sunlight and space.
