The main sights of Kyiv: description, history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

In the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, there are sights of various kinds and times of appearance. Every tourist here can see religious buildings that have become a symbol of the country, unusual buildings with their own legends, enjoy art and just have fun. About the most important places that travelers should not miss in this city, it is written with details in the article.

Capital of churches and temples

The general list of Kyiv attractions includes a large number of church buildings. This includes the Church of the Tithes, the Holy Intercession and Holy Trinity Ioninsky monasteries and many more. There are a large number of them, but tourists should definitely see only a few, and St. Andrew's Church is included in this list. Incredibly beautiful building rises on the ledge of the Starokievskaya mountain. A master named Bartolomeo Rastrelli put his soul into it, and often the building is called his greatest creation. The church is not large in size, but every detail in appearance fits perfectly into the overall picture and fascinates a person.

Large size religious shrine

Sights of Kyiv are capable of admiring many people for their appearance, significance and historical features. For all three of these points, a whole complex called the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra stands out. This place is one of the Orthodox centers of the country, and there are reasons for that. The scale of this small town inside the capital is amazing. Fourteen temples, which have almost perfectly preserved their appearance since the time of construction in the eleventh century. There are other buildings on the territory of the Lavra that can attract tourists. For example, one of the first printing houses in Kievan Rus or seven museums of different themes. The status of the Lavra, which translates from Greek as “street”, was granted to this complex in 1688. Although the temples here have retained their appearance, a lot of information, important documents and relics have been lost due to robberies. Cumans and Turks attacked at different times, and in the early 18th century there was a fire that almost destroyed the entire library.

Temple with incredible beauty inside

One of the main attractions of Kyiv should definitely include such a religious building as St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. It was built on the initiative of Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, and now this shrine attracts tourists from different countries. The appearance of the building with six domes and crosses on top can surprise and attract attention for a while. After inspecting the architecture, the traveler should go inside the building, wheremagnificent frescoes and mosaics from the time of Kievan Rus have been preserved. The design of the temple in a similar style at the time of the twelfth century in the power was revolutionary. This prompted the masters at that moment to discover a completely new type of painting. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral, like many popular attractions in Kyiv, has been repeatedly looted. The siege and sack of the city of Batu in 1240 hit the building especially hard. In the seventeenth and next century, the cathedral was reconstructed by various authors.

Remains of the ancient symbol of the capital

What sights to see in Kyiv and where to go, so as not to miss the most important places, the tourist will be able to learn from the full reading of this material. Buildings not to be missed include the Golden Gate. This pavilion was rebuilt according to ancient descriptions, based on the remains of the original. The outer building only adds to the imagination of people and serves as a protection for the historical Golden Gate that is inside. Once upon a time, meetings of important persons took place in this place, rejoicing after the victorious campaigns of the princes, because it was the main entrance to the capital of Kievan Rus. According to historians, the magnificent building was designed to compete with the triumphal gates of Constantinople. This is confirmed by the fact that at that moment the states competed with each other. The exact date of the construction of the religious building is unknown. Some historians call the year 1037, others agree that the Golden Gate appeared in 1164. During the attack of the Batu horde, the building was partially destroyed.

Two Famous Streets

The main sights of Kyiv should definitely include two streets - Andreevsky Descent and Khreshchatyk. The first highway was laid many centuries ago to connect the Upper and Lower cities. They laid it between two hills, on one of which once stood a Lithuanian medieval castle. Now this street is a favorite place for all creative people. Almost every house here is known for being home to famous personalities at different times. On weekends, various events, exhibitions, festivities and more are held here. Infrastructure in the form of cafes, restaurants, shops for shopping is present. Khreshchatyk Street is known for being located in the very heart of the capital. This 1.2 kilometer wide avenue attracts local and visiting personalities with its atmosphere. Many interesting buildings and modern establishments will make you stop here for a while. Building up this part of the city began only in the eighteenth century, but now Khreshchatyk is for many the best place in the capital.

Two more important places

Sights of the city of Kyiv can amaze the imagination in different ways. For example, the monument "Motherland" surprises with its size and elegance of the work of sculptors. It is part of the complex of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, which is dedicated to the times of the Second World War. Together with the pedestal, the height of the monument is 102 meters, and this is one of the largestfigures all over the world. The statue itself rises to 62 m, although it was originally planned to be 80. The decision to reduce it was made under pressure from the metropolitan, who said that it was unacceptable to erect a statue higher than the cross of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Inside the pedestal, tourists can enjoy exhibitions dedicated to the ninth of May.

An equally important building is St. Sophia Cathedral, which was erected during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The most likely version of his appearance is that the prince wanted to strike down Metropolitan Theopempt, who was moving from Constantinople to lead the religious community in Russia. Now the building is more of a museum, because its appearance is amazing. Seventeen domes and a seventeenth-century Ukrainian baroque reconstruction will appeal to all travelers.

Beautiful and mysterious places

If we talk about the most beautiful sights of Kyiv, then the House with Chimeras should be placed in the first row. The Art Nouveau building was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Polish architect Vladislav Gorodetsky. The man was rich, and therefore he allowed himself to build a structure in a swampy area and use cement that was rare at that time. As a demonstration of strength, the architect decided to generously decorate the facade with mythical chimeras. Inside the house, the design is also amazing, and over the years the building has acquired a variety of legends.

If we talk about fables and riddles, then it is necessary to remember the castle of Richard the Lionheart in Kyiv. This is a mansionwhich in style strongly resembles the British building of the same name. The most interesting thing is that for many years strange sounds and howls came from this building, and the owners complained about the doors that open on their own. This became the reason for legends about evil spirits and evil spirits. The true reason lies in the fact that the working people decided to take revenge on customers for unpaid funds. They put egg shells in the ventilation, and bottles walled up in the walls.

Museum trip

In the list of Kyiv attractions there is a place for a variety of museums. Their number in the city is simply huge, and you need to know which ones are worth a visit if time is limited. Tourists are advised to visit the Bulgakov Museum on Andreevsky Spusk. In 1906, a writer lived here, and at the end of the century they decided to turn the building into a landmark. Masters restored the appearance at the time when the author lived here, and collected a wide variety of exhibits. The Museum of National History of Ukraine will provide for inspection a lot of exhibits that holistically convey all the eras through which the country went through to its independence. Various finds from different times have been stored in the building since 1944. The Pirogovo Museum of Architecture and Life is spread over an area of 150 hectares. Here you can see examples of wooden architecture from the sixteenth century.

Wildlife Spots

Most of the main attractions of Kyiv with a descriptionmentioned in the material, but wildlife lovers should visit some more places. The first of them is the Grishko Botanical Garden, where there are different thematic corners. Plants from all over the world will appear to the visitor in all their glory. The second interesting place of this theme is Volodymyrska Gorka in Kyiv. This park with a mountain landscape of ten hectares was founded in the nineteenth century. There is a monument to Prince Vladimir, a variety of sculptures and exhibitions. Also in the park you can ride a funicular on a cable car 220 meters long.