Excursion around New Development in Kiev

Park Police Garden

Park Police Garden
The police garden is a small cozy public garden located on the corner of V.Vasylkivska and Fedorova streets. It got its name due to its location near the former Kyiv Police Academy. By the way, the street itself was called the Policeyska (Police) street in the middle of the XIX century. A city police brass band used to play there. An ancient fountain which was installed in prerevolutionary times has survived to this day and is decorated with mermaids and faces of the god Selene. Painted benches appeared here in 2011, installed during the festival “Street Gallery of Smiles”. There is also a monument to Petko Voevoda in the garden, a Bulgarian revolutionary and the participant of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, who lived for some time in Kyiv. In 2014, a box with books was installed as a part of the “Free Library” project, and in 2016 a khachkar monument installed by the Armenian community of Kyiv was opened.

House-museum of Lesya Ukrainka

The house-museum of Lesya Ukrainka is located on Saksaganskogo street, 97. The parents of the poetess lived in this house on the 1st floor in apartment number 3 in 1899-1910. Lesya often came to visit. The poetess herself temporary lived in the house on Saksaganskogo, 101 as it is confirmed by a memorial plaque installed on the house. A lot of famous personalities of that time came to visit the poetess: M.Staritsky, N. Lysenko, M.Rylsky were among them.

Cinema KYIV

Cinema “KYIV” – opened in 1952, became one of the largest entertainment establishments in the city. The cinema had two halls for 525 seats each and a third small hall for 250 seats. Special acoustic plaster, which increased the purity of sound appeared there for the first time. After the reconstruction in 2000 the cinema acquired a new name – the cultural center “Cinema Kyiv”. Thanks to new solutions, “Kyiv” has become one of the country’s best cinemas. International and all-Ukrainian festivals, special projects, exclusive programs, retrospectives, as well as film premieres with the participation of national and world cinema stars take place there. In 2007, the cinema was accepted into the international organization EUROPA CINEMAS, an international network that includes the best cinemas in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the French-speaking countries of Africa.

Mall Parus

Mall Parus
Mall “Parus” – opened in 2007, the building of 34 floors (136 m) was built in only 3 years. Until 2010, “Parus” was the tallest building in the city. Today, it’s the third highest building after the mall “Gulliver” and LCD “Klovskiy.” The building got its name because it resembled a sail (“parus” in Ukrainian). Kyiv’s “Parus” was filmed in the film “The Illusion of Fear” based on the book of the same name by Oleksandr Turchinov. In the film, the building is destroyed. In 2008 three young men performed base jumping from the skyscraper. All of them successfully landed, but the “Parus” security team was fired. “Parus” is often used in advertising videos and conducting various talk shows.

Дворец “Украина”

Hospital fortification

Hospital fortification is a part of the architectural complex “Kiev Fortress”, it is a semi-underground construction. There are embrasures and loopholes, as well as guns that are represented on the perimeter of the caponier. The fortification was erected in 1844. It includes the defensive structure “Oblique caponier”, located at an angle to the earthen rampart of the fortress.

There is also the northern half-tower, the northern gate with a caponier, a military hospital with a tower, a caponier of 1-3 polygons in the hospital fortification. They all preserved to this day. It is considered to be the largest preserved stone-earth fortress in Europe and the second largest in the world.

Kyiv Zoo

Kyiv Zoo – is located since 1913. Originally (the year of foundation – 1908) it was located on the territory of the present A. Fomin Botanical Garden. It is one of the largest zoos in the area of zoological parks in Europe located within the city. To date, the zoo is full of animals, birds and reptiles of various species. There are also rare animals in the zoo that are listed in the Red Book. In addition, more than 130 species of trees and bushes grow on the territory.

In 1996, the Kyiv Zoo became a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Scientific work is carried out in order to acclimatize animals inhabiting distant countries, to save and reproduce rare animal species. On the basis of the zoo there is a circle of young naturalists, where children receive knowledge of biology, zoogeography of terrestrial and aquatic animals, get acquainted with animals, study their behavior. There are also locomotive tours around the zoo.

The National Circus

The National Circus is one of the oldest in Ukraine, it was opened in 1960. Built in the mid-1950’s on the site of the so-called Iron Church of St. John Chrysostom. The special feature of the structure is the use of innovative technologies in the construction of a dome cover. The shell of the dome consists of five conical belts, each of which is assembled from 32 identical reinforced concrete panels. The building is the largest dome building in the city. Not only Ukrainian, but also world celebrities perform on the circus’ stage.

Mall Gulliver

Mall “Gulliver” – opened in 2013, construction lasted for 9 years. Its height is 35 floors (140 m). Now it is the highest skyscraper in Ukraine. Initially it was planned to be called Continental, but then a contest was held and the name “Gulliver” was chosen. The shopping and entertainment center is located right in the heart of the capital.

There are more than 150 boutiques, cafes and restaurants, bowling, a 6-screen “Oscar” cinema, a SkyFitness fitness center with a panoramic view and a 25 m swimming pool. Mall “Gulliver” won the “Ukrainian People’s Award -2016” rated as the best mall.

Brodsky Synagogue

The Brodsky Synagogue was built in 1898 with the donations of the Kyiv millionaire Lazar Brodsky (he also built the Bessarabian market, the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, the Paton Institute and the operetta theater). In 1926, the building was transferred to the club for a trade union of handicraftsmen. Since 1955, a children’s puppet theater was located there, in 1997 the building was transferred to the Jewish community of Kyiv.

Since the Jews were not allowed to build religious buildings in the central part of Kyiv, the draft of the synagogue was rejected by the provincial authorities. It was allowed to accommodate living and household premises for ritual purposes. Then Brodsky and Kyiv rabbi Evsei Zukkerman decided to play smart by sending a complaint and a drawing of the side facade of the synagogue, from where the building looked like a household premise to St. Petersburg. And the Senate gave its permission.

The building was built in a year, construction was carried out by Lev Ginzburg’s best construction company in the city. There is a museum in the hall of the synagogue where one can see the work of the Israeli sculptor Frank Meisler, the fragment of the Torah scroll of the 2nd-5th c., a copy of the key from the opening of the synagogue in 1898, ancient books, bales, tefillins, mezuzah, candlesticks.

NSC Olympiyskyi

NSC Olympiyskyi is the main sports arena of Ukraine, located in the center of Kyiv, at the foot of Cherepanova Mountain, it is one of the largest sports facilities in Europe. In 1913, the 1st Russian Olympics took place at the site of the NSK Olimpiс, where athletes from all over the Russian Empire took part in the competition. People watched what was happening on the field from the slopes of Cherepanova Mountain.

The idea of a stadium construction in Kyiv first appeared in 1914 but the beginning of World War I has ruined the plans. Only in 1923 the stadium named Chervoniy (Red) was opened on the Aleksiivsky park’s territory, which can be called a predecessor of the existing one. The first reconstruction of the stadium took place in 1936-1941 according to the design of M. Grechyna, after which the stadium became known as the Republican stadium, and already in 1996 the stadium received its modern name – NSK Olimpiyskiy.

In 1998-1999 another reconstruction was carried out to modernize the stadium up to international standards – the number of seats was reduced to 83,450, the grass was replaced with natural grass and the heating device was installed. In 2008, due to the preparations for Euro 2012, the stadium underwent a big reconstruction, after which the number of seats was reduced to 70 050. NSK Olympiс received the highest status from UEFA.

The finals of the European Football Championship were held in 2012 there. The stadium will become the venue for the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2018. Records of attendance: 73,950 spectators at the match Dynamo (Kyiv) – Shakhtar (Donetsk) in 2001, 75,823 spectators at the anniversary concert of the band “Okean Elzy” in 2014 and 69,894 spectators at the qualifying match of the 2014 World Cup between the national teams of Ukraine and England.

Mall OceanPlaza

Mall “OceanPlaza” – opened in 2012 and is located on Lybid Square, one of the most visited shopping centers of the capital. The main feature is a huge aquarium with a volume of 350 thousand liters of water, in which more than 1,000 representatives of marine fauna live.

The architecture of the mall uses the latest facade media technologies. The facade is made in the form of a blue wave with 9 screens, the interior is decorated with a fountain and a sculpture of marine inhabitants. There are a lot of brand shops here, as well as a cinema, a children’s entertainment center, restaurants and cafes.

Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

Kyiv Polytechnic Institute – or simply KPI, National Technical University and one of the largest universities in Ukraine. It was founded in 1898 and was located in the premises of the Commercial School on Vorovskogo Street. The first buildings in the neo-Romanesque style appeared in 1901 on the former deserted city outskirts and a park was laid out along the highway.

In 1923-1933 and in the following years various institutes were established on the basis of faculties and specialties of the KPI (Kyiv Civil Engineering and Kyiv Road Institute, Odessa Institute of Naval Engineers, etc.). In 1995 KPI received the status of the National Technical University of Ukraine.

The central building of the university is worth noticing – this is the main building, decorated with turrets, which served not only as an architectural decoration, but was also used for observation and experiments. Institute housings are of particular importance – training workshops that host the Polytechnic Museum today, which presents various directions for the development of science and technology.

In the 1970-1980’s buildings in the style of the Soviet era appeared on the territory, in particular, the library and the Palace of Culture, where concerts and youth events often take place. Today, KPI is the largest university in Ukraine. Since 2016 it is named after I. Sikorsky, who graduated from the university, becoming an outstanding aircraft designer of the XX century.

O.Dovzhenko film studio

The O.Dovzhenko film studio – Kyiv film factory, established in 1927. In the same the actual filming started and 10 films had already been shot by 1929. Since 1957 the studio is named after O.Dovzhenko – an outstanding film director and a writer. It was here where O.Dovzhenko made his best movies “Earth” and “Schors”, that later became classics in motion picture art.

1960 – 1970 a new dawn of the film studio, where such masterpieces of the Soviet cinematography were made: “Only Old Men Are Going to Battle” (L.Bykov), “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (S. Paradzhanov), etc. The territory of the studio consists of more than 13 hectares, including six shooting pavilions. One of the pavilions with an area of 2520 m² is one of the largest in Europe. Also there is a museum on the territory devoted to the creation of a film studio.

Operetta Theater

The Operetta Theater – the former People’s Troitsky House, also known as the “House of Public Education”, is located on V.Vasylkivska, 53\3 of 1902’s construction. The name is associated with the Trinity Church, which stood on the corner of Zhilyanska and Velyka Vasylkivska (it has not survived to this day). It was created by the local Literacy Society – for the cultural leisure of Kyivans and to introduce them to the theater. The house was designed by the engineer G.Antonovsky for free.

Significant funding for the construction was made by famous patrons of art L. Brodsky and N. Tereshchenko. Originally the capacity of the hall was up to 1000 seats, today it is up to 800 seats. In 1905-1907 the Central Bureau of Trade Unions operated here under the guise of a cultural and educational commission and it was closed for the distribution of prohibited literature. In 1907-1918 the first stationary Ukrainian musical and drama theater was opened under the supervision of the great actor and director N.Sadovskiy.

In 1919-1922 Ukrainian National Folk Theater was located there, which was led by the famous actor and director P.Saksaganskiy. The legendary actress Maria Zankovecka along with her troupe came to the Troitskiy house in 1923. In 1934 Troitsky people’s house was transferred to the Kiyv State Theater of Musical Comedy, since 1967 and to this day it is called the Kyiv National Academic Theater of Operetta. The building is an object of cultural heritage.

St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral

St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1909 to commemorate the Emperor St. Nicholas’ II visit to Kyiv. Construction of a foundation for concrete piles was proposed for the first time and reinforced concrete was widely used in the construction. In the 1930s it was closed and looted, and the clergy was repressed. Warehouses of goods were located in the building.

The cathedral suffered greatly from artillery shelling and fire in 1943. Since 1980 the cathedral began to operate as a concert hall of the House of Organ and Chamber Music. The cathedral is unique for its acoustics and organ (it has up to 4 thousand pipes) and was custom made.

Shevchenko Park

The Shevchenko Park – it was founded in the 1860’s on the vacant lot in front of the university building and it was named a University park. The work was conducted by Karl Christiani, the Kyiv city architect and gardener. In 1869 there was erected a monument to Nicholas I in the center of the park, and the park itself was renamed to Nicholaevskyi.

In 1939, there was a monument to Taras Shevchenko on the site of the monument to Nicholas I in the center of the park. The park began to bear the name of T. Shevchenko. In 1972, an environmental status was given to the park. Street musicians perform here, and in the summer there are dances held. There is a restaurant on the territory of the park. Although the park is small, but it is a favorite place for Kievans and guests of the capital.

Bessarabska Square

Bessarabska Square – located at the intersection of Khreshchatyk, Shevchenko Boulevard, Basseyna and Velyka Vasylkivska Streets. It has been originated at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries as a horse post station, next to which a spontaneous bazaar was soon formed. This area was the outskirts of Kyiv until the middle of the XIX century.

Earlier at this site there was a Lutheran cemetery (XVI – the beginning of the XVIII centuries), which was moved in connection with the development of Khreshchatyk. Near the square was a swimming pool with underground springs. Its current name the square bears since 1881. It housed one of the largest markets of the capital. The city authorities decided to build a covered market in order to ennoble the trading territory. The opening of the Bessarabska market took place in 1912. It was the first indoor market in Kyiv and the main object of the square.

A special feature of the construction is steel structures with lanterns supporting the roof, and the facade of the building is decorated with stucco and clockwork. The Bessarabska market has been fully preserved to the present day. Today Bessarabska Square is one of the central squares of the capital.

Arena City

“Arena City” mall is a premium shopping complex, one of the most pompous buildings located on the corner of Basseyna and Velyka Vasylkivska streets. The corner of the house №1 on V. Vasylkivska was built in 1896, in the period of 1899-1900 – part of the complex from the side of Bessarabska Square and Basseyna Street, 2, and in 1900-1901 – part of the building along the street Velyka Vasylkivska , 3. These three parts are so similar in design that they are perceived as one large building.

All buildings are the work of a well-known architect A.Krauss. Originally, the building belonged to the commercial adviser and the owner of dozens of houses in the centre of Kyiv – Mykola Popov, who earned a lot of money from rent. On the first floors there were shops and coffee shops, on the upper floors – expensive furnished rooms, first class hotels “Orion” and “Berlin”. Since the 1920’s here housed a working clinic named after Lenin, and in the 1930s and also student dormitories and apartments of workers of the “Lenin Forge”.

In the post-war years, the building was a city hospital. In the 1980s institutions and tenants are evicted from the building, returning the building to a commercial purpose. After reconstruction in 2005 complex was decorated with stucco, panoramic elevators, attics, fountains, the tower system dominates. Today here locate exhibitions, offices, restaurants and clubs – Pinchuk Art Centre, Skybar, Arena Dance Club and Mandarin Plaza.