Kyiv

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine; it was the capital of this land from ancient times. When the dark formidable ships of warlike Vikings ploughed the northern seas; when the brave warriors founded Island, Normandy and Norway, when they went in mouth of the Seine River and got Paris, reached the Mediterranean and remote fabulous City of Hundred Golden Gates, one of the Viking's tribes built the oldest town on the territory of Kyivan-Rus - Ukraine.

Ancient times left some memories in the very center of Kyiv. There are the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery with labyrinth of caves (11th century), ruins of Desyatinna Church (988-996), which was the first stone church in Kyivan-Rus and was built by Volodymyr the Great. Two magnificent stone buildings from his time have survived the dozen of wars: Holy Sophia Cathedral (1036) and the Golden Gate of Kyiv (1037). There are the Church of St Andrew, which was built in 18th century to the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Roman-Catholic Church (19th century).

There are many other buildings from Renaissance period in Kyiv: palaces of Russian kings (Mariyinsky Palace), cathedrals (St Volodymyr's Cathedral, 19th century, design of Beretti) and theatres (National Opera, Ukrainian Drama Theater, Philharmonic). It's interesting to find architectural styles of the whole Ukraine just near Kyiv in a unique open-sky museum in the large village Pirogovo. This architectural museum gathered together old churches, houses, trade-tools and now it looks like a miniature Ukraine with all regions and their cultural particularities.

One of the famous and oldest street in Kyiv - Andriyivsky Uzviz ("uzviz" means "a steep slope") is known and beloved by all tourists. In olden times there stood a pagan shrine with idols. Legend says, that it was also a place where Apostle Andrew blessed the hills over Dnipro and said: "There will shine a great town with many golden domed churches. God blessed this green hills" maybe, that is why Kyiv was survived the intervening millenium and many wars, and has remained majestically standing among green blooming trees as the holy ancient capital of the center of Eastern Europe.

Welcome to Kyiv!