From its ancient gold-domed churches to the buildings of polished granite and marble along the Kreshchatik street, the Kiev city's broad central thoroughfare, Kiev is filled with landmarks. Some of the oldest sights, dating from the 11th century, are in the Upper Town on Vladimirskaya Street. They include the ruins of the Golden Gate, once the principal gate of Kiev city, which is said to have consisted of gilded bronze. All that is left of this monumental structure are fragments, in a public garden, of two parallel walls.
Nearby is St. Sophia's Cathedral, now a museum. A five-naved church with foundations was laid in 1037. It was used for the enthronement of the early princes of Kiev and the reception of West European sovereigns. St. Sophia's Cathedral walls are decorated with highly prized frescoes and mosaics. The marble sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise, an early Kiev ruler, has been preserved. The cathedral draws about 2 million visitors a year.
Near the foot of Vladimirskaya Street, on the bluff overlooking the Dnepr, stands a monument (unveiled in 1853) of Prince Vladimir holding a large cross in his right hand and the dynastic crown in his left. Vladimir adopted Christianity as the state religion about 988, and a bas-relief on the pedestal shows the baptism of the Kievan people.
Farther south, in the area of the Botanical Gardens, where Vladimirskaya Street crosses Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, stands the University of Kiev, whose main, dark red building dates from 1837-1842. Originally named Vladimir University, it was renamed in 1939 for Taras Shevchenko, the Ukrainian national writer. Nearby is St. Vladimir Cathedral, a church that continues to function as Kiev's main house of worship. Crowned by seven gilded domes, it was consecrated in 1896.
East of the Kreshchatik, in a park overlooking the Dnepr, is the 18th century Mariinsky Palace, which was used by the czars on their visits to Kiev city and served as the residence of the local governors before the 1917 Revolution. It was restored after its destruction in World War II and now is used for official receptions and other governmental functions.
One of the more unusual sights in Kiev city is the cave monastery (the Pecherskaya Lavra), which is south of the Upper Town along the high bank overlooking the Dnepr river. Consisting of a group of buildings within a walled enclosure and underlain by a network of ancient catacombs, the monastery is believed to date from the beginnings of Christianity in Kiev city. It was converted into a historical-cultural museum in 1926.
The monastery's oldest structure, the Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspenski Sobor), was first built in the 11th century and was repeatedly ruined and restored. It was again demolished in World War II, and only ruins remain. The 12th century Trinity Church over the main gateway into the Lavra and an 18th century belfry, 317 feet (97 meters) high, are among the structures that have been preserved.
Among the more recent memorials in Kiev city is the Babi Yar monument, marking the mass executions of some 100,000 Kiev residents, mainly Jews, during the German occupation of the city in World War II. The monument, consisting of 11 bronze figures arrested in motion, was inaugurated in 1976 on the site of the ravine known as Babi Yar, now a park in the Syrets residential district on the northwest outskirts of Kiev city of Ukraine.
All about Kiev (Kyiv) in 10 squares
Our partners