"The City of Archangel St.Michael" a Kiev Travel Page by hunterV

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Gate of Archangel St.Michael, Kiev, Ukraine

Welcome to Kiev!

Kiev is rich in history.
It is one of the world's ancient cities.
It was the center of statehood and culture of the Eastern Slavs and was named after Prince Kiy (Kyi in Ukrainian ) who founded the first citadel on the hills on the right bank of the River Dnipro in the sixth century.
It was here that Prince Volodymyr, the famous ruler of the feudal state of Kiev Rus, baptized his subjects in 988 A.D.
You can see a lot of historical relics in the city now.
Kiev has a huge area of about 825 square kilometers (318 sq.mi). Administratively the city is divided into ten districts, among them three are located on the left bank that is flat and seven are located on the hilly right bank.

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The city is located on both banks of the Dnipro in its middle part, 950 km (591 miles) from its mouth in the Black Sea.
The Dnipro is the mightiest of all Ukrainian rivers.
Dnipro is translated from the Old Slav language as "deep water". The Greeks called the river "Borisfen", that is , a river of the North.
There are seven bridges across the Dnipro, among them the unique non-welded Paton Bridge built in the thirties.
The left bank of the Dnipro is sloping and low, whereas the right one towers over the river (the fall is about 100 meters), which makes the city landscape inimitable in its beauty.

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The natural surroundings of Kiev are also very special for it is located on the border of mixed forests and forest-steppe. There are forests of Pushcha Voditsa and Svyatoshin in the northwest and Goloseyev Forests in the south of Kiev.
The city's greenery zone is over 250 thousand hectares. More than 250 kinds of trees and shrubs grow in the streets, gardens, parks and forest parks of the city. Most of all the Kievites like the chestnut-tree that is considered to be one of the symbols of the capital.
We, Ukrainians, like our capital, its splendid parks, public gardens, cafes and theaters.

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I have visited Kiev twenty times already and have lived there for about five months all in all. The city has become very close to me for I have managed to see all the main sites of the capital and to dine at thirty restaurants and cafes whose present number is 600 now, among them I had the pleasure of dining at the unique "Taras" Ukrainian restaurant in Shevchenko Park opposite the University and at "Poseidon" ship restaurant and "Vostok" Chinese restaurant in Embankment Highway and lots of others.

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Khreshchatyk, the central street of Kiev that is only 1.2 km long, is worth visiting. The street connects European Square and Bessarabian Square and is a good place both for having a walk and for shopping
The word Khreshchatyk means crossroads.
The street is located at the place of the ancient valley intersected with many ravines.
There is "Khreshchatyk" metro station in that street, too.
As you walk along Khreshchatyk, you will see lots of sights such as fountains in Independence Square, the Central Department Store, the Ukraine Hotel, the City Council building, etc. Visiting this street is a must for every guest of the city.
Khreshchatyk runs along a small Dnipro valley and is the axis of the city center. South of the center you can see Pechersky (Cave) District along the top of the riverbank.

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Khreshchatyk Street, Kiev, Ukraine

Lots of Things to See

There is also so called Lower City, or Podil in Ukrainian, a historical part of the city. People coming to Kiev for the first time are often taken to Podil and to St.Andrew's Descent ("Andriyivsky Uzviz" in Ukrainian) located near St.Andrew's Church.
St.Andrew’s Church is often called the gem of Kiev and stone flower of Kiev for its beauty.
Here you can see traditional folk arts festivals and concerts and visit interesting art galleries and shops. You will hardly resist buying some nice hand-made souveniers in that street.
Much is connected in Kiev with the name and activities of Taras Shevchenko (1814 – 1861), an outstanding Ukrainian national poet and a great patriot of independent Ukraine, the National Bard of Ukraine. Several institutions, squares, streets and the central park are named after him. We have Shevchenko National University, Shevchenko Boulevard and Shevchenko Museum in downtown Kiev.

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Kiev has a lot of parks and recreation areas where you can just relax and enjoy the fresh air and surroundings. The most popular place for spending free time is the Hydropark. This large riverside park (300 hectar) located on two islands with their sandy beaches is a good place for swimming, sunbathing, rowing and playing beach volleyball. Besides, there is a disco bar called "Hydrozone" on the territory of Trukhanov Island.Some figures about Kiev: the city has 20 museums, 1,300 libraries, 41 theaters, 121 parks.

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Independence Column, Kiev, Ukraine

Independence Square - the Heart of the City

Thousands of people have already admired the new architectural masterpiece in Independence Square that has just been reconstructed.
The monument was dedicated in August 2001 and is called Independence Monument. It represents a big light gray column with gilded sculpture of Mother Ukraine who spread her hands upwards holding a branch of snowball-tree that is considered to be a symbol of Ukraine.
The column is said to have been made of the world's lightest granite - Pennsylvania Battle White granite - by Italian experts. The monument weighing 24 tons is 62 m high.
Special thanks to Michael Posner and Robert A.Cetti, my new friends from Florida, whom I took around the city and who were so kind as to share some of their marvelous pictures with me.
You can find more helpful hints in the official web site of Kiev at:
www.kyiv-guide.com.ua
and also the site (in English) :
http://www.kievukraine.info
About the Origin of Kyiv
Have a nice stay in Kiev!

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