%cgCave Monastery : Kiev-Pechersk Lavra%c* and other Kiev, Ukraine General Tips

Fondest Memory: Visiting the Cave Monastery is a must for many locals, pilgrims and tourists here. We call that monastery Kiev-Pechersk Laura (in Russian sounds as lavra).
Laura means an outstanding and merited monastery.
The monastery is located on the high bank of the Dnipro.
Kiev-Pechersk Laura (Kiev Cave Monastery) was founded almost nine centuries ago.
It’s a complex of cathedrals and churches, the belfry being 96.5 m high, the highest structure in the city until the statue of Motherland was erected in 1982 that is 102 m high.
The monastery is one of the eight men’s monasteries in Kiev and is a place of pilgrimage of many Orthodox Christians in Ukraine.
Its churches belong to the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

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Fondest Memory: Visiting the Cave Monastery you will see this new cathedral that was restored on the territory of the monastery at the place of the former Annunciation Cathedral blown up by the authorities in 1941.
The cathedral looks quite modern now and impressed me as a great work of art and human labor.
You can see some spaces of a brick wall below to illustrate the old brick-laying traditions...

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Favorite Thing: Visiting Independence Square and enjoying the site of the Independence Column and the newly renovated square.
The locals have already nicknamed it Greenhouse for its glass-domed underground shopping malls.
There is an "undergroung city" full of different cafes, stores and shops to any taste.
The underground city is called "Globe" trade and entertainment center and besides cafes and a McDonald contains lots of stores and shops.
This undeground city was built in a record term of about two years and attracts a lot of visitors.

Fondest Memory: Visiting the park located next to the President's palace called Maria's Palace
(Mariensky Palace in Russian).

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Lots of people including the locals have a vague idea about the origin of the palace’s name.
This building was designed by the great Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli in baroque was built in 1755 as the Czar’s palace for Empress Elizabeth I.
It consists of three buildings: the central one with two floors and two side buildings on each side.
The palace façade is long enough, especially from the side of the palace park. It is 119 meters long. Its height is 16 meters. The palace is distinguished by its lavish décor.
It suffered from the fire and was restored in 1870 on the eve of the arrival of the Czar/Emperor Alexander II and his wife Empress Maria. The palace was called in her honor then. It was the czar’s Kiev residence.
Such is the origin of the name hence the translation: Maria’s Palace.
It was not clear for me either in whose honor the palace was called.

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Favorite Thing: You can have a good time walking about Independence Square.
The Square is, so to say, devided by Khreshchatyk Street into two halves.
This is the view of the second half where the 62-meters-high Independence Column is located.
Behind the column you can see a glass wall of the underground trade center called "Globe".
You can also climb the glass wall using stairs and have another view of the square from above.


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Favorite Thing: Sauntering and window shopping in "Globe" Undeground Complex.

Fondest Memory: You can visit this huge underground trade and fun center under Inpendence Square.
It's an ambitious expensive project with high prices now.
You can either have lunch or dinner or go shopping there.

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Favorite Thing: This square looks very modern and attracting, it hosts lots of concerts and rallies.
The white building is the Ukrainian House - the republican exhibition and business center.
There is the flag of the European Union at the entrance. It was solemnly hoisted there along with the Ukrainian one several years ago.
The square is a kind of meeting point of the city visitors.


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Fondest Memory: Visiting these two squares is also considered a must for visitors of Kiev.
You can see this impressive monument in front of the state reserve called "St.Sophia Cathedral".
This is the monument to Bohdan Khmelnitsky, the Ukrainian Cossacks' leader in then middle of the 17th century. His Cossacks army was the first to defeat the snobbish Polish army in 1648.
The great Polish Kingdom could not recover from that defeat for dozens of years.
Standing at the foot of this monument dedicated in 1888 you can take a look of St.Michael Square and then walk towards it.
Archangel St.Michael is the Patron Saint of the Ukrainian capital.

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Favorite Thing: Archangel St.Michael, the patron saint of Kiev, is represented on the city emblem as the oldest city symbol.
So you can safely congratulate the Kievites on St.Michael's Day!
No wonder Kiev and Edinburgh are twin-cities.
Archangel St.Miahcel is the patron saint of Scotland, too.
You can see Archangel St.Michael's Gate with the statue of the Archangel in Independence Square.

Fondest Memory: The city consists of ten administrative districts. Here are their names:

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- Podil District (Lower City District);
- Obolon District
- Shevchenko District
- Soloma (Straw) District
- Desna District
- Svyatoshyn District
- Pechera (Cave) District
- Darnitsa District
- Holossiy District .

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Favorite Thing: The are wonderful views of the River Dnipro from the observation platform of the Friendship Park located next to European Square.
You can see the Friendship Arch dedicated in 1983 as a symbol of the Ukrainian-Russian friendship.
There is an amphitheater next to the arch where you can see concerts on holidays.

Fondest Memory: Walking downtown and admiring the beautiful architecture, statues and avenues.

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Fondest Memory: Driving and walking along this busy embankment.
It's always full of cars and people.
You can just drive along the embankment enjoying the huge speed or walk visiting the nearby cafes and restaurants such as "Poseidon" or "River Palace" if you are tired or thirsty.
The views are spectacular, especially when the weather is fine.

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