The Chocolate House in Kiev is a small elegant house, amazing both outside and inside. What is the reason for this name? What is special about this building?
Appearance
Almost in the center of Kiev there is a pretty house, which the people of Kiev called chocolate. It was, of course, not made of edible materials, but it very much resembles a bar of chocolate in its external decor, and most importantly in color.
A chocolate house was built in 1899-1901 by the architect Vladimir Nikolaev, the creator of the National Philharmonic and the refectory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In addition to designing the building, Nikolaev also dealt with its interior.
The Chocolate House is a two-story building with a mezzanine and a basement. The architectural style repeats the features of the palace renaissance. The side and front facades are symmetrical. Outside there are lush high reliefs with many small and large details. Similar houses in Kiev are not easy to find.
The windows are decorated with bas-reliefs with mascarons of lions framed by stucco flowers. The windows of the second floor depict Caduceus - Greek and Roman symbols of the rod of Mercury, who was the patron, including merchants. These symbols corresponded to the occupation of the owner of the house.
Home interiors
In the interior design of the house, Nikolaev revealed his talent in a new way. All rooms had a different style. For example, an empire was chosen for the stairs: marble steps and forged railings. The ornament and colors on the custom-made furniture exactly corresponded to the room in which it was located.
The White Hall is the largest. It is made in the style of French Baroque. All important meetings and receptions were held here. In the middle of the wall is a 20th-century Venetian mirror decorated with stucco ornaments.
Special attention deserves the Art Nouveau hall. The walls and ceiling are painted with oil paints depicting semi-fantastic flowers. On the arched windows there are stained glass windows, which also depict flowers. On the ceiling is a copy of the portrait of Sarah Bernhardt performed by Alphonse Mucha.
The Byzantine hall was used as a dining room. From all sides the room is decorated with stucco garlands with grapes, apples and berries. Novorussian style adorns the Russian Hall. Murals with firebirds settled on the ceiling, and the patterns that were present on the royal five-ruble banknote of those times remained on the walls. The main feature of the Moorish room is carved gypsum panels on the walls. Previously, the walls were painted with hexagonal and decagonal stars.
Chocolate house: a story
Earlier on the site of the house was a small manor with a magnificent garden. In the 30s of the century before last, it was owned by a military man P. Konstantinovich. After his death, the estate was divided into parts and in turn was inherited by the owner's relatives. Finally, it was acquired by Baroness Ikskül-Guildenband.
In 1988, the son of the Baroness sold the corner of the estate to a member of a banking office, and converted the rest of the estate into a tenement house. The new owner, S. S. Mogilevtsev, decided to demolish a corner house, and build a mansion on this site.
Until 1934, the house was residential. It was partially reconstructed, and a little later transferred to the NKVD. After that, the house housed a cultural communication society with foreign countries and the Bureau of Management of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR. And since 1960, marriages were registered in a chocolate house for 20 years. Signing here was considered an unusually prestigious event.
In 1982, he was given under the auspices of the Department of Culture and Arts.
Semen Mogilevtsev
S. S. Mogilevtsev was a fairly respected person in Kiev. The merchant of the 1st guild was born in a family of timber merchants. After moving to the capital of Ukraine, he continued to engage in timber trade and was an urban philanthropist. For the construction of the mansion, Mogilevtsev chose the chief architect of Kiev. The chocolate house executed in coffee tones exceeded all expectations.
Semyon Mogilevtsev was then the treasurer of the credit society and could afford an expensive mansion for holding various receptions, meetings and special events. But in the city bad rumors spread right away.
The treasurer had no relatives in Kiev, he was single. Evil tongues immediately came up with the version that such a chic and at the same time sophisticated house is being built for secret love meetings with a married lady. And banquets and meetings are just a cover.
Art exhibition
For a long time, the house was in extremely unacceptable condition, given its architectural value. In 2009, thorough restoration work was carried out there. After which excursions began to take place here.
In addition to looking at the interiors, you can visit the art gallery in the chocolate house. The building houses a branch of the Kiev Museum of Russian Painting, so an art exhibition with works by Russian authors is open here.
Exhibitions housed in buildings with a distinctive history are doubly admired. Opening massive wooden doors, guests fall into the atmosphere of past years, peering into ancient Venetian mirrors, admiring the refinements of interior details.