Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, which is full of interesting sights. Which of them are worth visiting first of all, being in Kiev? Golden Gate! This unique monument of ancient Russian architecture should be one of the first in this list!
General characteristics of the monument
In Kiev, the Golden Gate is one of the main symbols for the capital and its inhabitants. All guests of the city first of all lead to this object.
Nikolai Zakrevsky once called this monument "an invaluable legacy of the greatness of ancient Kiev." In pre-Mongol times, the Golden Gate in Kiev served as the central gateway to the city. This name, most likely, they received by analogy with the Golden Gate of Constantinople. This can be explained by the unspoken competition that took place between the two superpowers of that time.
Golden Gate in Kiev: the history of the monument
Unfortunately, historians, unfortunately, do not know the exact date of construction of the Golden Gate. The first written mention of them dates back to 1037. Most scientists are inclined to believe that the construction of the Golden Gate in Kiev began in 1017 and lasted seven years.
These gates became the central (front) entrance to the ancient city. It was through them that the ambassadors of other states and other important guests arrived in Kiev. In addition to the Golden ones, the city also had Lyadsky and Zhidovsky gates. However, these structures have not been preserved to this day. The Lyadsky Gate, by the way, was located in the area of the modern Independence Square.
It is worth noting that only the Golden Gate was stone (the rest was made of wood), which made them almost impregnable at that time. So, it is known that even Batu Khan did not dare to break into the city this way, choosing the Lyad Gate and the walls of the Khreshchaty Valley to storm Kiev.
What did the Golden Gate look like?
It is not known exactly what kind of gate had under Yaroslav the Wise. However, thanks to the research of historians, it was possible to obtain the exact parameters of this structure. So, the central gate tower had a height of 13 meters, a width of 10.5 and a length of 17.6 meters. It is also known that the gate church was located on the tower. Thus, the total height of the Golden Gate reached 32 meters.
After the capture of Kiev by the Mongols (1240) and until the 16th century, this architectural monument is not found in any of the written references. But some sources of the XVII century already say that the Golden Gate is in a dilapidated state. In particular, Martin Gruneweg in 1584 recalls that "the Golden Gate in Kiev still stands, but most of them are destroyed."
Reconstruction and restoration of the monument
The first attempts to save the object were carried out in the 30s of the XIX century. So, the ruins were covered with turf, and the walls were flooded with a solution of limestone. And in 1837, engineer Mekhovich strengthened the eastern wall of the gate with powerful buttresses. However, the monument continued to collapse under the influence of precipitation. And then it was decided to build a pavilion over the ancient gates, which would not only protect them, but would restore the original appearance of the Golden Gate.
Reconstruction work was completed by 1982. The restorers E. Lopushinskaya, S. Vysotsky and N. Kholostenko led the work. Thanks to the reconstruction, it was possible to restore the original appearance of the Golden Gate: a toothed tower 14 meters high was built, and a small tower in the form of a ledge was attached to the side. On the one hand, the buildings were equipped with real lifting gates, following the example of those that have been preserved in Suzdal and Novgorod.
The gate church was rebuilt in the form of a single-domed church. It was decorated with a decorative brick ornament, typical of the facades of buildings of the times of Kievan Rus. Inside, the floor of the church was decorated with mosaics, imitating the ancient floor of Sofia Kiev.
Metro station "Golden Gate"
Kiev is not only the Lavra, ancient buildings, temples and old streets. This is a very modern metropolis with freeways, bridges and the largest metro system in Europe. To date, the Kiev metro is represented by three lines (two more are being designed) with 52 stations. In the same article, it would be advisable to mention only one of them, which is located just near the architectural monument described above. This is the Golden Gate station.
Kiev is ready to please tourists with its beauties not only above the ground, but also under it. And this station is a vivid confirmation of this! It is included in the list of the most beautiful metro stations in the world, and not one. Several authoritative publications ("The Guardian" in 2014, "Bootsnall" in 2011 and "Daily Telegraph" in 2012) immediately added the Kiev station to their ratings.
It was commissioned in 1989. All arches inside are decorated with mosaic paintings and ornaments, each of which is not repeated. And if you go around the station clockwise, then you can clearly trace almost the entire history of the ancient city. This is the main highlight of the Zoloti Vorota metro station. Kiev and the whole path of its development will be completely opened to tourists deep underground.
The history of the creation of the Golden Gate station is very exciting. After all, it is framed in the Ukrainian folk style, with the image of temples, which was unacceptable in an atheistic Soviet state. But how could this be allowed in the 80s, when the construction took place? As it turned out, it was a matter of chance.
The authors of the project - Vadim and Boris Zhezheriny - hid from the chief architect of the city the fact that “unacceptable” excesses will be present in the design of the future station. Thus, they put themselves at great risk, because for such a thing in the USSR it was possible to get a considerable term. However, the actual construction of the station began only in 1989, when the Soviet system practically did not exist. Thus, the city, thanks to the courage of the Zhezherins, received an excellent station, which fully absorbed all the authenticity of Kiev - the mother of Russian cities.
Park around the Golden Gate
If you leave the station up, you will find yourself in a beautiful and very cozy mini-park that surrounds the Golden Gate. This square is a landscape monument, without which it is already difficult to imagine the ancient construction of the city.
In the park, the monument to Yaroslav the Wise looks very appropriate. Here at any time of the year there are always quite a lot of tourists and ordinary vacationing citizens.
Instead of a conclusion
The mighty Dnieper River, ancient temples, houses with a special history, unique architectural monuments - all this, of course, is in Kiev. The Golden Gate is a valuable cultural object, one of the oldest buildings in Eastern Europe, which is about to celebrate its millennium! While in the Ukrainian capital, you should first visit this particular monument.