In the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, sights are present of various kinds and times of appearance. Every tourist here can see religious buildings that have become a symbol of the country, unusual buildings with their legends, enjoy art and just have fun. The most important places that travelers should not miss in this city are written in detail in the article.
The capital of churches and temples
The general list of sights of Kiev includes a large number of church buildings. These include the Church of the Tithes, Holy Intercession and Holy Trinity Ioninsky Monasteries, and much more. Their number is large, but tourists should definitely see only a few, and St. Andrew's Church is included in this list. Incredibly beautiful, the building rises on the ledge of Starokievskaya Gora. A master named Bartolomeo Rastrelli put his soul into it, and often the building is called his greatest creation. The church is not large in size, but every detail in appearance fits perfectly into the overall picture and fascinates the person.
Large Religious Shrine
The sights of Kiev are capable of causing admiration among many people for their appearance, significance and historical features. For all three of these points stands out a whole complex called the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. This place is one of the Orthodox centers of the country, and there are reasons for that. The scale of this small town inside the capital is striking. Fourteen temples that have almost perfectly preserved their appearance since the time of construction in the eleventh century. There are other buildings on the territory of the laurel that can attract tourists. For example, one of the first printing houses in Kievan Rus or seven museums of various subjects. The status of the laurels, which is translated from Greek as “street”, was granted to this complex in 1688. Although the temples here retained their appearance, a lot of information, important documents and relics were lost due to robberies. Polovtsy and Turks attacked at different times, and at the beginning of the 18th century there was a fire that almost destroyed the entire library.
Temple with incredible beauties inside
Among the main attractions of Kiev, you should definitely include such a religious structure as St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. It was built on the initiative of Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, and now this shrine attracts tourists from different countries. The appearance of the building with six domes and crosses on top can surprise and attract attention for a while. After inspecting the architecture, the traveler should go inside the building, where magnificent frescoes and mosaics from the times of Kievan Rus are preserved. The design of the temple in a similar style at the time of the twelfth century in the state was revolutionary. This prompted the masters at that moment to discover a completely new type of painting. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral, like many popular sights in Kiev, was repeatedly plundered. The siege and the sacking of the city of Batuy in 1240 hit the building especially hard. In the seventeenth and next century, the cathedral was reconstructed by various authors.
The remains of the ancient symbol of the capital
What to see the sights in Kiev and where to go, so as not to miss the most important places, the tourist will be able to learn from a full reading of this material. Among the buildings that can not be overlooked include the Golden Gate. This pavilion was rebuilt according to ancient descriptions, relying on the remains of the original. The external building only complements the imagination of people and serves as a protection for the historical Golden Gate that are inside. Once upon a time there were meetings of important persons, rejoicing after the trips of the princes, because it was the main entrance to the capital of Kievan Rus. According to historians, the magnificent structure was designed to compete with the triumphal gates of Constantinople. This is also confirmed by the fact that at that moment the states competed with each other. The exact date of the construction of the religious structure is unknown. Some historians call the year 1037, others agree that the Golden Gate appeared in 1164. During the attack of the Batu horde, the building was partially destroyed.
Two famous streets
Among the main attractions of Kiev should definitely include two streets - St. Andrew's Descent and Khreshchatyk. The first highway was laid many centuries ago to connect the Upper and Lower City. They laid it between two hills, one of which once stood a Lithuanian medieval castle. Now this street is a favorite place of all creative personalities. Almost every house here is known for the fact that at different times it became a home for famous personalities. At the weekend, there are various events, exhibitions, festivals and more. Infrastructure in the form of cafes, restaurants, shops for shopping is present. Khreschatyk Street is known for being located in the heart of the capital. This wide avenue of 1.2 kilometers long attracts local and newcomers with its atmosphere. Many interesting buildings and modern institutions will make you stay here for a while. To build this part of the city began only in the eighteenth century, but now Khreshchatyk for many is the best place in the capital.
Two more important places
The sights of the city of Kiev can amaze the imagination in different ways. For example, the monument "Motherland" surprises with the size and grace of the work of sculptors. It is part of the complex of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, which is dedicated to the times of World War II. Together with the pedestal, the height of the monument is 102 meters, and this is one of the largest figures in the whole world. The statue itself rises by 62 m, although it was originally planned to be 80. The decision to reduce it was made under pressure from the Metropolitan, who said that it is unacceptable to erect a statue above the cross of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Inside the pedestal, tourists can enjoy exhibitions dedicated to the ninth of May.
An equally important building is the St. Sophia Cathedral, which was erected for the rule of Yaroslav the Wise. The most likely version of his appearance is that the prince wanted to defeat Metropolitan Theopempt, who moved from Constantinople to lead the religious community in Russia. Now the building is more of a museum, because its appearance is amazing. Seventeen domes and reconstruction in the style of Ukrainian baroque from the seventeenth century will appeal to all travelers.
Beautiful and mysterious places
If we talk about the most beautiful sights of Kiev, then in the first row it is necessary to put the House with chimeras. The Art Nouveau building was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Polish architect Vladislav Gorodetsky. The man was rich, and therefore allowed himself to build a structure in the marshland and apply rare cement at that time. As a demonstration of strength, the architect decided to generously decorate the facade with mythical chimeras. Inside the house, the design also strikes the eye, and over the years of its existence, the building has acquired a variety of legends.
If we talk about fables and riddles, then you need to remember in Kiev the castle of Richard the Lionheart. This is a mansion, which in style strongly resembles the British building of the same name. Most interestingly, for many years strange sounds and howls emanated from this building, and the owners complained about the doors that open independently. This became an occasion for legends of evil spirits and evil spirits. The true reason lies in the fact that the working people decided to take revenge on customers for unpaid funds. They put eggshells in the ventilation, and walled up bottles in the walls.
Museum trekking
In the list of sights of Kiev there is a place for various museums. Their number in the city is simply huge, and you need to know which ones are worth a visit if time is limited. Tourists are advised to visit the Bulgakov Museum on St. Andrew's Descent. In 1906, a writer lived here, and at the end of the century they decided to turn the building into a landmark. Masters restored the appearance at the time when the author lived here, and collected a wide variety of exhibits. The Museum of National History of Ukraine will provide for the examination of many exhibits that holistically convey all the eras through which the country went to its independence. A variety of finds from different times have been stored in the building since 1944. The Museum of Architecture and Life called Pirogovo is spread over an area of 150 hectares. Here you can observe samples of wooden architecture from the sixteenth century.
Wildlife Places
Most of the main attractions of Kiev with a description are mentioned in the material, but wildlife lovers should visit some more places. The first of them is the Grishko Botanical Garden, where there are different thematic corners. Plants from around the world will appear to the visitor in all its glory. The second interesting place of such subjects is the Vladimir Hill in Kiev. This park with a mountain landscape of ten hectares was laid back in the nineteenth century. Here is a monument to Prince Vladimir, a variety of sculptural products and exhibitions. Also in the park you can ride a cable car along the cableway 220 meters long.