Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine and one of the largest cities of our country.
It has its own unique beauty and atmosphere. Kyiv fascinates with the magic of wonder, especially in spring, when the streets are filled with blooming chestnuts that completely envelop the city.
Kyiv is also unique in that it is one of the largest and oldest cities in Europe. Regardless of the season, it will always be incredible. It is worth visiting here once so that this place remains in the heart forever.
In order to fully experience this atmosphere, we have collected for you 15 interesting facts about the capital of Ukraine.
Fact No. 1
According to legend, the founders of the city were Kiy, Shchek, Horiv and their sister Lybid. The settlement was named after the eldest brother, the names of the two smaller ones are immortalized in the names of mountains, streets, and quarters of Kyiv, and a small river was named after the sister.
Fact No. 2
The highest monument of the capital is the famous “Motherland”. This monumental sculpture is located on the territory of the “Museum of the Great Patriotic War” memorial complex. It was built in 1981 according to the project of V. Borodiy. The height of the sculpture is as much as 102 meters, which allows it to be in the top 5 tallest sculptures in the world.
Fact No. 3
Among European cities, only Kyiv has a national nature park – Holosiivskyi – 4.5 thousand hectares of forest entirely within the city zone (no world capital can boast of this). Holosiiv Park was laid out in 1631 by Peter Mohyla. It is the first man-made Ukrainian park.
Fact No. 4
Khreshchatyk Street, which is familiar to everyone, is 1,300 meters long and 75 meters wide. It is the widest and shortest of the central streets of European capitals. It was almost completely rebuilt after Khreshchatyk was blown up by NKVD employees in 1941. The modern appearance of the central street of Kyiv is the result of the work of architects Vlasov and Dobrovolskyi. The project of the outstanding Ukrainian architect Volodymyr Zabolotny also participated in the competition, but the top management rejected it due to its pro-Ukrainian orientation. If Zabolotny’s project was accepted then, we would have Khreshchatyk in the Ukrainian neo-baroque style.
Fact No. 5
The oldest Kyiv tree is Wilhelm Christer Oak. According to approximate estimates, its age varies between 600 and 700 years. It is difficult to say exactly, because you can find out the age of a tree only by the annual rings on the trunk. You can see this miracle of nature while walking through the capital on Osypovsky Street.
Fact No. 6
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is the largest monastery in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Since the 11th century, it has an area of 22 hectares, there are about a hundred different buildings. The founder of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery is Saint Anthony, since 1051 it has been the main shrine of the Eastern Slavs, which was confirmed by UNESCO by including the monastery in the World Heritage List and recognizing it as a masterpiece of human creative genius. By the way, the bell tower of the Lavra in Kyiv is the highest bell tower in Ukraine – 96.5 meters.
Fact No. 7
Kyiv metro is one of the oldest in Europe. The deepest station is Arsenalna. To get to it, you need to descend underground to a depth of 105 meters. And the honor of being called the most beautiful station belongs to the famous “Golden Gate”. This station is among the top 10 most beautiful in the world.
Fact No. 8
The oldest monument in the capital of Ukraine is located near the Embankment Highway, on the slopes of the mighty Dnieper. This is a monument of Magdeburg law (it is also known by another name – the monument of the baptism of Russia). Its author was A.I. Melensky, and its creation lasted from 1802 to 1808.
Fact No. 9
It is impossible to imagine Kyiv without St. Sophia Cathedral. The interior of the temple has been preserved since the 11th century. Mosaic colors include more than 177 shades. This temple is a wonderful example of Byzantine architecture. It is also protected by UNESCO.
Fact No. 10
The monument to the founders of Kyiv was built in 1982 for the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv. The monument is located on the Dnipro embankment in Navodnytsky Park (between the Dnipro metro station and the Patona bridge). This architectural work looks simply incredible!
Fact No. 11
Many people believe that Lysa Gora in Kyiv is devoid of vegetation due to the fact that witches’ covens were held there, but this is just a mystical legend. In fact, trees on the hills were massively cut down to collect firewood, and soon there were none left at all.
Fact No. 12
The Golden Gate is the main gate of ancient Kyiv, a monument of the defense architecture of Kyivan Rus, one of the oldest buildings in Eastern Europe, a symbol of Kyiv. The Golden Gate in Constantinople got its name by analogy.
Fact No. 13
Since ancient times, the capital has been an economic and cultural center in Eastern Europe. In the eleventh century, Kyiv was the largest capital in Europe, the city was more than ten times larger than Paris and fifty times larger than London.
Fact No. 14
Another of the many facts about Kyiv is that an asteroid was named “2171 Kyiv” in honor of this extraordinary and amazing city.
Fact No. 15
One of the many beauties of the city are chestnuts. In May, Kyiv is simply overflowing with chestnut blossoms and becomes no less beautiful than the city of Uzhgorod, dressed in an outfit of blossoming cherry blossoms. That is why Kyiv has the unofficial title of “chestnut” capital.
What is your favorite place in Kyiv? Share your favorite locations in the comments:
