Famous Landmarks in Kyiv
Baroque churches and a rebuilt medieval gate rise from steep hills above the Dnieper.
The landmarks cluster on the steep hills above the Dnieper's right bank, spanning almost a millennium of building. The oldest, an eleventh-century cathedral and a cave monastery founded in 1051, date to the era when the city was capital of Kyivan Rus'; a fortified gate from the same fortifications survives only as a 1982 reconstruction, since the original was dismantled centuries ago. Ukrainian Baroque additions and rebuildings, visible in the cathedral's present exterior and the monastery's above-ground buildings, layer over those medieval cores. An eighteenth-century church by an imported Italian architect, set on a hillside overlooking the river, represents the later wave of Orthodox Baroque construction that reshaped the skyline.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
1037
The cathedral's present Baroque-styled exterior wraps an eleventh-century core, and its walled grounds still hold a separate bell tower and the former Metropolitan's residence alongside the main church.
Raised in 1037 as an Orthodox cathedral of Kyivan Rus', the complex became the first heritage site in Ukraine to enter the World Heritage List, alongside a nearby cave monastery; the two were confirmed as a single joint listing in 2013. Beyond the main church, the grounds hold a separate bell tower and the former Metropolitan's residence. No longer an active place of worship, the cathedral now operates as a museum and forms the core of a national reserve that also oversees four other historic sites.
- In 2011, oversight of the site moved from Ukraine's ministry of regional development to its ministry of culture, partly to resolve a mismatch: the cathedral and a nearby monastery were recognized abroad as one UNESCO listing while run at home by two separate government agencies.
Photo: Віктор Полянко (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
1051
The monastery's original hermit dwellings lie underground in a network of caves beneath the aboveground complex, which is built largely in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
Founded in 1051 as a cave monastery, the Lavra became a leading center of Eastern Christianity in Eastern Europe. It gave its name to the district that grew around it, and today's complex is built largely in the Ukrainian Baroque style. Its historic printing house played an early role in the development of printing in Ukraine, and the site remains recognized as part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing shared with a nearby cathedral.
- Its historic printing house was among the earliest presses to operate in Ukraine.
- The monastery gave its name to the city district that grew up around it.
Photo: Роман Днепр (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Golden Gate
1037–1982
A single free-standing gateway whose stonework is entirely modern despite representing an eleventh-century original: a full reconstruction based on competing theories about its appearance rather than any surviving image.
The Golden Gate was the principal entrance in the fortifications built around the city in the 11th century, likely named in imitation of a comparable gate at Constantinople. The original structure was dismantled during the Middle Ages, leaving almost nothing behind, and in 1982 Soviet authorities rebuilt it in its entirety, a reconstruction based on competing theories rather than any surviving image. The rebuilt gate now houses a branch of a museum, and its name is shared with a nearby theatre and metro station.
- No image of the original gate survives, so its 1982 rebuild rests on competing theories about its appearance rather than evidence.
- Its name is shared by a nearby theatre and a metro station.
Photo: George Chernilevsky (Public domain)
St. Andrew's Church
1747–1754 · Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
The church stands at the edge of a steep hillside, its compact form counted among the rare surviving examples of the Ukrainian Baroque style.
Built between 1747 and 1754 to a design by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the church stands on a steep hillside, a site tradition holds was blessed by the apostle Andrew as the future site of a great Christian city. A wooden predecessor on or near the spot was demolished in 1726 to make way for the current building. Owned by the Ukrainian state and designated a museum in 1968, it has since been used by more than one Orthodox jurisdiction and underwent major renovation in the late 2010s after its foundations grew unstable.
- In October 2018, ahead of a unification council of Ukraine's Orthodox churches, use of the building passed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Photo: JøMa (CC BY-SA 3.0)
House with Chimaeras
1901–1902 · Władysław Horodecki
The exterior is covered in sculpted reliefs of exotic animals and hunting scenes, the source of the building's popular nickname; the current decor is a faithful early-2000s reconstruction of the architect's original design, redone after decades of institutional use had let it decay.
Władysław Horodecki built this Art Nouveau apartment building for himself in 1901–1902, financing the work with borrowed money and occupying its top floor. Financial trouble forced him to sell in 1913, and after several changes of owner the building became an elite Communist Party polyclinic, used until the early 2000s. Only the Ukrainian president's intervention persuaded the clinic to vacate. Its interior and exterior were then fully restored to Horodecki's original plans, and since 2005 the building has hosted official and diplomatic ceremonies.
- Horodecki kept a cowshed on the property for fresh milk, sited so its smell would not reach tenants, alongside a miniature alpine garden and fountain.
- Decades of use as a polyclinic left the building nearly split in half, with one section sinking 22 centimeters and a crack about 40 centimeters wide opening in its structure.
- The animal and hunting-scene sculptures were carved by the Italian sculptor Emilio Sala, reflecting Horodecki's own passion for big-game hunting.
Photo: Neovitaha777 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
History
According to legend the city takes its name from Kyi, one of four founding siblings, and it was already functioning as a trading center by the 5th century, sited on the route linking Scandinavia to Constantinople. A tributary of the Khazars, it was seized by Varangian rulers in the mid-9th century and became capital of Kyivan Rus', the first East Slavic state — the period that produced the cathedral, gate and monastery still standing today. The Siege of Kiev in 1240 left the city in ruins, and it took centuries to recover its former influence. It re-emerged as a center of Eastern Orthodox learning in the 16th century, then prospered again during the Russian Empire's industrial expansion of the late 19th century.