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The most pleasant place in the city. Stretching along the green slopes above the Dnieper are the Vladimirskaya Hill, the Kreshchaty park, the City Garden, the Mariinsky Park, the Askold's Grave Park, the Park of Eternal Glory and the Botanical Garden.
Vladimirskaya Hill: The "Vladimirskaya Mountain " park was laid out at: the end of the 19th century. This is a popular place for recreation-green , pleasant , with old pavilions and beautiful views visible through gaps in the leaves. After their high-school graduation party many pupils wait for the dawn in the romantic park. The traditional religious procession to mark St. Vladimir's Day on July 15 used to start from here. A pavilion with a panorama entitled "Calvary" was opened at the entrance to the park from Triokhsviatited'skaya Street in 1992. A circular picture of Jerusalem and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were created by Austrian artists (unfortunately the panorama was removed in 1934)
Khreschaty Park: The chain of parks that bonder Lipki on the side of Dnieper Hill begins with Khreschaty Park. The name echoes those of Khrechatisky Stream and Khreshchaty Ravine. In the place of the present Khreshchatik, under the rampart of the Old Kyiv Fortress, there used to be a road leading from the hollow called "Kreshchatiy Yar" in the direction of Vasilkov. According to the one version, the name of the ravine comes from a stream beginning at the Kreshchatik Spring and following to the place where the Kyivans were christened. Another version is that the toponym came from the ravines that met and crossed here. A street with urban houses in grounds was established here at the end of the 18th century. At first it was called "Teatralnaya"- after a wooden theater that stood in the place of the present "Ukrainsky Dom: in the first half of the 19th century. Than the theater was replaced by the "Yevropeyskaya:hotel , which is now called in the name of Yevropeykaya Square. As the developed further, Khreshchatik turned into a central arterial road. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was a rich and elegant street with the city Duma, the exchange, a post office, bank offices, different trade companies, luxurious apartment houses, theatres and cinemas. Only a few isolated buildings have survived from the old Kreshchatik to the present day.
During the first days of the Nazi occupation in September 1941, the houses along Kreshchatik began to blow up one after another. It emerged that the Soviet Secret Services left radio-controlled bombs in many of the central buildings when they left the city. The victims of this suicidal action included not only the Nazi occupiers, who had taken comfortable lodgings on the Kreshchatik, but also civilian residents. The street was on fire , and in order to prevent it spreading, the Germans demolished the houses surrounding the fire. In this way, the city center was quickly turned into ruins.
Soon after the liberation of Kyiv an all-Union contest to find a design for new Kreshchatik was held. While the Kyivans enthusiastically contributed to the restoration of their favorite street by cleaning the ruins, the architects prepared their creative proposals. After long discussions, the design proposed by a group led by the Moscow architect A.Vlasov was approved. The design was marked by the pomp of Stalin epoch. However, it should be noted that as a result the architects created a unified complex, truly befitting a capital-festive, ceremonial and distinctive. The first forerunners of the new construction were the dwelling houses at # 13 and 17, Kreschchatik Street. Like the most of the subsequent buildings, they were faced with light ceramic tiles and socles were decorated with granite. In the course of reconstruction, Kreshchatik was widened considerably. The earlier width of the street (50 meters) was retained in only one place by the surviving pre-war house at #5. A passage had been cleared through its first floor.
The City Garden: When the Mariyinsky Palace was built in the middle of the 18th century, a large garden was laid out beside it. Kyivans found that the palace had special atmosphere filled with majestic peace and conductive to relaxation. One of the adornments of the present City garden is an original concert stage. (Architect Y.Saryogin 1982-1983) where public musical performances are held. Not far from the stage stand bronze statues of the classic of Ukrainian literature Lesya Ukrainka (sculptor V.Boroday, 1965) and of the great actress Maria Zankovetska (sculptor G.Kalchenko, 1974). There is also a bust of composer Mikhail Glinka amidst the greenery. The bust was originally placed in the front of the City Musical School in 1910, and it was transferred here in the postwar years.
Mariyinskiy Park: Until the 1870s this was a parade ground for military training. But the Empress Maria Alexandrova provided funds for laying out a park here, which was named "Mariyinsky". At the turn of the 20th century, a series of cast-iron fountains was installed (there are similar fountains in the city Garden). During the civil war the park was used as a place of burial>Participants in the January Rebellion of 1918 were buried here in a mass grave. In 1967 a bronze statue of proletarian with a flag (sculptors V.Vinaykin and V.Klimov, architect V.Gnezdilov) was placed over the grave .The revolution-aries I.Smirnov-Lastochkin and A.Ivanov are also buried here. In 1944 Army Genral Nikolay Vatutin was buried in the park. He was the Commander of 1st Ukrainian front, which liberated Kyiv from the fascists. A granite statue of the general stands over this grave (sculptor E.Vuchetich, 1948). The Byzantine-style Alexandro-Nevskaya Parish church (architect V.Nikolayev, 1889) stood in almost the same spot up to the 1930s.
Askold's grave: According to the legend told in the chronicles, Varangian leader Oleg captured Kyiv and killed the local rulers Askold and Dir in 882. Askold's name remained in the memory of Kyivans. There are reports that he was baptized in Tsargrad in the 860s taking the name Nicholas and that he tried to convert Rus to Christianity. The burial place of the prince is known as Askold's Grave. Many notable Kyivans from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries were buried in the city cemetery nearby. The architect A.Mlensky built the Saint Nikolay church (1810) here in the front of the classic rotunda. But in 1934-1936 the cemetery was destroyed, and the church was turned into a park pavilion. Only in 1998 was the church restored. A wooden cross indicates that the young Ukranian patriots killed in the battle with the Bolsheviks near the Kruty station were buried in the cemetery in 1918. A memorial (architect Y.Vig, 19970 to the stay of the Hungarians on their way from the Volga to the territory of the present -day Hungary, as described in the chronicle, was placed nearby.
The Park of Eternal Glory: In 1980s a park was laid out in Pechersk district at the initiative of general A.Anusov, the commander of the Kyiv fortress. The park was called Anosovsky. In 1957 the park was converted into a memorial to the to the Eternal Glory of the Heroes of the Second World War (architects A.Miletsky, V.Baklanov,L Novikov) A 27-meter obelisk was erected above the tombs of the Unknown Soldier. Marshal V.Chuykov ignited the Eternal Flame.34 Heroes of the defense and liberation of Kyiv, fallen for Motherland, were interred along the alley leading from Slava Square to the monument. The laying of wreathes on the tomb of Unknown Soldier became a sacred traditions. On Slava Square we can see such original buildings as Palace of Children's creativity (architecs A.Miletsky, E.Bylsky, 1962-1965, the State Award of the USSR in 1967) and the Salute Hotel (architects A.Miletsky and other, 1982. The bell tower (1750) in front of the Voyenno-Nikolskaya church, a Ukranian baroque-structure from the end of the 17th century (architect O.Startsev), stood on the site of the hotel in 1930 the bell tower and cathedral were demolished.
Botanical garden: from ancient times this area was called Zverinets (Menagerie). Apparently Kyivans nobles used to hunt here (nearby was the princes' country residence known from the chronicles of the 11th-12th century as the Red Yard). In 1810-1812, a small Zverinets fortification was built (not reserved). In 1918, an ammunition depot here blew up affecting all Pechersk. It was decided to create the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Zverinets back in 1935, however full-scale construction work began only in post-war years. The scientific part of the plan was done by Academician N.Gryshko (the first director of garden) and the planning was done by the architect A.Vaslov. The garden opened for public in 1964. You can see interesting expositions in the areas:" the Forests of the Ukranian Plains,""Ukranian Carpathians," The Ukraninan Steppe," The Crimea" and "the Caucasus" etc: The Garden has a superb rosarium, one of the best orchid collections in Europe, a rich collection of trees and bushes, as well as other plants. The lilacs are especially popular-each spring people come to see them in bloom. But in other seasons too, the beautiful landscape and pure air attract thousands of visitors. The garden is situated on more than 130 hectares of land. The Troitsky Monastery is also situated here.
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Vladimirskaya Hill: The "Vladimirskaya Mountain " park was laid out at: the end of the 19th century. This is a popular place for recreation-green , pleasant , with old pavilions and beautiful views visible through gaps in the leaves. After their high-school graduation party many pupils wait for the dawn in the romantic park. The traditional religious procession to mark St. Vladimir's Day on July 15 used to start from here. A pavilion with a panorama entitled "Calvary" was opened at the entrance to the park from Triokhsviatited'skaya Street in 1992. A circular picture of Jerusalem and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were created by Austrian artists (unfortunately the panorama was removed in 1934)
Khreschaty Park: The chain of parks that bonder Lipki on the side of Dnieper Hill begins with Khreschaty Park. The name echoes those of Khrechatisky Stream and Khreshchaty Ravine. In the place of the present Khreshchatik, under the rampart of the Old Kyiv Fortress, there used to be a road leading from the hollow called "Kreshchatiy Yar" in the direction of Vasilkov. According to the one version, the name of the ravine comes from a stream beginning at the Kreshchatik Spring and following to the place where the Kyivans were christened. Another version is that the toponym came from the ravines that met and crossed here. A street with urban houses in grounds was established here at the end of the 18th century. At first it was called "Teatralnaya"- after a wooden theater that stood in the place of the present "Ukrainsky Dom: in the first half of the 19th century. Than the theater was replaced by the "Yevropeyskaya:hotel , which is now called in the name of Yevropeykaya Square. As the developed further, Khreshchatik turned into a central arterial road. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was a rich and elegant street with the city Duma, the exchange, a post office, bank offices, different trade companies, luxurious apartment houses, theatres and cinemas. Only a few isolated buildings have survived from the old Kreshchatik to the present day.
During the first days of the Nazi occupation in September 1941, the houses along Kreshchatik began to blow up one after another. It emerged that the Soviet Secret Services left radio-controlled bombs in many of the central buildings when they left the city. The victims of this suicidal action included not only the Nazi occupiers, who had taken comfortable lodgings on the Kreshchatik, but also civilian residents. The street was on fire , and in order to prevent it spreading, the Germans demolished the houses surrounding the fire. In this way, the city center was quickly turned into ruins.
Soon after the liberation of Kyiv an all-Union contest to find a design for new Kreshchatik was held. While the Kyivans enthusiastically contributed to the restoration of their favorite street by cleaning the ruins, the architects prepared their creative proposals. After long discussions, the design proposed by a group led by the Moscow architect A.Vlasov was approved. The design was marked by the pomp of Stalin epoch. However, it should be noted that as a result the architects created a unified complex, truly befitting a capital-festive, ceremonial and distinctive. The first forerunners of the new construction were the dwelling houses at # 13 and 17, Kreschchatik Street. Like the most of the subsequent buildings, they were faced with light ceramic tiles and socles were decorated with granite. In the course of reconstruction, Kreshchatik was widened considerably. The earlier width of the street (50 meters) was retained in only one place by the surviving pre-war house at #5. A passage had been cleared through its first floor.
The City Garden: When the Mariyinsky Palace was built in the middle of the 18th century, a large garden was laid out beside it. Kyivans found that the palace had special atmosphere filled with majestic peace and conductive to relaxation. One of the adornments of the present City garden is an original concert stage. (Architect Y.Saryogin 1982-1983) where public musical performances are held. Not far from the stage stand bronze statues of the classic of Ukrainian literature Lesya Ukrainka (sculptor V.Boroday, 1965) and of the great actress Maria Zankovetska (sculptor G.Kalchenko, 1974). There is also a bust of composer Mikhail Glinka amidst the greenery. The bust was originally placed in the front of the City Musical School in 1910, and it was transferred here in the postwar years.
Mariyinskiy Park: Until the 1870s this was a parade ground for military training. But the Empress Maria Alexandrova provided funds for laying out a park here, which was named "Mariyinsky". At the turn of the 20th century, a series of cast-iron fountains was installed (there are similar fountains in the city Garden). During the civil war the park was used as a place of burial>Participants in the January Rebellion of 1918 were buried here in a mass grave. In 1967 a bronze statue of proletarian with a flag (sculptors V.Vinaykin and V.Klimov, architect V.Gnezdilov) was placed over the grave .The revolution-aries I.Smirnov-Lastochkin and A.Ivanov are also buried here. In 1944 Army Genral Nikolay Vatutin was buried in the park. He was the Commander of 1st Ukrainian front, which liberated Kyiv from the fascists. A granite statue of the general stands over this grave (sculptor E.Vuchetich, 1948). The Byzantine-style Alexandro-Nevskaya Parish church (architect V.Nikolayev, 1889) stood in almost the same spot up to the 1930s.
Askold's grave: According to the legend told in the chronicles, Varangian leader Oleg captured Kyiv and killed the local rulers Askold and Dir in 882. Askold's name remained in the memory of Kyivans. There are reports that he was baptized in Tsargrad in the 860s taking the name Nicholas and that he tried to convert Rus to Christianity. The burial place of the prince is known as Askold's Grave. Many notable Kyivans from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries were buried in the city cemetery nearby. The architect A.Mlensky built the Saint Nikolay church (1810) here in the front of the classic rotunda. But in 1934-1936 the cemetery was destroyed, and the church was turned into a park pavilion. Only in 1998 was the church restored. A wooden cross indicates that the young Ukranian patriots killed in the battle with the Bolsheviks near the Kruty station were buried in the cemetery in 1918. A memorial (architect Y.Vig, 19970 to the stay of the Hungarians on their way from the Volga to the territory of the present -day Hungary, as described in the chronicle, was placed nearby.
The Park of Eternal Glory: In 1980s a park was laid out in Pechersk district at the initiative of general A.Anusov, the commander of the Kyiv fortress. The park was called Anosovsky. In 1957 the park was converted into a memorial to the to the Eternal Glory of the Heroes of the Second World War (architects A.Miletsky, V.Baklanov,L Novikov) A 27-meter obelisk was erected above the tombs of the Unknown Soldier. Marshal V.Chuykov ignited the Eternal Flame.34 Heroes of the defense and liberation of Kyiv, fallen for Motherland, were interred along the alley leading from Slava Square to the monument. The laying of wreathes on the tomb of Unknown Soldier became a sacred traditions. On Slava Square we can see such original buildings as Palace of Children's creativity (architecs A.Miletsky, E.Bylsky, 1962-1965, the State Award of the USSR in 1967) and the Salute Hotel (architects A.Miletsky and other, 1982. The bell tower (1750) in front of the Voyenno-Nikolskaya church, a Ukranian baroque-structure from the end of the 17th century (architect O.Startsev), stood on the site of the hotel in 1930 the bell tower and cathedral were demolished.
Botanical garden: from ancient times this area was called Zverinets (Menagerie). Apparently Kyivans nobles used to hunt here (nearby was the princes' country residence known from the chronicles of the 11th-12th century as the Red Yard). In 1810-1812, a small Zverinets fortification was built (not reserved). In 1918, an ammunition depot here blew up affecting all Pechersk. It was decided to create the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Zverinets back in 1935, however full-scale construction work began only in post-war years. The scientific part of the plan was done by Academician N.Gryshko (the first director of garden) and the planning was done by the architect A.Vaslov. The garden opened for public in 1964. You can see interesting expositions in the areas:" the Forests of the Ukranian Plains,""Ukranian Carpathians," The Ukraninan Steppe," The Crimea" and "the Caucasus" etc: The Garden has a superb rosarium, one of the best orchid collections in Europe, a rich collection of trees and bushes, as well as other plants. The lilacs are especially popular-each spring people come to see them in bloom. But in other seasons too, the beautiful landscape and pure air attract thousands of visitors. The garden is situated on more than 130 hectares of land. The Troitsky Monastery is also situated here.
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