Золотые Ворота не настоящие.
Это всего лишь реконструкция выполненная наиболее известными историками и архитекторами. На самом деле не сохранилось достоверных изображений Золотых Ворот Киева, ну разве что на печати французской королевы Анны да руины ворот на рисунках Вестерфельда (17 век). К дню празднования 1500 летия Киева нужно было открыть какой-нибудь знаменитый музей, вот и восстановили полуразрушенные ворота и часть крепостных валов. Историческая кладка фрагментами есть внутри музея. Добавим что при раскопках со стороны Золотоворотского проезда (а в древнем Киеве это было пространство как раз снаружи города перед воротами) обранужено большое количество костей, фрагментов оружия и мететельных ядер-снарядов от монгольских требучетов.

Киево-Печерская Лавра возникла на месте лагеря разбойников.
Существует легенда что в древние времена на Печерских холмах был лагерь-поселение варягов которые разбойничали и грабили купцов по Днепру. Когда-то это было далеко за городом, но со временем Киев окреп и разбойников изгнали, а сокровища их не нашли. В некоторых летописях есть указания на то что одним из равлечений древних киевлян было копание на месте бывшего разбойничего лагеря с целью найти варяжское золото, из-за этого земля была изрыта во многих местах. Поэтому первым монахам-христианам тут было проще селиться и строить свои нехитрые “печеры” – поздемные жилища.

Как речка Глубочица превратилась в Канаву

Некогда живописная довольно широкая и быстрая река протекающая через Подол и впадающая в Днепр к средине 19 столетия превратилась в грязную сточную яму, в народе именуемую “канава” и распростарняющую зловоние вокруг. Сюда сливались помои и отходы со всего стремительно развивающегося и растущего города, промышленные стоки от заводов и фабрик. От кварталов города канава было отграничена валами – верхним и нижним. Городские власти ломали голову что делать и как избавиться от неприятного запаха. Решено было замуровать реку под землей что и было сделано – теперь Глубочица типичная подземная река, а на карте существуют две улицы – Верхний Вал и Нижний Вал.

все наши квартиры посуточно в Киеве находятся в исторической части города в районе Крещатика и прилегающих улиц

winter in Kiev

winter park in Kiev

Kreshchatyk in winter

a lot of snow

Winter in Ukraine can be lovely. Kiev becomes a snow-covered winter wonderland with the river Dnieper frozen into an ice-skating rink. Cold is OK if you wrap up warm.
The only snag over christmans / new year is the large number of pulblic holiday: western xmas then western new year then orthodox xmas then orthodox new year. Ukrainians tend to spend all holidays with their families rather than going out so everything can seem a bit quiet with erratic opening times for shops / museums etc.

Demonstrations in Kiev

Parliament adopted the tax bill last week, but the President is hesitant to sign it, fearing it would take a serious negative influence on his popularity. He agreed to meet with the protesters this week and take their demands into consideration.

Meanwhile, a Kiev court on Monday banned rallies in the city, saying they would disturb visits by foreign delegations. But authorities appeared reluctant to use force against the protesters and the actions went on.
Demonstrators thought of a clever way to continue their protest despite the official ban. They hung posters on several tents that identify the flimsy enclosures as offices of opposition lawmakers. By law, such premises cannot be destroyed or compromised.

Each spring Kiev is changing markedly because the city is covered by numerous green parks, lakes, forests and gardens, wich give to Kiev a specific charm and beauty, especially remarkable during the spring.
Kiev is a remarkable city and among one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. It offers large green territories and sparkling waterways right in the middle of this amazing city. Not only can you see the islands within the Dnipro River which is most undeveloped and has thick forest areas but there are also wonderfully large parks on the banks of the Dnipro and gorgeous cities that surround the forest. Towards the end of April you will start to see the city bloom and many of the Kievites will take walks through the botanical garden to see the beautiful flowers. May and June will be the months when Kiev is alive and so beautiful that the scenes are breathtaking for those of Kiev and the tourist alike

Podil is an old district of Kiev, where craftsmen and fishermen used to live in the past. The district architecture was formed after fire of 1811, when all the wooden constructions burnt down.
Andriyivsky Uzviz and Kiev’s funicular join the original “upper city” with Podil, the Dnipro floodplain turned residential neighbourhood. To get here, take the funicular: the ride is fun, the view is good and the ticket’s price is low.Otherwise, take the metro to Kontraktova Ploshcha or Poshtova Ploshcha, walk down the Uzvis, or take a taxi.

Long ago, Podil was the commercial area of Kiev, where foreign merchants and craftsmen lived and labored far away from the more refined churches and palaces on the hill (hence the river port, contract house and larger market spaces)
Walking around Podil with the intention of sightseeing is a worthy endeavour. In addition to the historic buildings there is the Dniper embankment with the river port and several monuments to see.
Kontraktova square is the central space of Podil. As in centuries past, this area is still an open market of sorts and becoming a popular focal point of restaurants and night clubs.
Podil is also home of Mohylanska Academy, one of the oldest Kiev’s and ukrainian educational institutions, founded on 1615.

Numerous attractions of Podil particularly include: Frolivskyi and Pokrovskyi Monasteries, House of Ivan Mazepa (Ivan MazepaIvan Stepanovych Mazepa , Cossack Hetman of the Hetmanate in Left-bank Ukraine, in 1687–1708) , House of Peter the Great, Fountain of Samson, Zamkova (The place is calles “Zamkova” because in XVI century Lithuanian Duke Vitovt had his castle here) ,Andriyivskyy Descent — the main link of Podil to the city’s administrative Uppertown, Kiev River Port, Kiev funicular (The funicular was constructed during 1902-1905, and was first opened to the public on 7 May, 1905), Poshtova Square.
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If you only have time to visit one museum while in Kiev we would advise you to go to the Museum of One Street. It’s very small and charming but still manages to illustrate the history of some of most prominent residents of Andrew’s Descent. You will find this exposition walking down the Andreyevsky Spusk (Andrew’s descent) which connects the upper and lower parts of the city and is one of the oldest in Kiev.
The museum was only opened in 1991, but the idea was to gather together as many items as possible from the houses in the street through the ages and to build displays from the past, ranging from writing desks to complete room interiors and shop fronts.
It’s a small, but fascinating museum, which is certainly very popular with tourists. The staff also conduct walking tours of Kiev, so it’s a good place to start if you’re in need of a little guidance.

These pictures were made approximately at the middle of 19th century. The Square was called Dumska at that time and it did not change untill 1941

This picture is taken on 1944, just after soviet army liberated Kiev. Not only Square of Independence, but almost all Kiev center was under total destruction. Need to say that the most of ruinations were made by retreating soviet army.

This is photo of 1960th. Square was named in honor of October Revolution. Many people are still remember this gorgeous view of square and think it was much better and nicer then present.

Modern Square of Independence, after reconstruction. Many people do not understand why architects placed so much glass constructions here.

One of University buildings (now Shevchenko blvd)

View to Podil at 1900

Old Kreshchatyk (view from Bessarabsky end)

kiev street and people

apartments kiev

car rental Kiev

Car rental in Ukraine is quite a legal business, as in many other countries. Large international companies Herz, Avis as well as small firms offer cars for rent withour a driver.
The main problem car rental companies encounter is preparing documents for the transfer of a car into temporary use. The Ukrainian law of transport vehicles lease provides such a transfer, but it does not differentiate the car from the plane, ship or train and states that for any transport vehicle lease to a natural person drawing up a contract and its notary attestation is necessary. Otherwise the car rental document can be recognized as invalid.
What does it mean?
1. That natural persons-not residents of Ukraine, not having the identification code cannot rent a car even in theory, because the notary will not attest a contract with a natural person without the identification code.
2. That natural persons -the residents of Ukraine having their identification number have to go through additional protraction at the notary whose working hours are from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m., for whom there is a queue for sure and the documents attestation takes about an hour besides paying state tax and paying the notary for the services.
Will many clients agree to it? Not many, for sure. Actually the companies dealing in car lease at their own peril draw up contracts without attesting them by the notary. it means that in case of court proceedings on the occasion of the client’s violating his obligations (for example, car damage or, which is worse,not return) this contract can be recognized as invalid, the same in case of the violation of its obligations by the company (for example, the car technically out of order).
The next problem: the lease contract without notary’s seal is not recognized by the traffic police as the grounds for temporary use of the automobile. And any traffic police officer can confiscate the automobile and put it to the penalty ground. That is why car rental companies again dodge: each client is given a routine card-as if you are not a client but the company’s worker and are going in your company’s car on business. This scheme-car lease contract not attested by the notary+the routine card is working today in Ukraine.
Periodically the road police adds the necessity to prepare a temporary documentation when renting a car, which you can receive a few days after visiting MREO, and stand in a queue for 3-4 hours. we shall not discuss the absurdity of this requirement for renting a car, as the only way to struggle with it is to bribe the traffic policeman who stopped you. Or not to rent a car in Ukraine at all.
Of course, all this reflects on the car rental cost. If in Europe it is quite possible to get a car for 20-30 Euro per day, in Ukraine the simplest car will cost 40 Euro, plus quite a large security deposit. As to the legislation, our lawmakers have quite different problems in their minds-elections, political debates and many others, but not bringing the laws of Ukraine into proper condition. And we live by the obsolete laws of the Soviet Union, even of the 30s.
Car rental in Kiev

kiev (mikhailivska square)

More and more travellers are discovering that Kiev, Ukraine is a wonderful and unique city. As one of the oldest cities in Europe, Kiev (Kyiv – in ukrainian) offers a lot to visitors, with many historical monuments, cultural areas and beautiful landscapes. In 2005 visa restrictions were eliminated for visitors from The European Union, North America, Australia and Japan, which resulted in a constant rise in the tourism industry of the Ukraine. In fact, 2008 was declared the year of Tourism by President of Ukraine.
Kiev is the largest city in Ukraine and one of the biggest cities in Eastern Europe and is known for scenic Dniper banks and bustling liveliness. It was founded on the 5th century.The name was derived from the name of Kyi, which was one of the four legendary founders of the city (brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv, and their sister Lybid’).
It is a vivid mixture of industrial, scientific, educational, and cultural significance. The infrastructure of the city is extensive as there is a well developed system of public transportation, which includes the Kiev Underground.
Public transportation is both inexpensive and safe. Scattered throughout Kiev one will find shops offering pottery, embroidery, and handicrafts. This is especially true of the shops on Andrievsky Uzviz, at Percherska Lavra, and St. Sophia’s Church.
Kiev is distinguished for its rich cultural life. Theatre lovers will find many theatres offering various programs. Most performances are held in Ukrainian or Russian. The recently renovated Kiev Opera House presents very good opera as well as a broad repertoire of ballets. Ivan Franko Theatre is a centre of Ukrainian drama, comedy, and musicals. A lot of various exhibitions are carried out in the city’s numerous museums and art galleries.
Kiev is also a scientific and educational centre.
Today Kiev has regained its former glory as one of the most beautiful historical capitals of Eastern Europe.