K

yiv - Kiev: Modernizing City

 

June 9-13 & 15-24, 2002




Note: We have tried to use the Ukrainian spelling (or rather, transliteration) for the names of people and places in Ukraine. Sometimes, however, as with Kiev, the Russian version has become a kind of standard and so we have used it instead.




Ukrainian Flag



Kiev was one of the best surprises of our stay in Eastern Europe. In spite of Ukraine's reputation as being in very poor economic condition, Kiev turned out to be a very pleasant city to live in -- if, that is, you have hard currency in your pocket.


Maidan Nezalezhnosti - Independence Square
Maidan Nezalezhnosti - Independence Square

This is Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square. It has just been totally rebuilt to give it a more modern air. Unfortunately it has ended up looking just too cluttered.

The winged statue atop the tall column is the symbol of Ukraine's new found independence which is cherished by the Ukrainian speaking population and regretted by the Russian speakers.

Both of the apartments we stayed in were on streets that gave onto the square.

Statue of Bohdan Khmelnytskyy
Statue of Bohdan Khmelnytskyy

Behind this statue of Bohdan Khmelnytskyy, you can see the monastery of Saint Sophia.  Converted into a museum during communist days, it remains so today in spite of the burgeoning of religious practice in the Ukraine.

We stayed about halfway between the hill that they are on and Independence Square, which thus became the two poles of our Kievan existence. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kiev Philharmonia
Kiev Philharmonia

This very lovely concert hall is the Philharmonia.  We bought tickets to a concert here expecting some kind of choral works and instead were treated to a potpourri of modernistic works that we didn't really like.  What we did like was the venue.

Friendship Arch
Friendship Arch

The modernistic arch, soviet realist statue, and expansive open space date this park dedicated to Russian-Ukrainian Friendship, but can't detract from the rather fine view of the river Dniester below that it offers. 

Perhaps one of the nicest things about Kiev is its geography: the banks of the Dniester are very steep and the cliff-tops are frequently dedicated to parks and gardens that give sweeping views of the river's course. The downside of the geography is of course that walking around the city involves climbing a number of fairly steep streets.

Beautiful Kievan Building
Beautiful Kievan Building

A lovely example of nineteenth century architecture that fortunately survived the communist era.  (One can speculate whether such a building in the heart of the capital would have survived in a free economy.)  The city government is now working on encouraging the refurbishment of such jewels, making the city a very attractive place to visit.

Kiev's Champs Elysees
Kiev's Champs Elysees

If you aren't yet convinced that you should come to Kiev, perhaps this photo will convince you. Isn't this just a lovely street? People walking home carrying shopping or flowers. Sidewalk cafe in the background. And of course the lovely climate of central Europe in June. What more could you ask. Book your ticket tomorrow.




Updated September 21, 2002