Kiev nests on the Dnieper River banks in the northern part of Ukraine. It is highly regarded as the seat of the Slavic culture. In the 1600s, Kiev was placed under the Russian rule. This lasted centuries, causing both good fortune and misery. By the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kiev was the third city of the Union after St Petersburg and Moscow.
Economically and culturally, Kiev seems to be the older and more sober sister of the Russian capital of Moscow. For all the flavor of an ex-Soviet capital city without the red tape (you do not need visas here), petro-dollar pretension, and autocracy, Kiev is fast becoming popular with American and European tourists.
Kiev’s influence goes far beyond Ukraine. There are many famous Kievans, including Golda Meir (the co-founder of Israel), model and Hollywood actor Milla Jovovich, the footballer Andriy Shevchenko, and the writer Mikhail Bulgakov.
Today’s visitor to the Ukranian capital will be awed by Khreschatyk, its equivalent of London’s Oxford Street. It is the major artery down to Kiev’s main square, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, with its golden patron saint Archangel Michael that beams down from a 164-foot column.
At weekends Khreschatyk is pedestrianized, bringing a calm buzz to a site with a colorful and bloody history. The Red Army planted explosives to the buildings as they fled from the invading Nazis. The ruins were replaced with magnificent Stalin-era neoclassical structures after the Second World War.
In 2004 pro-democracy protesters flocked along Khreschatyk as they protest the rigged elections. Heroes of the Orange Revolution, Yulia Tymoshenko and Victor Yushchenko, addressed the crowds on the Independence Square.
Political differences still erupt over the Verkhovna Rada (the country’s parliament) every now and then. But for traveler, this has no significant effect on the sense of peace and calmness that prevails throughout the city.
We have made for you a selection of some of the best websites about the city. Visit our selection of