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Ukraine
(Україна)
For centuries, Ukraine was a crossroads between the Baltic and Black Seas, Asia and Europe.  Its vast fertile steppes were overrun by successive waves of Scythians, Sarmatians, Ostrogoths, Huns, Slavs, and Khazars before it was finally unified in the 9th century under the rule of a Varangian (Viking) prince.  With the collapse of Kievan Rus in the 12th century, Ukraine again became a sparsely-populated borderland subject to periodic attacks by Tatars and nomadic tribes.
By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania and Poland asserted control over the western portion of the country, which Poland annexed in 1569.  However, much of the region remained ungoverned, attracting runaway serfs, criminals, and victims of religious persecution. Ukrainian arms These frontier settlers developed into a military caste known as Cossacks — a name deriving perhaps from the Turkish word for "free person", or the Tatar word for "horseman" — settled primarily along the Dnieper, Don, and Ural rivers.
In 1648, the Cossack hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky led an uprising against Poland, and six years later signed the Treaty of Pereyaslav, pledging Cossack support to the Russian tsar.  Poland and Russia soon agreed to divide Ukraine along the Dnieper River.  Periodic Cossack uprisings against Russian rule — including those of Stepan Razin (1667-70), Mazeppa (1708-09), and Pugachev (1773-74) — failed to stem the tide of Russian expansion.  The conquest of the Crimean Peninsula in 1783 and the partition of Poland a decade later left Russia in control of all but the westernmost portion of modern-day Ukraine, which had come under Austrian control.
The collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917 led to a brief period of Ukrainian independence, but this region soon fell to the Bolsheviks, and joined the USSR in 1922.  The collectivization of agriculture under Stalin led to widespread famine which killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33, and many more Ukrainians ended up in the Soviet gulag or internal exile.  During World War II, Nazi troops occupied the entire country, aided in part by Ukrainian nationalists.  Between Nazi atrocities and Soviet reprisals, Ukraine suffered terribly.  After the war, however, Ukrainian-speaking lands in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania were incorporated into the USSR.
Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.  Tensions with Russia over the fate of the Russian-speaking minority in eastern Ukraine and the Crimea — home to the Russian Black Sea fleet — were exacerbated during the 2004 presidential election campaign, as Ukraine has pursued a more pro-Western foreign policy.

A note on Ukrainian spelling & pronunciation

Since independence, Ukrainians have endeavored to substitute their local language for Russian.  So, "Kiev" has become "Kyiv", and "Lvov" is "Lviv".  Ukrainian often replaces the Russian "o" with "i", and pronounces the letter "g" as a soft "h".  As for the name of their country (which translates as "on the edge" in Russian), Ukrainians prefer to say they live "в Україне" rather than "на Україне" — that is, "in Ukraine" rather than "in the Ukraine".

Laura in the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square)

Kyiv (Киів) UNESCO World Heritage List

 Cossack memorial in Independence Square

Lately Kiev has been making headlines around the world.

 View of Independence Square from the Palace of Culture & Arts It was the center of the so-called "Orange Revolution" in 2004.
Fountain commemorating Kyi, Schek, Khoryv and Lybid, founders of Kiev

Hundreds of thousands of protesters converged on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) to protest the results of the presidential election runoff in November 2004 between Viktor Yuschenko and Viktor Yanukovich.

 Craig in front of the Palace of Culture & Arts, formerly the Oktyabrsky Palace
Angel atop the independence column   Khreschatyk street, which bisects Maidan Nezalezhnosti, is often closed to traffic   Kiev is enjoying a new spirit of independence after the "Orange Revolution"
Orange-clad protesters erected a tent city on nearby Khreschatyk street.
  Fountain in Independence Square, with the St. Michael Gate in the background They also occupied various government buildings. Globe depicting the geographic location of Kiev and various Ukrainian cities  
Bridge connecting the Palace of Culture & Arts and the "Globe" shopping center The perseverance of the protesters soon paid off.  A new round of presidential elections was called in late December, which ushered reformist candidate Yuschenko into power. Another fountain on Independence Square
High-rise apartment building on Kreschatyk street Kiev also hosted the 2005 Eurovision song contest, which Ukrainian pop star Ruslana won in 2004. Interior of the "Metrograd" shopping center, which stretches for several blocks between Tolstoy to Bessarabia squares
  Bessarabsky Rynok (market) sits above the "Metrograd" underground mall  
  Volodymyrsky (St. Vladimir) Cathedral, dedicated to the "baptizer of Rus"   Monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, in the park which bears his name   National Opera of Ukraine, on Volodymyrska street  
Main building of the Shevchenko University Colorful late 19th-century apartment building on Volodymyrska street National Museum of Science and Natural History, on Volodymyrska street
Laura finds a friend near the Golden Gate     Statue of Yaroslav the Wise beside the Golden Gate which he commissioned
Reconstruction of the Golden Gate, which originally dates from 1017-24
Statue of Bogdan Khmelnytsky in Sofiivska Square

Kiev's new-found fame is but the latest chapter in the long history of this "mother city" of Eastern Slavic — to include Russian — civilization.

 Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky, with the golden domes of St. Michael's in the background
  A 13-ton bell cast in 1705 hangs in the bell tower of St. Sofia Monastery  
According to legend, Kiev was founded by the brothers Kyi, Schek, and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid.  A city stood on this site by the 6th century AD, and in 882 Prince Oleg of Novgorod declared himself ruler of Kiev. 
Approaching St. Sofia's along Sofiivska street After Prince Volodymyr converted to Christianity in 988 AD, Kiev became an important religious center, with a number of churches and monasteries dating from this period.  By the 11th century, Kiev had approximately 50,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities in Europe.  Apse of St. Sofia Cathedral
  Crosses above the entrance to the cathedral  
St. Sofia Cathedral dates from 1037 St. Sofia's is the oldest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the world
Detail from the left side of the iconostasis   The six-meter mosaic of the Mother of God "Oranta" looms over the iconostasis   Detail from the right side of the iconostasis
View of the main dome, above the altar Entering the cathedral Another view of the main dome
Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise and his wife Irina     Frescoes above the sarcophagus
Frescoes on the vaulted ceilings of the cathedral
Remnants of medieval paintings inside the cathedral About a third of the 11th-century frescoes and mosaics remain intact Another medieval fragment on a vaulted ceiling
Anna, a daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, married King Henri of France     During the 1930s, the French president convinced Stalin not to demolish St. Sofia's
Anna went on to rule France as regent after her husband's death
Monument to Princess Olga, Holy Apostle Andrew, and SS. Cyril and Methodius in Mykhailivska Square Kievan Rus quickly grew into a powerful state, connected by trade and dynastic marriages to the leading powers of Europe.  The fortunes of Kiev began to decline upon the death of Yaroslav the Wise in 1054, in part due to a succession crisis among his sons and nephews.  Craig in Mykhailivska Square
  Monument to the victims of the 1932-33 famine, outside St. Michael Monastery  
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, next door to St. Michael's St. Michael's was destroyed by Stalin in the 1930s
Detail of one of St. Michael's seven golden domes

The 12th-century cathedral was reconstructed in the 1990s

 Mykhailivsky Zolotoverkhy sobor (Golden-domed Cathedral of St. Michael) View of the cathedral and bell tower from the monastery well Monastery well

Detail of the wooden refectory cupola
Kiev experienced a brief resurgence during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125), but the sack of the city in 1169 by a rival prince, Andrei Bogolyubsky of Vladimir, ended the era of Kievan supremacy.
Medieval refectory on the monastery grounds The orthodox faithful line up to have their Easter cakes blessed
St. Andrew's Church was designed by Empress Elizabeth's favorite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli The armies of the Mongol leader Batu Khan completely destroyed the city in 1240. Iconostasis in St. Andrew's Church Kiev remained under Tatar domination until the 1360s, when it came under Lithuanian rule. Detail of the 18th-century Andriivska church
Foundations of the Desiatynna Church, destroyed by the Tatars in 1240 Laura shops for souvenirs in the market along Andriivska street Former home of author Mikhail Bulgakov on Andriivska street
Laura climbs the cast-iron staircase from Andriivska street to Zamkova Hora     Cat-themed restaurant on Andriivska street

Consigned to the status of frontier outpost under Lithuanian and Polish rule, Kiev began to recover despite occasional harassment, such as the attack by Crimean Tatars in 1482.

  Laura on Zamkova Hora, with St. Andrew's in the background  
View of Andriivska street from Zamkova Hora (Castle Hill) View of Frolivsky Convent and the Podil district
Frolivsky Convent bell tower In the 17th century, Cossacks rebuilt and fortified many of the city's churches. Ringing the bells at Frolivsky Convent This effort culminated under the rule of the ill-fated hetman Mazeppa. Resurrection Church (1824) in the Frolivsky Convent
Chapel in the 15th-century Frolivsky Convent 17th-century Church of Mykola Prytsko, in Podil Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Pyrogoscha) Bells in front of Pyrogoscha Church
Russia reasserted its control over Kiev during this period, annexing the city in 1686.
  Bell tower (1716) of Nikolay Dobry (St. Nicholas) Church   View of St. Andrew's from Podil   Bell tower and church on Pokrovska street  
Cossack memorial on Peter Sahaidachny street   Russian expansion in Ukraine during the 18th century brought Kiev increased prominence. Rozhdyestvyenska (Nativity) Church, next to the Dnieper river port
Samson Fountain (1748-49) on Kontraktova Square was rebuilt in 1982 Another Cossack monument in Kontraktova Square
19th-century St. Alexander Church Kiev remained an important regional political and cultural center until the Russian Revolution in 1917. View of Khreschaty Park from the Ukrainsky Dim
  Ukrainsky Dim concert hall, on Europe Square, with St. Alexander's in the background  
The Soviets destroyed many cultural monuments, including Mykhailivsky Cathedral. Ancient St. Sofia Cathedral was saved only by the intercession of the French president.
Podil and the Dnieper River, as seen from Khreschaty Park Memorial to Prince Volodymyr in Volodymyrska Hirka park, as seen from Khreschaty Park Another view of Prince Volodymyr, overlooking the Dnieper River
Approaching the unification monument in Khreschaty Park     Waterworks in Khreschaty Park
Monument to the unification of Russia and Ukraine, in Khreschaty Park
  Mysky Garden, with a musical amphitheater and monument to Maria Zankovetska Kiev suffered terribly during World War II. Monument to the Russian Revolution in front of the Mariinsky Palace  
Monument to General Batutin in Mariinsky Park Craig at the entrance to Mariinsky Park Memorial to the 1918 Bolshevik uprising
  Mariinsky Palace (1750-55) was also designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli  
Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) building, in the Mariinsky Park Mariinsky Palace was named for the wife of Tsar Alexander II
Socialist Realist statue outside the Dnipro metro station Dnipro metro station, where the subway crosses the river Church across from the Kiev-Pechersk monastery  
Nikolaivska Church (17th century) in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra     Laura inside the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of only four such monasteries in the Russian Orthodox world
  The 12th-century Church of the Savior at Berestove is the final resting place of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, founder of Moscow
Gate Church of the Trinity, main entrance to the Kiev-Pechersk monastery The Nazis exterminated the Jewish population in camps such as the notorious Babiy Yar. Inside the Kiev-Pechersk "national historo-cultural preserve" They also murdered POWs and deported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians for forced labor. Laura with our Russian-speaking tour group in front of the Gate Church of the Trinity
Painting inside the Gate Church Another mural in the Gate Church The Gate Church of the Trinity dates from the 12th century
Icon of the Madonna and Child inside the Gate Church

By the time Kiev was liberated by Soviet troops in 1943, the population had declined by over 80 percent.

 Corresponding icon of Christ on the right side of the iconostasis
Remnant of the ruined walls of the Dormition Cathedral The city only began to recover from the war during the mid-1950s. Dormition Cathedral (11th century) and the Great Lavra Bell Tower (1731-45) Kiev became an important scientific center in the 1960s and 1970s. The Dormition Cathedral was rebuilt in 1999
Entrance to the Uspensky sobor (Dormition Cathedral) Behind the Dormition Cathedral Church of All Saints (1696-98)
  Refectory Church and Dormition Cathedral  
The Dormition Cathedral was founded in 1073 Lavra refectory
Iconostasis inside the Refectory Church of Anthony & Theodosius Ceiling of the Refectory Church Another look at the church ceiling
Murals inside the Lavra refectory  

Nowadays, Kiev is a thriving metropolis of nearly 3 million.

  
Lavra refectory Entrance to the refectory
View of the "near" and "far" caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra The caves contain the mummified remains of monks, hermits and other holy men

View of the "Motherland" monument from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

 The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross (1700) provide access to the "near" caves
Belfry of the "far" caves Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, at the "far" caves
   
Laura at the "far" caves

Laura below the "near" caves

 Gallery connecting the "near" and "far" caves Monument to Saints Cyril & Methodius, who developed the Cyrillic alphabet View of the Lavra from the "far" caves

St. Theodosius Well
This lovely city on the wooded banks of the Dnieper is striving to preserve and celebrate its past while adapting itself to its role as capital of a newly-independent nation.
18th-century Debosquette Wall Debosquette Wall below the "near" caves

Practical Information

We visited Kiev over the 2005 May Day / Orthodox Easter holiday.  Although they were on vacation in Holland, our Olmsted counterparts put us up in their empty apartment during our visit.

 Tara, Sofia & Phil met us for lunch during a layover at the Kiev Boryspil airport
  • Restaurants: We were so starved for American-style food, we ate dinner at TGI Friday's three nights in a row!
  • Transportation: The Kiev metro is inexpensive and convenient, but it doesn't go out to the airport.  Thankfully, Phil & Tara arranged for a friend to pick us up when we arrived in town.

This page was first published 19 June 2005, and last updated 14 August 2005.