Old Kyiv (, ) is a historical neighborhood of
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. Other names include Upper City, Old Town, and others. It is located at the far eastern portion of the
Shevchenkivskyi District. Old Kyiv historically represents the city of
Yaroslav the Wise before it was presumably destroyed by the Mongol invasion of
Batu Khan in 1240.
Originated at the Old Kyiv Hill (Starokyivska Hora), it was created in contrast to the Lower City,
Podil. Presumably it started out from the ancient settlement of Kyi sometime at the start of the 6th century. In the 9–10th centuries it covered only mostly at the western portion of the Old Kyiv Hill. Today at that location stands the
National Historical Museum of Ukraine.
The first fortifications supposedly were built during the reign of
Volodymyr the Great, creating what is known as the city of Volodymyr that covered already . However already at times of
Yaroslav the Wise in 1037 the area of the Upper City consisted of . The city of Yaroslav included monasteries such as the Sophia monastery, monasteries of Saint George and Saint Iryna. It also included the city of Iziaslav around the Saint Michael's Golden Dome Monastery and the Kopyriv Kinets.
After the Mongol devastation of the city, the Upper City lost its significance and the Kyiv city center was transferred to Podil. During the Polish-Russian War in the 17th century, the city was secured by Russia through financial compensation. During that time the Upper city was reinforced with a number of fortifications when Kyiv started to quarter a Russian garrison. However soon the garrison was transferred to
Pechersk (Caves) and fortifications were decaying and getting ruined. In the 19th century the whole area came under complete reconstruction. It was then that the modern network of streets, squares, and parks was established.
Attractions
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St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
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Saint Sophia's Cathedral
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St Andrew's Church
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Volodymyrska Hill
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National University of Theatre, Film and TV
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Golden Gates
* Building of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
(location of former Saint Basil
hree-SaintsChurch)
*
Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Monument
Gallery
File:Volodymyrska2.jpg, Old and new buildings on the intersection of Volodymyrska and Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street
File:Volodymyrska1.jpg, Volodymyrska Street, looking north
File:YaroslavivVal.jpg, View of Yaroslaviv Val near the Golden Gate
File:Volodymyrska3.jpg, Historic building on Volodymyrska Street
File:RadissonHotel.jpg, Radisson Blu Hotel, Yaroslaviv Val Street
File:HistoryMuseum.jpg, National History Museum of Ukraine and St. Andrew's Church
File:FireStationKyiv.jpg, Old fire station on Velyka Zhytomyrska Street
File:BohdanKhmelnytsky2016.jpg, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi monument
External links
Kyiv Encyclopedia WEK.
From the Church of Tithe to the Yaroslav's motte.
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Neighborhoods in Kyiv
Shevchenkivskyi District, Kyiv
Hills of Kyiv
Historic sites in Kyiv