Subdivisions 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, ...

, the capital city of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, include formal administrative subdivisions known as urban districts (raions) and also more specific, informal subdivisions referred to as historical neighborhoods. The city is divided in half by the river

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, and therefore creates two important portions of the capital city. The so-called "Left-bank of Kyiv", as in reference to the river

, and which is the newer half of the city, plus the "Right-bank of Kyiv", which includes the original or historic City of Kyiv.

History of subdivision

The first known formal subdivisions of

date back to the year 1810, when the city was subdivided into four sections: Pechersk, Starokyiv (

Old Kyiv Old Kyiv (, ) is a historical neighborhood of Kyiv. Other names include Upper City, Old Town, and others. It is located at the far eastern portion of the Shevchenko Raion, Kyiv , Shevchenkivskyi District. Old Kyiv historically represents the ci ...

), and the first and second sections of Podil. In 1833–1834 according to

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Nicholas I's decree, Kyiv was subdivided into six police districts; later being increased to ten. As of 1917, there were eight district councils (called a Duma or Dumas), and which were later reorganized by

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi (; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, who served as the Hetman of all Ukraine, hetman of the Ukrainian State throughout 1918 following a 1918 Ukrainian coup d'état, coup d'éta ...

into 17 raions. In 1924, the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

s reorganized them into six larger, party-administrated districts, with various sub-districts under the administration of Hryhoriy Hrynko. Districts of the city that start with the letter "D" are located on the left bank of the river

, and until 1927 were part of the

Chernigov Governorate Chernigov Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Little Russia Governorate (1796-1802), Little Russia Governorate and had its capital in Cher ...

with Darnytsia being the first to be incorporated into the city limits in that same year. During the Soviet era, as the city was expanding, the number of districts had also gradually increased. Districts were commonly named for Soviet party leaders, and as political situations changed and some of the leaders were overturned by the other, district names therefore also changed. The last district reform took place in 2001, when the number of districts was decreased from 14 to 10. Under Oleksandr Omelchenko (

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

from 1999 to 2006), there were further plans for the merger of some districts and revision of their boundaries, and the total number of districts had been planned to be decreased from 10 to 7. With the election of the new mayor-elect (

Leonid Chernovetskyi Leonid Mykhaylovych Chernovetskyi (; born 25 November 1951) is a former Mayor of Kyiv, the capital (city), capital of Ukraine, from 2006 until the summer of 2012. He was a successful businessman, founder and controlling stakeholder of the Pravex ...

) in 2006, these plans were conducted.

Districts of Kyiv

Administratively, the city is divided into

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(raions), which have their own units of central and locally elected councils with

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

over a limited scope of affairs.Elections to Kyiv district councils will take place on October 30 - the decision of the Kyiv City Council

Interfax-Ukraine Interfax-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 1992, the company publishes in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. The company owns a 50-seat press centre. The staff of the agency is 105 people (as of the end of February 2022) ...

(3 February 2022) Between 2010 and 2022 the Kyiv district councils were abolished.Klitschko initiates the creation of district councils in Kyiv

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

(19 October 2021) The last Kyiv district reorganization took place in 2001, and currently Kyiv districts are: * COA of Darnytsia Raion UHT

Darnytskyi District Darnytskyi District is an Urban districts of Ukraine, urban district of the Ukraine, Ukrainian capital city, capital Kyiv. It is the southeastern district of Kyiv, located on the left bank of the Dnipro river. It borders the Holosiivskyi District ...

(''Дарницький район''; after the Darnytsia neighborhood) * Coat of Arms of Desna Raion UHT

Desnianskyi District (''Деснянський район''; after the

Desna river The Desna ( Russian and ) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name in means "right hand". It has a length of , and its drainage basin covers . Dniprovskyi District (''Дніпровський район''; after the

Dnieper river The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

) *

Holosiivskyi District Holosiivskyi District is an urban district of the city of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Holosiivskyi District was created during changing of administrative divisions of the capital of Ukraine, which was conducted in September 2001, as per the de ...

(''Голосіївський район''; after the Holosiiv neighborhood) *

Obolonskyi District Obolonskyi District is an urban district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Obolonskyi District encompasses territories far beyond of its historical neighborhood sharing the same name. It was formed on 3 March 1975 and initially called as Minskyi ...

(''Оболонський район''; after the Obolon neighborhood) *

Pecherskyi District Pecherskyi District () is an Urban districts of Ukraine, urban district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It lies within the eponymous historical neighborhood, while also including some other historical areas. The Pechersk (, ) neighborhood is lo ...

(''Печерський район''; after the Pechersk neighborhood) * COA of Podil Raion Big

Podilskyi District The Podilskyi District is an urban district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine borde ...

(''Подільський район''; after the Podil neighborhood) * Shevchenkivskyi District (''Шевченківський район''; after

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

) *

Solomianskyi District The Solomianskyi District is a district in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Located in the western part of the city, in the basin of Lybid river, Dniepr's tributary. Named after village of Solomianka that became part of Kyiv in 1858. Established as ...

(''Солом’янський район''; after the Solomianka neighborhood) *

Sviatoshynskyi District Sviatoshynskyi District is an urban district in the city of Kyiv located at the western part of city. The district was created in 2001 after renaming the former Leningrad District. It borders four other districts in Kyiv such as Podilskyi Distr ...

(''Святошинський район''; after the Sviatoshyn neighborhood) Most of the districts are named after respective historical neighborhoods of the city.

Former districts

* Zaliznychnyi (9 April 1938 – October 2001), most of it became the

* Zhovtnevyi (~1920s – October 2001), raion was created on the territory of Shuliavka that became famous for the Uprising of 1905, in 1938

khutor A khutor ( ; rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir (, ) is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement.Solomianskyi District The Solomianskyi District is a district in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Located in the western part of the city, in the basin of Lybid river, Dniepr's tributary. Named after village of Solomianka that became part of Kyiv in 1858. Established as ...

* Minskyi (? – 3 March 1975), renamed into Obolon Raion * Starokyivskyi ( – October 2001), merged with Sovietskyi to form Shevchenkivskyi District * Sovietskyi ( – October 2001), merged with Starokyivskyi to form Shevchenkivskyi District * Leninhradskyi (12 April 1973 – October 2001), formed out parts of Zhovtnevyi, Sovietskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi, later renamed into Sviatoshyn Raion * Shevchenkivskyi (prior to 2001) * Sviatoshynskyi (1918 – 1973), created by an administrative reform of

, was incorporated into Leninhradskyi in 1973 * Moskovskyi (1921 – October 2001), reorganized as

* Kharkivskyi (? – 2004), became part of

Informal subdivision

The Right Bank and the Left Bank

The natural first level of subdivision of the city is into the Right Bank and the Left Bank of the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

(a few large islands belong to the left-bank ''raions''). The Right Bank (), located on the western side of the river, contains the older portions of the city, as well as the majority of Kyiv's business and governmental institutions. The eastern Left Bank (), incorporated into the city only in the twentieth century, is predominantly

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

. There are large industrial and green areas in both the Right Bank and the Left Bank. The terms "Right Bank" and, especially, "Left Bank" are recognized in the names of Kyiv's infrastructure, e.g. Livoberezhna metro station.

Historical neighborhoods

Residents widely recognize a system of the non-formal historical neighborhoods. Such neighborhoods count in dozens, however, constituting a kind of

hierarchy A hierarchy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy ...

, since most of them have lost their distinctive

topographic Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

limits. The names of the oldest neighborhoods go back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, and sometimes pose a great

linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

interest. The newest whole-built developments bear numeric designations or residential

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

names. Most notable informal historical neighborhoods of Kyiv include:

Right Bank (west):

Left Bank (east): * Berezniaky (''Березняки'') *Bortnychi (''Бортничі'') *Bykivnia (''Биківня'') *Chervonyi Khutir (''Червоний Хутір'') *Darnytsia (''Дарниця'') * Kharkivskyi Masyv (''Харківський масив'') *Kybalchych (''Кибальчич'') * Lisovyi Masyv (''Лісовий масив'') * Livoberezhnyi Masyv (''Лівобережний масив'') *Mykilska Slobidka (''Микільська слобідка'') * Osokorky (''Осокорки'') *Pivnichno-Brovarskyi Masyv (''Північно-Броварський масив)'' * Pozniaky (''Позняки'') *Raiduzhnyi Masyv (''Райдужний масив'') *Rembaza (''Рембаза'') * Rusanivka (''Русанівка'') *Rusanivskyi Sady (''Русанівські сади'') *Sotsmisto (''Соцмісто)'' * Troieshchyna (''Троєщина'') * Voskresenska (''Воскресенка'') *Voskresenski Sady (''Воскресенські сади'') *Vyhurivshchyna (''Вигурівщина'')

Lypky and Zvirynets of the Pecherskyi Raion are the most expensive areas to live. Koncha-Zaspa is arguably the most interesting neighborhood name dating back to the times of Kyivan Rus. A local legend explaining the name of a locality states the Rus warriors who felt asleep (''zaspaly'') during their watch at the outpost were killed (''koncheni'') by

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

invaders. Koncha-Zaspa is now a prestigious area too.

Practical orientation patterns

Another useful pattern of city division is the

Kyiv Metro The Kyiv Metro (, ) is a rapid transit system in Kyiv, Ukraine, owned by the Kyiv City Council and operated by the city-owned company Kyivskyi Metropoliten''.'' It was initially opened on 6 November 1960, as a single line with five stations. I ...

system. However, metro lines do not cover significant parts of Kyiv, making such orientation very approximate (but easy for newcomers). Sometimes, the system of ''elektrychka'' train stops are used for the same purpose. Names of well-known shopping malls, restaurants, night clubs are used for orientation purposes as well. The full informal set of addresses in Kyiv (used, for example, in real estate advertising) would include: * Formal district * Historical neighborhood * Nearest metro station or train stop * Formal address

Notes

References

External links

History of Administrative Subdivision of Kyiv
Kyiv City Department of Statistics. {{Subdivisions of Kyiv * * * History of Kyiv