Kiev, Ukraine

In late March, I took a trip to Kiev, Ukraine. I was so delightfully surprised with the city, which had tons of nice public spaces, beautiful architecture and great mass transit. The weather was sunny and warm, the people were very cheerful and friendly. I was very lucky to have a local friend lead me to all the great spots around the city.

Lenin Square

This boulevard park dedicated to Lenin has a dramatic tree-lined pedestrian promenade with lots of benches. The only drawback is that it extends for a very long block, is surrounded by knee-height metal railings (to prevent jaywalking), and is only accessible via underground pedestrian tunnel.

Pedestrian tunnel / Metro access

Admittedly, I am against pedestrian tunnels, and Kiev has one at almost every intersection. Disconnecting pedestrian and automobile traffic prioritizes the automobile. I prefer that cars always be on the lookout for people. The elimination of their interaction allows cars to travel at higher speeds and makes for noisy sidewalks and more intimidated pedestrians. Pedestrian tunnels can be interesting informal spaces for small shops and informal markets, but inevitably they smell like urine, appear unclean, dark and dangerous, and become gathering places for drunks and vagrants. Did I mention you can drink alcohol on the streets in Kiev?

Metro Station

The 3-line metro system is really convenient and the metro stations are all quite impressive. Similar to the system in Saint Petersburg, the stations in Kiev are architectural palaces for the people.

Traveling further down the line into the suburbs, the stations are less deep and more modern. Apparently, Americans were not the only ones freaked out during the Cold War; the Soviets built the metro stations to double as nuclear bomb shelters. The stations were built extremely far underground and equipped with meter-thick metal bomb shelter doors.

Monument to the Brotherhood of Nations

The weather was great most of the weekend and everyone was out soaking up the sun. At the Brotherhood of Nations monument, people relaxed on the steps drinking beer with friends. The overlook area was very crowded and reminded me a bit of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. People of all ages were walking around, dressed to impress.

Park Overlook

When I first though of visiting Kiev, I had no idea how big it was; over 4 million residents. And I really got the sense of the scale of the city when walking down the main boulevard and soaking up the architecture; the scale of Soviet-era buildings is impressive!

Khreshchatyk Street

On weekends on the 6-lane Khreshchatyk street becomes pedestrian-only. It is one of the most impressive streets because it features monumental Soviet-era architecture along with popular city landmarks like Independence Plaza, the Monument to Independence and the city's central market. Independence Plaza is known as the location of the 2004 Orange Revolution, where protests led to a runoff election between Yanukovich and now-President Yushchenko (whose presidential campaign color was orange). I was a bit surprised that this prominent plaza is littered with massive rooftop advertising.

Independence Plaza

There are numerous churches and monasteries in Kiev. Built in the 18th-century, St. Andrew's church sits on a hill with views of the Dniper River.

St. Andrew's Church

The area around St. Andrews has an outdoor market. One street features only paintings, and the main street (below) has lots of great kitschy souvenirs.

St. Andrew's Rise

Along the Dniper River, Mariinsky Park is a lovely place on a sunny afternoon. From Khreshchatyk Park, where the Brotherhood of Nations monument stands, you can connect directly to paths of Mariinsky Park. There are many intimately landscaped areas to sit and soak up the sun and enjoy a bit of nature in the city. Most people stroll through the paths chatting with friends, or sit on a bench sipping a beer. It is the epitome of leisure!

Mariinsky Park

Park amphitheater

On a pedestrian bridge connecting the two parks, couples inscribe their names on a lock, lock it onto the bridge, and toss the key below. I think this must be a Soviet tradition because I have seen this same tradition in Riga and Vilnius.

Bridge locks

St. Michael's Monastery complex dates back to the 11th-century and is still in use today. However, the bright blue church was destroyed by the Soviets in 1934, so what exists today is the 1990s reconstruction. While walking around, taking pictures, there were church services underway and monks walking around in their long black robes.

Saint Michael's Monastery complex

St. Sofia's Monastery complex also dates back to the 11th-century and was the original religious and cultural center of the Rus. I imagine this made it even harder for the Russian-Soviets when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.

St. Sofia's Monastery complex

Babi Yar is the site where over 30,000 people were shot and dumped into a ravine on September 29th and 30th, 1941. It is estimated that another 200,000 Ukrainians were later killed or buried alive in this location. There is a park in between the ravine and the first monument of Babi Yar erected by the Soviets.

Babi Yar
Jewish Memorial

Soviet Memorial

Memorial for children killed at Babi Yar

On the way to the airport, I stopped by the Chernobyl Museum, recounting the April 26, 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown (near the Belarus border). Looking at the map of the contaminated areas was so disturbing. More contaminated areas are in Belarus, and some areas with elevated radiation levels, where winds had carried radioactive materials, extended almost to Vilnius! There were a number of towns where people (over 45,000 in Pripyat alone) had to leave their homes immediately and never return. Over the weeks after the explosion, over 100,000 people were evacuated from the 30-km radius around the reactor. Check out more on Chernobyl here.

Ukrainians certainly have a hard history with the Holocaust, the Famine, the Chernobyl accident, and the current loss of hope in the Orange Revolution's ability to overcome deep rooted corruption. But in spite of a morosely depressing national history, Ukrainians are cheerful and warm, and Kiev is a magical city to visit. I hope to return again someday soon!