End of 5C   According to legend, Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv and their sister Lybid, founded a city on the slopes of the Dnipro River and named the city in honor of their brother Kyi. Shortly afterward, the city became a political center for the Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe.

988   Grand Prince Volodymyr converts to Christianity and makes it the official religion of Kyivan Rus’. This move facilitates the growth of political and cultural ties with Byzantium, other European countries and the Near East. Kyiv becomes a prominent center of civilization in the Christian world.

1240    Kyiv is sacked by the Mongol-Tatars under Khan Batyi, the grandson of Genghis Khan. This halted the city’s developmental for nearly 200 years. However, by the 14th century Kyiv begins to grow and the Ukrainian nation begins to form.

1362   Kyiv becomes a part of the Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is granted Magdeburg rule, which spurs its economic development.

1569   After the Polish Lithuanian union and the establishment of the Rzeczypospolite (Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth), most Ukrainian lands, including Kyiv, come under the control of Polish feudal administration for nearly 100 years.

1654    Hetman Bohdan Khmel’nyts’kyi in a battle against Polish oppression turns to the Russian tsar for assistance and signs the Pereiaslav Treaty. As a result, most Ukrainian lands, including Kyiv, come under the Russian Empire for many years. However, Kyiv continues to be the economic and cultural center of Ukraine.

1918-1919    Shortly after the October Revolution in 1917, the first Ukrainian parliament, the Central Rada, led by historian Mykhailo Hrushevs’kyi, attempts to establish an independent Ukraine.  However, the attempt fails as the Soviet Army occupies Kyiv and Ukraine becomes a part of the Soviet Union.

1941-1943    During World War II, the city is occupied by Nazis and totally destroyed. In defending the city, nearly 200,000 Kyivites lose their lives. In the post-war years, Kyiv quickly rebuilds.

1986    The Chernobyl’ disaster – one of the most tragic pages in Kyiv’s history. The Chernobyl’ nuclear power plant was shut down in 2000.

1991    Ukraine declares its independence on August 24, 1991, and Kyiv becomes the capital of a sovereign Ukraine. The city begins to develop with vigor. Business activity intensifies, culture and art begin to flourish. Kyiv wins back its glory as one of Europe’s most beautiful capital cities.