Historically, this part of Kyiv was known as Lypky (Linden District). Its name reminds us of the linden gardens, which were located here historically. For centuries, Kyiv’s aristocracy lived in this district. Today, you will not come across a fountain with gold fish, as was the case in the 1950s. But the walk will be pleasant nonetheless. You will see the fa?ades of the centuries-old buildings, coats of arms, the initials of homeowners imprinted on their buildings. The buildings were often decorated with sculptures, very elegantly, with images of mythological personages, which represented the businesses the homeowners were in. This was the architectural style of the time. Often, houses were marked not according to street name, but surname of the homeowner.

In the 1930s, a number of tall buildings were erected especially for high-ranking Soviet officials. The buildings, monumental, usually gray in color, are known as “stalinky” till this day. Currently, many of these buildings serve as embassies for foreign missions or premises for international organizations and companies.

Dynamo Stadium and the Monument to V. Lobanovs’kyi
M. Hrushevs’kyi Street, 2 (Architects V. Os’mak, V. Bezpalyi, 1933-36)

At the intersection of Hrushevs’kyi Street and Petrivs’ka Avenue, you will see a colonnade. It represents the entrance to the famed Dynamo Stadium. The authors of this project based the stadium on the Berlin Stadium, one of the best stadiums in Europe at that time. So, don’t be surprised when you see a similarity between the two. The stadium can host 16,000 fans and Dynamo Kyiv plays its matches here. In 2003, a monument was erected in honor of V. Lobanovs’kyi (Sculptor Filatov, architect V. Klymenko) and the stadium today carries his name.

The National Art Museum of Ukraine
M. Hrushevs’kyi Street, 6 (Architect V. Horodets’kyi, sculptor E. Salia, 1898-1901)

The museum is not difficult to find, as the building resembles an antique Kyiv Church. This is not a typical edifice. Over the century, the museum accumulated more than 20,000 works of art. Only here you can find unique icons from the Byzantine era. One of the museum’s most precious icons from the 11th century is that of “St. Georhii in Life”. Other Orthodox polychromatic reliefs of this kind do not exist anywhere else in the world. Also worthy of attention are the works of Ukrainian avant-garde artists of the 1920s, including A. Arkhypenko, K. Malevich, O. Ekster, whose works had influence on the development of world fine art.

The Building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
M. Hrushevs’kyi Street, 12 (Architect I. Fomin, 1936-1938)

One of the largest buildings in this area, and the entire city for that matter, is the Cabinet of Ministers building, which juts out along the street. The gigantic building with an appropriate decoration was supposed to represent the greatness of the Soviet Empire. Here is where the National Committee of Internal Affairs was to be located. This punitive institution was supposed to ensure that this greatness endured. However, it failed to fulfill its mandate and today this building is home to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. You have to give the architects the credit they deserve, as this enormous building has been successfully inserted into the landscape.

The Building of the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) of Ukraine
M. Hrushevs’kyi Street, 5 (Architect V. Zabolotnyi, 1936-1939)

Of all the architectural buildings of the Soviet period, the Verkhovna Rada building is the most harmonious. It is an example of Ukrainian architectural classicism. The simplicity of this rather low-sitting building may surprise people. “Is this where the Ukrainian Parliament is seated?”, you may ask. But its light color, glass dome, and the blue and yellow flag, which is mounted on top of it, look rather optimistic. Actually, the glass dome is not only an element of design: it provides natural light for the session hall. You will be pleasantly surprised by the sculptures on the fa?ade of various professions created by sculptor V. Znoba in 1985. The interior, even the wooden handles, are custom-made. All of this maintains the harmonious architectural forms and internal d?cor of the building.

Mariins’kyi Palace
M. Hrushevs’kyi Street, 5 (Architect I. Michurin, 1750-55)

Near the Verkhovna Rada you will find Mariinskyi Palace, a building baby-blue and cream in color. Together with the Verkhovna Rada it forms Uriadova Square (Government Square), which is surrounded by a beautiful park. Built according to the plans of the Italian architect V. Rastrelli as a residence for the Russian tsarist family, it survived several fires and was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. Nonetheless, it managed to maintain its original baroque style. Today, the palace hosts many official international delegations at the highest level. It is also the place where government awards are issued and summits are held. Tourists can visit Mariins’kyi Palace, but they need to get onto the admission list in advance.

The National Bank of Ukraine and the Museum of Money
Instytuts’ka Street, 9 (O. Kobelev, O. Verbyts’kyi, 1902-1905. B. Rykov, O. Kobelev, 1934)

This building is of a red color, which you will surely notice as you stroll down Instytuts’ka Street.  Stop and take a good look at it. Would you ever think that the two top levels were added later? Yes, first the building had two floors, typical for Italian Renaissance style. And only 30 years later two additional levels were built when the old premises became too small. The sculptures and fa?ade were executed by the Italian E. Salia  turning the building into a true architectural jewel.
The museum of money was created in the National Bank. You can trace the evolution of money starting from the Stone Age up to today. The most valuable items housed in the museum are silver and gold coins dating back to the times of the Kyivan Rus’. They are the first items that carry the Ukrainian national symbol — the trident, and there are only about 10 coins like this in the world.  Since the premises of the National Bank are under high security, you have to book a tour in advance.

“The House with Chimeras”
Bankova Street, 10 (V. Horodets’kyi, 1901-1903)

This is one of the most interesting buildings in Kyiv. It was built by the great Kyiv architect V. Horodets’kyi in modernist style. The facade and roof of the building are decorated with sculptures of animals, mythological figures and hunting equipment.  The wonderfully strange sculptures were executed by the Italian master from Milan, E. Salia.  They say that the sculptures were made of cement for a reason. Horodets’kyi was the co-owner of a factory that produced cement, but during those times this material was not popular. Making such works of art out of this new material could be considered an advertisement in a way. By the way, this was the architect’s own building and this is probably why his creative romantic ideas materialized here.

Ivan Franko Square

You won’t find as many commemorative plaques telling you about various actors, directors and literary figures anywhere else. Several things will surely interest someone strolling this quiet square. One of Ukraine’s best theaters is located here — the Ivan Franko Ukrainian National Academic Theater of Drama (Architects H. Shleifer, E. Bradtman, 1898.)  Over its 70-year history, it has given birth to a plethora of theatrical stars. On the square near the theater, you will see a man on a bench with his favorite dachshund. This is a monument to the comedian Mykola Yakovchenko (Sculptor V. Chepelyk, 2000). Not too far away, there is a more official monument to the classical figure of Ukrainian literature, Ivan Franko (Sculptors
O. Suprun, A. Bilostots’kyi, architect M. Ivanchenko, 1956).  The shortest street of the city flows into this square — Stanislavs’kyi Street. Its length is only 110 meters, and on the even-numbered side of the street, there is but one building.