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• Visit Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and the third-largest city in the CIS. It is also the cradle of Russian civilisation, the origin of the Kyiv Rus State founded in the eighth and ninth centuries and the city from which the Orthodox faith spread throughout Eastern Europe. The Golden Gate of Kyiv is the last remnant of the 10th-century walls built to defend the city.
• Discover Kyiv's religious heritage. The Caves Monastery in the city centre is the focal point of the early Orthodox church. Visitors have to carry candles to see the church relics, which are set in a maze of catacombs. It is the headquarters of the pro-Russian Orthodox church. The 11th-century St Sofia Cathedral contains splendid icons and frescoes and is situated in beautiful grounds. The Cathedral of St Vladimir is the headquarters of the rival pro-Ukrainian church.
• Enjoy a spot of culture at Kyiv's Opera House, the Museum of Ukrainian Art (with its collection of the work of regional artists from the 16th century to the present) and the Historical Museum of Ukraine.
• Wander up Andreyev Hill, a restored cobbled street in central Kyiv now used by artists to sell their wares. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants in this area. Alternatively, people-watch in Khreshchatik Street and Independence Square, Kyiv’s main thoroughfares. The square is particularly elegant with its chestnut trees and fountains.
• Martinsky Palace and Parliament in Kyiv is the official residence of Ukraine’s president. The nearby Park of Glory is a war memorial, with a vast and controversial monument of a woman with a sword and shield overlooking the river.
• Explore Lviv, a city of striking baroque and Renaissance architecture, and the focal point of Ukrainian national culture. The City Castle was the first building to fly Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow national flag. Located by the foothills of the picturesque Carpathians, it is one of the oldest and most unusual cities in Europe. The National Museum, Museum of History, Art Gallery, Antique Armoury (City Arsenal) and Museum of Ethnography and Crafts are famous for their collections. Development of the pharmaceutical trade in Ukraine is represented by the collection of the Pharmaceutical Museum – the oldest functioning pharmacy of Lviv (established in 1735).
• Lviv itself is often called ‘the open-air museum’. The highlight of its architecture is doubtlessly Market Square, connected for more than 600 years with local history. The Market Square of the old city performed the function of an economic, political and administrative centre up to the end of the 19th century. The area housed members of the urban nobility and wealthy merchant class, building many mansions and commercial properties. Today, Market Square is the core of the historical and architectural preservation area, consisting of 45 buildings. They reflect elements of many architectural traditions, such as gothic, baroque, Renaissance and Rococo.
• Head to Odessa, the site of the famous 192 steps of the Potemkin stairway from Sergei Eisenstein’s film, Battleship Potemkin. In addition, Odessa is also a centre of renewal of Jewish culture, with a community of 45,000. There is a vast Opera House – one of the world’s largest. The ceiling is decorated with scenes from the plays of Shakespeare. Also worth visiting is the Statue of the Duke of Richelieu, the Vorontsov Palace on the waterfront and the Archaeological Museum with exhibits from the Black Sea area and Egypt.
• The Crimea was once a summer playground for Kremlin leaders. Hotels and services are relatively cheap for Westerners, and the place is a favourite with German tourists. The region’s dusty capital of Simferopol has few tourist sights. It is Yalta, the ‘Pearl of the Crimea’, which draws visitors. Former Communist Party spas have now been turned into resort centres. The Vorontsov Palace was designed by Edward Blore, one of the architects of Buckingham Palace. Nikitsky Gardens, just outside of Yalta, is a good afternoon’s excursion. Industry is centred on Massandra, above Yalta. Livada is where Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in the Livada Palace in 1945. Foros is where Gorbachev was held for three days during the 1991 coup.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Discover Kyiv's religious heritage. The Caves Monastery in the city centre is the focal point of the early Orthodox church. Visitors have to carry candles to see the church relics, which are set in a maze of catacombs. It is the headquarters of the pro-Russian Orthodox church. The 11th-century St Sofia Cathedral contains splendid icons and frescoes and is situated in beautiful grounds. The Cathedral of St Vladimir is the headquarters of the rival pro-Ukrainian church.
• Enjoy a spot of culture at Kyiv's Opera House, the Museum of Ukrainian Art (with its collection of the work of regional artists from the 16th century to the present) and the Historical Museum of Ukraine.
• Wander up Andreyev Hill, a restored cobbled street in central Kyiv now used by artists to sell their wares. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants in this area. Alternatively, people-watch in Khreshchatik Street and Independence Square, Kyiv’s main thoroughfares. The square is particularly elegant with its chestnut trees and fountains.
• Martinsky Palace and Parliament in Kyiv is the official residence of Ukraine’s president. The nearby Park of Glory is a war memorial, with a vast and controversial monument of a woman with a sword and shield overlooking the river.
• Explore Lviv, a city of striking baroque and Renaissance architecture, and the focal point of Ukrainian national culture. The City Castle was the first building to fly Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow national flag. Located by the foothills of the picturesque Carpathians, it is one of the oldest and most unusual cities in Europe. The National Museum, Museum of History, Art Gallery, Antique Armoury (City Arsenal) and Museum of Ethnography and Crafts are famous for their collections. Development of the pharmaceutical trade in Ukraine is represented by the collection of the Pharmaceutical Museum – the oldest functioning pharmacy of Lviv (established in 1735).
• Lviv itself is often called ‘the open-air museum’. The highlight of its architecture is doubtlessly Market Square, connected for more than 600 years with local history. The Market Square of the old city performed the function of an economic, political and administrative centre up to the end of the 19th century. The area housed members of the urban nobility and wealthy merchant class, building many mansions and commercial properties. Today, Market Square is the core of the historical and architectural preservation area, consisting of 45 buildings. They reflect elements of many architectural traditions, such as gothic, baroque, Renaissance and Rococo.
• Head to Odessa, the site of the famous 192 steps of the Potemkin stairway from Sergei Eisenstein’s film, Battleship Potemkin. In addition, Odessa is also a centre of renewal of Jewish culture, with a community of 45,000. There is a vast Opera House – one of the world’s largest. The ceiling is decorated with scenes from the plays of Shakespeare. Also worth visiting is the Statue of the Duke of Richelieu, the Vorontsov Palace on the waterfront and the Archaeological Museum with exhibits from the Black Sea area and Egypt.
• The Crimea was once a summer playground for Kremlin leaders. Hotels and services are relatively cheap for Westerners, and the place is a favourite with German tourists. The region’s dusty capital of Simferopol has few tourist sights. It is Yalta, the ‘Pearl of the Crimea’, which draws visitors. Former Communist Party spas have now been turned into resort centres. The Vorontsov Palace was designed by Edward Blore, one of the architects of Buckingham Palace. Nikitsky Gardens, just outside of Yalta, is a good afternoon’s excursion. Industry is centred on Massandra, above Yalta. Livada is where Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in the Livada Palace in 1945. Foros is where Gorbachev was held for three days during the 1991 coup.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
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