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Kiev-Pecherska Lavra Monastery

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Things to see in Kiev

Tourist information: 

There is currently no official tourist office in Kiev, so it’s best to get information from the several good sites that cover Kiev, or use a local travel agent. Sites worth checking out include www.kiev.info and www.kievukraine.info.

Bulgakov Museum

An interesting if eccentric insight into the family life of Kiev's most famous son (the writer Mikhail Bulgakov) as a young boy. Exhibits focus on the White Guard, an autobiographical account of his experiences in Kiev during the Russian civil war, rather than his most famous book and masterpiece, The Master and Margarita.

Opening Times: Thurs-Tues 1000-1600.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Andriyivsky Uzviz 13, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 416 3188.
Golden Gates

Little of Kiev's rich ancient history remains, which makes the Golden Gates all the more special. They were built in 1017 as the gateway into the once-walled city.

Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Volodymyrs'ka 40A., Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 234 7068.
Kievo-Pechersky Caves Monastery

This stunning complex of churches built on the banks of the Dnieper has UNESCO World Heritage status and its architecture cannot fail to impress. Under the golden-domed churches there is a network of candle-lit catacombs (lavra) where Ukrainian saints are encased in glass coffins.

Admission Fees: No (but you are expected to buy a candle at the entrance)
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Sichnevoho Povstannia 21, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 255 1237.
Website: www.lavra.kiev.ua
National Chernobyl Museum

This museum is a mixture of artistic representations of the disaster, artefacts from the site itself and model reconstructions commemorating the heroics of the first rescue workers, many of whom died fighting the fire. Dozens of signs hanging from the ceiling makes a haunting memorial to the evacuated towns still too dangerous to live in.

Opening Times: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat-Sun 1000-1600.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Provulok Khorevy 1, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 417 5422.
One Street Museum

Kiev’s One Street Museum chronicles the vibrant history of Andreyvsky Uziv, often described as Kiev's Montmartre. Over the years a wide variety of artists, actors and writers lived on the street.

Opening Times: Tues-Sun noon-1800.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Andriyivsky Spusk 2B, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 425 0398.
Website: http://onestreet.kiev.ua
St Sophia's Cathedral

Kiev's oldest church was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Ukraine's powerful leader who was laid to rest inside. Thirteen golden cupolas sit atop the complex of white towers best viewed from the 76m (250ft) bell tower at the entrance. The cathedral dates back to 1037 when the foundations were laid under the orders of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. The impressive cathedral is characterised by its 13 domes (cupolas) that dominate the skyline and the ornate, gold-topped dome of the Saint Sophia Bell Tower.

Inside, much of the Byzantine interior is intact and the cathedral is famous for its 11th century mosaics and frescoes. There is now a museum on the site detailing the cathedral's spiritual and intellectual influence in the region and how it contributed the spread of the Orthodox faith across Russia from the 17th to the 19th century.

Saint-Sophia Cathedral and the related monastic buildings were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.

Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Sofiskaya Square, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 278 2083.
The National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

A memorial complex commemorating Ukraine's controversial participation in WWII when its capital population halved under the Nazis. It is one of the largest museums in Ukraine (over 300,000 exhibits) and a Brezhnev era 62m (203ft) tall titanium Motherland statue, with a lift to the top, stands guard over it.

Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Sichnevoho Povstannya 44, Kiev, Ukraine
Telephone: (044) 285 9452.
Website: www.warmuseum.kiev.ua
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