1. Kyiv – the capital of Ukraine 9/28/13

2. Kyiv is a picturesque capital of Ukraine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Like every city, Kyiv has its own charm. Kyiv has a history that goes back for more than 10 centuries. Kyivites love and cherish the history of their city, a city of priceless monuments of history and culture and outstanding people. No matter who you are – a tourist, a traveler or businessman from a foreign country, we know you will leave a piece of your heart in our city, because everyone may find something to his own taste.

3. Archeological excavations show evidence of the first settlement on the territory of Kiev 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. Legend has it that at the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 6th centuries, three brothers, Kiy, Shchek and Khoriv, and their sister, Lybid, founded a town and names it after their elder brother Kiy, as "Kyiv". The early settles of Kiev built their citadel on the steep right bank of the Dnipro river to protect themselves from marauding nomadic tribes. Later, Kiev`s Grand Princes built their palaces and churches on Starokievska hill, while artisans and merchants built their houses next to the wharf on the Dnipro. By the end of the 9th century, when the Kievska Rus princes united scattered Slavic tribes, Kiev was the political center of the Eastern Slavs. Kiev maintained wide foreign and commercial trade links due to its position in the middle of trade routes between the Vikings and the Greeks. History of Kyiv

4. The main street of Kyiv is Kreshchatyk. This street is known by one and all. Kreshchatyk is relatively young as compared with the thousand – year history of Kyiv. At the beginning of the last century there were large ravines which gave the locality its name Kreshchata Valley – Kreshchatyk. Kyiv is always associated with chestnuts, trees and flowers and is especially beautiful in May when the famous Kyiv chestnut trees are in blossom.

5. Kyiv’s architecture is unique. Due to the huge number of orthodox churches it is called sometimes the Gold-Domed city.

6. There are also many wonderful monuments of the past in the city. You may see the Golden Gate or, to be more exact, the fortified wall, defining the borders of the city and serving as a protective barrier from invaders in the past centuries. It dates back to 11th century, and now it is a museum. This monument is located in downtown Kyiv, two blocks from the National Opera.

7. You may enjoy St. Sophia Cathedral with its golden cupolas gleaming in the bright sun. It was built by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the 11th century in commemoration of the victory over the Pecheneg tribe. The cathedral became a major political and cultural center of Kievskaya Rus and a place for meeting ambassadors from many countries. St. Sophia is famous for its beautiful mosaics and frescoes of the 11th century. St. Sophia is in UNESCO list of the greatest monuments since 1900. And of course, it is a page of the great book of the cultural heritage of mankind.

8. So, we’re convinced if you have been to our city many times before, there’s always somethings new to view and somewhere different to go in the city full of surprises.