Monuments to visit Kiev

Located in the park of the Second World War Museum and inaugurated in 1992, this imposing 62 m long sculpture dominates the Dnieper. It represents the mother country stretching a sword and a shield towards the sky with the emblem of the USSR. With its pedestal, its height reaches 102 m, so it is one of the great landmarks of the city and a tutelary silhouette of the Kiev panorama.

A central place and symbol of the Orange Revolution and Euromaïdan, Maïdan Nezalezhnosti also applies to its Soviet-style monumental architecture. The whole place and its buildings dates back to the 1950 s. The square is out of the road and the inhabitants of Kiev enjoy walking there all season, alone or with friends, with a beer on the benches ready and there on the square. Today, in the south-east part of the square, not far from the point where the streets Mykhailiivska, Sofiyska, Mala Zhytomyrska and Tarasa Shevchenko are the ancient Lyadskie doors that have recently been reconstructed on the foundations of the old. In the middle of the square, we also see the column of independence. The square cuts the main avenue in Kiev, Khreshchatyk street. This 1,5-km long street has existed for 200 years, but it was completely destroyed during the Second world war. In September 1941, at the beginning of Nazi occupation, the Soviet secret services minèrent all the Immeubles buildings in order to kill the Germans who lived there. From old Khreshchatyk, there are now only a few houses, such as the group of buildings between No. 40 and No. 52 of the street, dating from the second half of the th century. The street was actually rebuilt after the war in Empire style and presents itself as a real masterpiece of Stalinist architecture. The best is to walk here during the weekend when the Khreshchatyk is closed to the traffic of cars and transforms into a gigantic pedestrian area.

Designed by architect Vladislav Horodetsky in 1901-1903, he is one of the most curious buildings in the city in modern style. According to legend, Horodetsky built the house in memory of his daughter who, because of a romantic disappointment, committed suicide by entering the Dnieper. There are sculptures of animals and mythical figures on the roof as on the facade. The work of the architect and artists is particularly applied and meticulous, these are real stories telling us through these decorations. Today the house is used as a state residence.