Socialist modern architecture in Kyiv

Strangely, some of what was impressive in Kyiv before the war were the remains of some of the Soviet architecture built prior to Ukraine’s independence  from the the-Soviet Union in 1991. Today, the Kyiv City Council and the community have started the process to consider what to do with these symbols that seem so inappropriate in a country that is now being attacked by Russia.

After arrival in Kyiv, I stayed at the Salute Hotel, my first experience with Socialist Modernist architecture. Built in the early 1980s, the hotel only has 88 rooms and thus I am told is not really economically viable. Plus, because of its odd round structure, expansion is not possible. Walking up to your room on an interior circular ramp is a strange sensation indeed. Ignore that red door in the dining room which I hear goes to a brothel.

Looking a bit like a flying saucer landing, the building commonly called the UFO Building was part of some Ukrainian institutes for sciences. As with many Soviet era buildings, even when I was there in 2020, there was debate about what to do with it. This UFO Building was empty when I was there. Who’s to tell about its future in today’s Kyiv, one year after the war began?

Strange, perhaps, to visit a cemetery and crematorium when traveling in Ukraine, but this one is odd-shaped and eye-catching. It was designed in this way so as to not look like a place where bodies where incinerated, due to understandable sensitivities after World War II. If a cremation is in process, the smoke does not rise from the building but from vents off to the side in a field.

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The Eternal Glory Park and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War occupy a plot of land that allows profound views of the area – not to mention yet another piece of Soviet architecture, the Motherland Monument. Another Soviet structure, it has been embattled for years, but it remains a popular and entrancing sight, towering over the National Museum of History with its perch high above the Dnipro River.

The metro stations were places decked out in marble slabs, with tiles, mosaics, and sculptures. You ride incredibly long escalators down to the platforms since they are so deep – no wonder they have become safe places during bombings. The Kreshchatyk station, above, was near the Maidan Independence Square, which honored those killed during the 2014 revolution. It was always a busy busy station.

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I glance at a station interior in news stories with kids doing homework during a bombing and think, this is not right. At Zoloti Vorata station in the city center, one could get to many sights and churches. It is often considered one of the most beautiful stations in the world with its arches and tiled mosaics.

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Sometimes as photos or video of Ukrainians hunkered down in metro stations come up in a news report, I think about how I flitted up and down, in and out, admiring the construction and agog at the hugely long escalators, sometimes two levels worth. Arsenalna station, here, is the deepest station in the world at 346 feet. Beware, too, that the escalators run at what most Westerners would consider a breakneck speed. Leap on quickly!

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I made it to five stations during my visit to Kyiv before the war, with the mural at the Teatralna being very impressive. Yes, it’s near the opera theater. Unfortunately, this transit hub has been closed, per online reports.

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Many times, the trains were simply blue and yellow in Ukraine’s colors, but sometimes they were well-decorated with colorful graffiti. This photo was caught at the Dnipro station that hovers beside the river of the same name, as a man awaited the arrival of the Kyiv metro train.

Perhaps particularly meaningful today is the statue called “Bitter Memory of Childhood” in the Park of Eternal Glory just north of the. Salute Hotel. It commemorates the loss of life — and of children — during the famine in the 1930s that was contrived by Stalin. The famine has been officially recognized as genocide, with some estimate that 7 million people died. Significantly, in light of today’s war, historians believe the man-made famine was concocted to squash any attempts at Ukrainian independence. The statue and a museum were opened in 2008. The woeful statue of a child with hollow eyes is holding a cherished stalk of wheat.

A gathering point in central Kyiv was Maidan Square, or Independence Square, with photos, monuments, flags, and plaques that honored those killed during the country’s fight for independence.

When I visited Kyiv before the war, I found constant reminders of its former Russian self. Here, the Soviet hammer and sickle remained on an ornate door of an office building on one of the main boulevards. Wonder if it’s still there?

Not all the outdoor monuments in Kyiv are serious odes to war, independence, and lost lives. This monument to Hedgehog in the Fog is from a famous Soviet – yes, Soviet — cartoon. It is located near the Golden Gate and was installed in 2009. Although perhaps trivial in today’s world, it had been very popular among both Ukrainians and travelers in pre-war Kyiv.

A sight on every Kyiv tourist’s itinerary was always the spectacular Lavra Monastry, also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves. Established in 1051, it is an historic Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery. Its domes and crosses rise about treetops and buildings, glinting gold in the sunlight on the hill that overlooks the Dnipro River. The lead photo at the top is from my hotel balcony at Hotel Salute (lucky me) and shows, from left to right, the top of the museum for the Holodomor genocide, the Lavra Cave Monastery’s golden tops, the Orthodox cathedral, and the Motherland Monument.

Situated at the top of the Andriivskyi Descent on a hilltop, St. Andrews is a remarkable, rare baroque design in Ukraine. The church with unique green and blue tones was built in the mid-1700s. It overlooks the popular and trendy Podil neighborhood and is one of so many breathtaking churches and monasteries dotted through the center of Kyiv. As you come off the walk through the park and climb the stairs (seen on the right) to Andriivskyi Descent from the riverfront park, it suddenly rises above you in all its glory.

The golden domes of St. Michael’s Monastery rise up beside a large plaza in Kyiv. It has sky blue walls while inside it features impressive marble, mosaics, and fresco — all behind this gate. This monastery dates back to the 12^th century – and is a revered piece of history in Kyiv. I have seen photos of tank barricades in the plazas around it, which is unsettling indeed. All around this area were sculptures and monuments to all things Ukraine and all the battles it has fought for its independence.

During my visit in January 2020, you were able to climb the bell tower of St. Sophia’s, which offered great views of the cathedral as well as views down the boulevard to St. Michael’s Monastery.

From the Glass Bridge, mentioned above, you can walk through a park on Volodymyr Hill high above the river, past a funicular that started operations in 1905 (yes, it is still used – or at least was – for everyday commutes!) to the Kokorevskaya gazebo. This spectacular openwork gazebo was built in the late 1800s. The loop will then take you to St. Andrew’s Church and Andriivskyi Descent.

HITT Tip: If you want to learn more about how staunchly Ukrainians will defend and have defended their independence and the pride that runs deep in the country, the Ostannya Barykada Restaurant is the place to go. Somewhat hidden below Maidan Independence Square, the OB Restaurant is a bit of a shrine to the country and his heroes.

It’s been more than three years since my experience in Ukraine, as I look back at this one-year anniversary of the war. During that time I was also able to spend four days in Chernobyl – a place that has also been badly damaged by the Russian invasion. I know some people I met at that time have fled the country or were working in the war effort.  My look at Kyiv in photos has me hoping I will indeed be able to safely return one day – to the proud country it is and to an independent country that it was and should remain.