Kyiv
Kiev, officially Kyiv (Київ in Ukrainian, Киев in Russian, Kijów in Polish) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, and has officially around 2.6 million inhabitants, although the large number of unregistered domestic immigrants would probably raise this figure to about 4 million.
Kiev is located in north central Ukraine. Its geographical coordinates are 50° 25' north latitude, 133° 43' east longitude. The Dnipro (formerly Dnieper) river flows south through the city towards the Black Sea; in the west is the 'old city' of Pechersk, built on the hills overlooking the right bank, where the famous Lavra monastery is located. Also in the west are the city center, government buildings, embassies, theatres, and most local industrial complexes. On the east side of the river lie several residential areas, and the nearby Boryspil international airport.
The city has a three line metro system (total length 54.8 km), and extensive bus, tram, and trolleybus routes. On weekends, the streets of Khreschatyk (the center of the city) are closed to vehicular traffic, in favor of pedestrians. Visitors to Kiev in May can catch the springtime festival [1].
History
Middle Ages through 17th century
Kiev was probably founded in the 5th century and functioned as a trading post between Constantinople and Scandinavia. The Gothic historian Jordanes recorded the trading town of Danapirstadir. As the region came under Slav rule the town became known as Kyiv. Legend speaks of a founder-family consisting of Kyi (Кий) the eldest, his brothers Schek and Khoriv, and also their sister Lybid'.
From 882 until 1169 Kiev was the capital of the principal Varangian/East-Slavic state, known as Kievan Rus' (or Kyivan Rus'). The church of Saint Sophia in Kiev, begun in 1037, was designed to emulate the splendor of Byzantine churches, reflecting the reception of Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Though it is dedicated to "Holy Wisdom", as was the great cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the building has a very different form—rather than a single hemispherical dome rising out of the block of the building, Hagia Sophia in Kiev has 13 onion-shaped domes carried on drums. The central dome is larger than the rest (and in the most recent renovations, gilded), but not significantly so.
Devastated by the invading Mongols in 1240, it subsequently passed under the rule of the state of Halych-Volynia [before 1264] and then Lithuania (1362), Poland (1569), a short-lived Ukrainian Cossack state (1648), which formed a protective treaty with Muscovy (1654) and slowly lost independence, then autonomy by 1775, as Muscovy renamed itself, "Russia" (1713), then the "Russian Empire" (1721), successively.
In 1497, the city was granted a "Magdeburg law", turning it into a self-governed entity independent from szlachta rule.
In 1632, the Kyiv Mohyla academy was established in the city aimed to preserve and develop Ukrainian culture and Orthodox faith despite Polish Catholic oppression. It was named after Petro Mohyla, a prominent Slavic cleric. Although ruled by the church, the academy provided students with educational standards close to universities of Western Europe (including multi-lingual training). Later it became one of the main educational centers of the Slavic world. Closed by the Tsarist government in the 19th century, the academy was reestablished in the 1990s as a secular non-governmental international university. It is still based in the same compound, containing some 17th century architecture.
19th century to 1917 Revolution
In 1834, St. Volodymyr University was established in Kiev (now Shevchenko University). The great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko cooperated with its geography department as a field researcher and editor.
From late 18th century till late 19th century, city life was dominated by its role as a Russian military center and a church city. Orthodox Church institutions formed a significant part of Kiev's infrastructure and business activity of that time.
Following the gradual loss of Ukraine's autonomy, Kiev experienced growing Russification in the 19th century by means of Russian migration, administrative actions and social modernization. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city was dominated by Russian-speaking population, while lower classes retained Ukrainian folk culture to a significant extent. However, enthusiasts among ethnic Ukrainian nobles, military and merchants made recurring attempts to preserve native culture in Kiev (by clandestine book-printing, amateur theater, folk studies etc.)
During the Russian industrial revolution in the late 19th century, Kiev became an important trade and transportation center of the Russian Empire, specializing in sugar and grain imports by railroad and on the Dnieper river. As of 1900, the city also became a significant industrial center, having a population of 250,000. Landmarks of that period include railway infrastructure, the foundation of numerous educational and cultural facilities as well as notable architecture (mostly merchant-oriented). The first electric tram line of the Russian Empire was established in Kiev (arguably the first in the world).
At that time, a large Jewish community emerged in Kiev, developing its ethnic culture and business. This was stimulated by the fact that most Jews were prohibited from living in Russia's main cities — Moscow and Saint Petersburg — as well as further eastwards. In fact, the prohibition frontier (Russian: черта оседлости) crossed through Kiev itself, fencing off some of the city's districts from the Jewish population.
The development of aviation (both military and amateur) became another notable sign of 1900s Kiev. Prominent aviation figures of that period include Kievites Pyotr Nesterov (well-known aerobatics pioneer) and Igor Sikorsky. The world's first helicopter was built and tested in Kiev by Sikorsky.
Ukrainian Revolution and Independence
In 1917 Tsentral'na Rada, the Ukrainian self-government body, was established in the city. Later that year, Ukrainian autonomy was declared. On November 7, 1917 it was transformed into an independent Ukrainian People's Republic with the capital in Kiev. During this short period of independence, Kiev experienced rapid growth of its cultural and political status. Academy of Sciences and professional Ukrainian-language theaters and libraries were established by the new government.
Later Kiev became a war zone in the lasting and bloody struggle between Ukrainian governments and Russian Bolsheviks.
Early Soviet Rule and World War II
The Bolsheviks took control of Kiev in 1920. After the Ukrainian SSR was formed under Moscow rule, Kharkiv was declared its capital due to it being more dominated by the working class. In 1934, the capital was moved back to Kiev, starting a new period of growth and the reestablishment of a Ukrainian spirit (mostly by migrants).
In the 1930s, Kiev suffered the results of the controversial Soviet policy of that time. While encouraging lower-class Ukrainians to pursue careers and develop their culture, the Communist regime soon began harsh oppression of political freedom, Ukraine's autonomy and Orthodox religion. Recurring political trials were organized in the city to purge "Ukrainian nationalists", "Western spies" and opponents of Joseph Stalin inside the Bolshevik party. Numerous historic churches were destroyed or vandalized and the clergy repressed.
In the late 1930s, clandestine mass executions began in Kiev. Thousands of Kievites (mostly intellectuals and party activists) were arrested in the night, hurriedly court-martialed, shot and buried in mass graves. The main execution sites were Babi Yar and the Bykivnya forest. Tens of thousands were sentenced to GULAG camps. However, the city's economy continued to grow, following Stalin's industrialization policy.
During World War II, Nazi Germany occupied Kiev on 19 September 1941 as part of Operation Barbarossa, destroying a huge Red Army division in the area and taking more than 650,000 prisoners. On September 29 and 30 at Babi Yar, SS Einsatzgruppen carried out the mass murder of 33,771 Jews. The city remained in German hands until it was retaken by the Soviet Red Army on 6 November 1943. Both Communists and Ukrainian nationalists established underground resistance activities (known as Підпілля, pidpillia; подполье, podpoliye in Russian) in Kiev during the occupation. Kiev was heavily bombarded during the war, so many architectural landmarks (including most of the main Khreschatyk Street) were destroyed. For its suffering during the War, the city was later awarded the title Hero City.
As of the 1950s, Kiev's pre-war population of 1930s had mostly perished due to purges, war losses and forced migration to other regions of the USSR.
After 57 years as the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union, Kiev in 1991 became the capital of independent Ukraine.
Features
It is said that one can walk from one end of Kiev to the other in the summertime without leaving the shade of its many trees. There are two botanical gardens and numerous large and small parks. Notable among these are the War Museum, which offers both indoor and outdoor displays of military history and equipment surrounded by verdant hills overlooking the Dnipro river; Hidropark, located on an island in the river and accessible by metro or by car, in which an amusement park, swimming beaches, and boat rentals can be found; and Victory Park, one of many parks scattered around the city in residential areas where one may stroll, jog, or ride a bicycle.
In parks and elsewhere, one will encounter many horse-chestnut trees, called "kashtany". The large five-bladed leaves are distinctive, bursting into bloom in springtime, as are the glossy brown nuts that tumble to the sidewalks in the fall.
Architectural fascinations abound, including government buildings such as the Marinskiiy Palace (designed and constructed from 1745–1752, then reconstructed in 1870) and the sweeping Ministry of Foreign Affairs building; several Orthodox churches and church complexes such as the Lavra, St. Sophia's, and St. Andrew's, and others such as the 19th century Lutheran church; and public monuments such as the statue of Bohdan Khmel'nyts'kyi astride his horse up the hill from Independence Square and the venerated Volodymyr the Great, baptizer of the Rus, overlooking the river above Podil.
Among the many hotels, the cylindrical Salut is unique—located across from Glory Square and the eternal flame, its windows command views in all directions from one of the highest points in Kiev.
Kiev offers several institutions of higher learning, including the Taras Shevchenko State University of Kiev, the Polytechnic Institute, the Agricultural University, and numerous scientific and technical institutes.
Industry includes many large and small publishing and printing plants, such as Pressa Ukraina, and the famous Arsenal camera and lens factory which produces consumer, medical, and military optical equipment.
Boating, fishing, and water sports are popular pastimes. Since the lakes and rivers freeze over in the winter, ice fishermen are frequently seen, as are children with their ice skates. However, the peak of summer is when masses of people can be seen on the shores, swimming or sunbathing, with daytime high temperatures between 30 and 34 degrees celsius.
Each residential region has its market, or rynok. Here one will find table after table of individuals hawking everything imaginable: vegetables, fresh and smoked meats, fish, cheese, honey, dairy products such as milk and home-made smetana (sour cream), caviar, cut flowers, housewares, tools and hardware, and clothing. Each of the markets has its own unique mix of products and as you travel on the metro, bus, or tramvai routes, you'll find many travellers passing the time with a book. Where better to get a stack of books at a low price, than at the book market by the Petrovka metro stop?
Naming dispute
The city has been called Kiev in English since at least the 19th century, if not earlier. The earliest quotation in the Oxford English Dictionary containing "Kiev" is 1883. In 1995, the Ukrainian government made a declaration concerning the name of the city, favoring the use of Kyiv over Kiev, saying in part:
- To acknowledge that the Roman spelling of Kiev does not recreate the phonetic and scriptural features of the Ukrainian language geographical name.
- To confirm that the spelling of Kyiv as standardized Roman-letter correspondence to the Ukrainian language geographical name of Київ.
- On the basis of point 7 of the Provision on the Ukrainian Commission for Legal Terminology, determine as mandatory the standardized Roman-letter spelling of Kyiv for use in legislative and official acts.
This act has legal jurisdiction only over Ukrainian government spelling of the city's name. Many people have followed suit and use the spelling Kyiv in all Latin alphabet publications. Some English-language publications are increasingly using the new spelling Kyiv, as well as political entities, such as the British and Australian embassies. Nevertheless, the spelling Kiev remains the most widespread spelling in English, by a substantial margin, and some writers of English do not accept the authority of the Ukrainian government to dictate how they should spell the names of cities in English, pointing to the fact that many cities are spelled differently in the local language, such as the major cities of Italy, yet retain their different spellings in English. Nationalists find the spelling Kiev offensive, because they believe it reflects the spelling used by the, as they say, "former colonial masters of Ukraine", the Russians. The city's name is spelled Ки́ев in Russian and pronounced KEE-if. However, the Kiev spelling was used in English before Polish-influenced reforms in Ukrainian orthography and vocabulary, and reflects Old Russian (the language of ancestors of modern Ukrainians and Russians) spelling of the city name.
Chicken Kiev
The city has given its name to a recipe, Chicken Kiev, which consists of breaded boneless chicken breast containing garlic butter in the middle.
Chicken Kiev is also the label used by the media for a speech made in the city in 1991 by then US president George Bush. It was drafted by Condoleezza Rice, and cautioned Ukrainians against "suicidal nationalism". A few months later, Ukrainians voted to withdraw from the Soviet Union.