ANDRIYIVSKY DESCENT

This is without a doubt one of the Kyiv's oldest and most beloved streets. In ancient times it linked the administrative part of the upper town with Podil, the lower town of merchants and artisans. Its steep and winding cobblestones are a traditional place for outdoor festivals and concerts, and it has numer­ous intriguing art galleries and museums. Many people associate Andrew's Descent with Montmartre of Paris. Of course, being at the very heart of the city's art community the street is a favourite stop for tourists in search of paintings and traditional Ukrainian crafts, as well as a repository for souvenirs and different Soviet stuff. The elegant silhouette of Baroque church one large dome and five lesser cupolas are easily visible from Podil and beyond. Built in 1754, Andrew's church is one of the most magnificent Christian Orthodox buildings in the city. The sidewalk artisans come out in the full force on weekends and big holidays. There's an interesting building that Kyivants refer to as the Castle of Richard the Lion-Hearted, built in 1902. A bit further down on the right is a steep, twisting flight of iron steps which will reward lovers of heights with yet another commanding vantage point above Podil and the Dnipro. At the bottom of the hill, turn left to reach the former marketplace of Kontraktova square or right to head towards the funicular at Poshtova square.

The One Street Museum is a charming little museum near the bottom of Andriyivsky descent tells the rich history of this important street through the years.

FOLK ARCHITECTURE AND LIFE MUSEUM PYROHOVO

Pyrohovo is definitely the only place in or around Kyiv where you can get by in a mat­ter of minutes. This picturesque open-air museum has over 150 buildings - monu­ments of folk architecture, material and spiritual culture of various epochs from 25 regions of Ukraine from the 16^th to the 20^th centuries. You'll also find wooden churches, windmills, barns, wells and even a school building typ­ical of rural areas from recent centuries. If everything seems very authentic, it's because most of the buildings are in fact original and were moved here piece by piece. Traditional Ukrainian clothing, ceramics and farming equipment are also on display.

At holidays, especially the religious ones, the folk groups give shows and public festivals are organized. During these festivals people traditionally wear national clothes and all guests could taste Ukrainian cuisine just like in the countryside. The displays of museum give to every visitor a realis­tic impression of the travel in time.

ST. MICHAEL'S GOLDEN-DOMED

CATHEDRAL

Originally built by Prince Sviatopolk in 1108, this cathedral was destroyed by the Soviet regime in the mid-1930s in keeping with their anti-religious programme. In our hard times, the reconstruction of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral is a sign of spiritual rebirth of Kiev - the cradle of Russian Christianity and all Ukraine, as a civilized European state. Its reconstruction was completed in May 2000. The sky blue exterior and glittering golden domes seem a bit too new and shiny for this ancient city and are certainly stunning. Another reminder of the Communists' inhuman policies is to the right as you exit the church. This monument is to the millions of Ukrainian victims of the Great Famine in 1932-1933. The monument is com­posed of a granite stone with recess made in a form of the cross and bronze effigy of Mother-Ukraine with a child. Farther out in the square, the statues of Princess Olha, Apostle Andriy, St. Cyrill and St. Methodius were also reconstructed in 1996.

KHRESCHATYK

Every guest will find something to his liking in Kyiv. The main street of Kyiv is Kreshchatyk is known by one and all. It's hard to believe that at the beginning of the last century there were large ravines which gave the locality its name Kreshchata Valley - Kreshchatyk, meaning «crossed», because of the many ravines that crossed it.

Every person visiting Kyiv has undoubtedly walked along this central thoroughfare, admiring its architecture, fountains, greenery and blossoms of the famous Kyiv chestnut trees. The trees also provide welcome shade during hot summer months, although at weekends and holidays when the street becomes a pedestrian area many prefer to frolic right here among outdoor festivals.

In 2001 the square was absolutely reconstruct­ed, at Maidan Nezalezhnosty there was placed the statue of woman in Ukrainian national cos­tume, standing at the 40-meter column - the monument to Independence, near by there is conser­vatory, and a big underground shopping centre.

City of London

The City of London is a small area in Greater London, England. The modern conurbation of London developed from the City of London and the nearby City of Westminster, which was the centre of the royal government. The City of London is now Europe's largest ‘central business district’ (CBD) and financial district. It is often referred to as just the City or as the Square Mile, as it is approximately one square mile (2.6 km²) in area. In the medieval period the City was the full extent of London, but the term London now refers to a much larger conurbation containing both 'cities'. The City of London is still part of London's city centre, but apart from financial services, most of London's metropolitan functions are centred on the West End. The City of London has a resident population of under 10,000 but a daily working population of 311,000.

Its Latin motto is ‘Domine dirige nos’ which means ’Lord, guide us’.

The size of the City was originally constrained by a defensive perimeter wall, known as 'London Wall’, which was built by the Romans to protect their strategic port city. However, the boundaries of the City of London are no longer the old City Wall. The boundary froze in the medieval period, thus the City did not and does not control the whole of London.

The City of London is England's smallest ceremonial county by both population and area covered and is the second smallest British city in both population and size, after St David's in Wales.

The City of London has a unique political status, a legacy of its uninterrupted integrity as a corporate city since the Anglo Saxon period and its singular relationship with the crown. Historically its system of government was not unusual, but it was not reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835.

It is administered by the City of London Corporation, headed by the Lord Mayor of London. The City is a ceremonial county too, although instead of having its own Lord-Lieutenant, the City of London has a Commission, headed by the Lord Mayor, exercising this function.

The City has a unique electoral system, which follows very few of the usual forms and standards of democracy. Most of its voters are representatives of businesses and other bodies which occupy premises in the City. Its ancient wards also have very unequal numbers of voters. The City has its own independent police force, the City of London Police. The rest of Greater London is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service, based at New Scotland Yard.

The City is a major patron of the arts. It oversees the Barbican Centre and subsidizes several important performing arts companies. It also takes an interest in open spaces outside its boundaries.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 777