By Stanislav Tsalyk

In late 1930s, the government of Kyiv decided to clean up a slope on the Mykhailivskiy Hill, where the famous Mykhailivskiy golden-domed monastery was once located. After that, lawns were put down, tree-lined alleys were arranged as promenades and benches were installed. This particular site boasts a wonderful vista of the Dnipro River and the lower section of the city, better known as Podil.

On September 28, 1853, a new monument to Kyiv's Prince Volodymyr, who baptized his people in the Dnipro, was unveiled. To build the first sculptural monument in the city, the best sculptors and architects of the imperial palace were invited. Professor Petr Klodt, the creator of the famous figures on the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg, erected the magnificent figure of the prince, and the architect Aleksander Ton designed the 20-meter plinth or foundation. Another artist, sculptor Vladimir Demut-Malinovskiy, decorated the pedestal of the monument with a bas-relief called Baptizing of the People of Kyiv, the symbol of Kyiv and the Order of St. Volodymyr.

The cross in the prince's hands at the time housed gas lamps, which were later replaced by electric ones. At night, the cross appears to be floating in the sky when seen from across the river. It is a wonderful sight, indeed! Moreover, it is visible from miles away.

Prince Volodymyr's Monument very quickly became one of the main historical sights of Kyiv. As such, it should come as no surprise that the park itself was named Volodymyrska Hirka, or Volodymyr's Hill, which eventually figured into all the guidebooks of the city.

Needless to say, there are many legends about this monument. One of them has it that during WW II, when the Germans occupied Kyiv, the Nazi government wanted to blow up the monument. The crafty residents of Kyiv convinced the Germans to keep their hands off the monument, arguing that the heavy foundation was none other than a shaft lid covering a mighty well-head and should this source of underground spring water be tapped, the city would be completely flooded. As such, the famous monument was left standing as it was and successfully survived the period of occupation.

The park assumed its presentday appearance only at the end of the 19^th century. Serhiy Romishovskiy, who at the time was the head of Kyiv Garden Commission, wrote: "This beloved place was modeled after the Swiss Alps. It has many paved walkways, bricked water reservoirs, and descents connecting esplanades and terraces... It is a sure thing that this park, with its ever-growing vegetation, will become more and more beautiful with time and will without a doubt become one of the most beautiful parks in Europe. "

An interesting story is connected with the famous wrought-iron gazebo, located not far away from Volodymyr's monument in one of the coziest nooks of Kyiv. Today, it is impossible to imagine Volodymyr's Hill without this gazebo. In 1863, when this gazebo was not yet built, Vasily Kokorev, a well-known entrepreneur and financier, visited Kyiv. Fascinated by the view from Volodymyr's Hill, from where one could watch the steamboats and ferryboats going up and down the Dnipro and the horse-drawn carts on the streets of Podil for hours, Kokorev granted the city 1,000 rubles (back then, this was a huge sum). The money was intended for the construction of a comfortable gazebo or garden house on the hill, but instead it was deposited on a bank account and forgotten.

At the very end of the 19th century, when the works on building up the park were in full swing, the question of the gazebo came up again. This is when the money Kokorev had donated was remembered. As it turns out, after 33 years the original sum of money put aside had more than tripled. This, of course, helped finance the construction of two gazebos by a wellknown Warsaw firm, Hostinski&Co. One was built in the park itself and another was built in a little garden near St. Andrews Church. The gazebos were both named after Kokorev and retain the same name to this day.

In the 20th century, Volodymyr's Hill became a favorite place for Kyiv residents to take a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. A summer movie theater called Volodymyrska Hirka (hill) ran performances in the evening and nighttime. On its higher terrace, there was an open-air cafe where one could have an aromatic cup of coffee while listening to nightingales singing and enjoying the expansive views of the Dnipro river. Here, under the open night sky covered with huge stars, couples kissed and talked the lovetalk. Imagine, several generations of Kyiv residents recall Volodymyr's Hill as the place where they found their first flame. Furthermore, graduates of Kyiv schools traditionally stay up all night after the prom to watch the sun rise off of Volodymyr's Hill. It is indeed a romantic place...

At the end of the 1970s, a section of the park that overlooks today's European Square was remodeled in order to build the pompous Lenin Museum, though the chief of the world proletariat had never even been to Kyiv. The construction was completed in 1982. A few years later Mikhail Gorbachev initiated perestroika, which translates as 'the rebuilding'. As there was no longer a need for such a museum, nobody knew what to do with the building. There was even a proposal to destroy the newly built edifice, but it was given a second thought since the building was equipped with modern technology. Eventually, a decision was made to open the Ukrainian House, which today has become a popular place of art exhibitions, fares and cultural events.

The famous Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, who was born in Kyiv, called Volodymyr's Hill the most beautiful place in the world. Perhaps, in hindsight some say that such statement is an exaggeration. But every resident of Kyiv will sign to these words.

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Date: 2016-01-14; view: 919