Places of interest in Ukraine

A visitor to Ukraine should start his sightseeing with Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, the ancient city, which celebrated its 1,500th anniversary in 1982.

The most ancient building in Kiev is St. Sophia's Cathedral, founded by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1037. He meant to turn it into the cultural center of his Eastern Slavic state, but the Cathedral was also the place where the Kiev community gathered for assemblies, and where the Prince gave official audiences to foreign ambassadors.

The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the oldest monastery in Ukraine, owes its name to the numerous caves which were used as dwellings from pre-historic times. About a thousand years ago the caves were taken over by monks who set up a monastery there, and very soon the Lavra became a, major center for the promotion of early Russian culture.

The Golden Gate, St. Vladimir's Cathedral, St. Andrew's Church, Andriyivsky Uzviz, Kreschatik, these are the places of interest in Kiev which it's better to see once, than to hear about them many times.

The town of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky is situated not far from Kiev and happens to be the third oldest town in Ukraine after Kiev and Chernihov. This town is a real wonder and one cannot help admiring its 22 museums of all possible kinds.

Lvov is one of the richest towns in Ukraine for the number and value of historical and architectural monuments. It was founded in the 13th century by Prince Danilo Galitsky, who named the town after his elder son Lev. A relic coming down to us from that period is the Church of St. Nicolas (late 13th c.), which is the oldest church in Lvov. The highest point of the town is the hill High Castle, where a mediaeval fortress bearing the same name is situated, and from which one can see the whole town with its beautiful churches, cathedrals and other historical monuments.

It is claimed that anyone who has ever been to the Crimea wants to return there again and again. The first written mention of the Crimea occurs in Herodotus' «History». One will be affected by the ruins of ancient Roman, Byzantine and Genoese fortress as well as by the Swallow's Nest, Vorontsov's Palace and Park, Armenian church, to say nothing of its gentle sea and beautiful mountains.