Summer in Kyiv

Hello there!

I owe my friend a walk. In addition, there was a good occasion - The Day of the city of Kyiv. She is rare in downtown, even less often than I am. It was a nice and sunny Sunday, so we walked quite a lot.

Kyiv is located on hills. You need comfy shoes if you want to feel comfortable during your long walk.

We started from the square near St. Michael's Cathedral. It looks deserted in my photos but there were a few people in fact.

Even a film crew.

We proceeded along the monastery's wall. It is turned into a memorial to all Ukrainian defenders who were killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion, i.e. since 2014.

Then we entered this arch, passed the monastery's garden and found ourselves in the park with shadowy alleys and a gazebo with an awesome view. I photographed them many times, so just skip this part today. 😊

There were many small events all around the city. We walked along the glass bridge. The townspeople call it the Klitschko bridge. Now it is also known and the bridge that survived the hit of the Russian missile. The bridge is made of steel from AzovStal - the plant in Maruipol where the best Ukrainian soldiers held their last defense until President Zelenskyi (also the Supreme Commander) gave the order to surrender. Then they were promised a quick release from captivity, but the Russians were not going to fulfill the promise. Until now, about 2,000 defenders of Mariupol are in russian captivity.

The bridge connects the Volodymyr Hill and the creation of the Soviet times called the Arch of Friendship of Peoples. Society still cannot agree on the future of this arch. But the monument under it has already been dismantled. Finally.

A boxing ring was set up on the square, and the fight was held.

They also organized an exhibition of the best entries in the competition of drawings about the war. Some were worth a while of viewing and reflecting...

The fan zone wasn't crowded.

We used to see music performances and shows here, but wartime isn't the best time for it for moral, ethical and security reasons.

A new art object appeared on the flower bed near the Philharmonic. While I was taking photos, a stranger approached us and asked if we knew how to take photos of it properly. First, we thought he was one of those pestering the girls in the street. But the man turned out to be the head of the project and shared its meaning and the story with us! Moreover, I got a proper photo with him! 😉

The girl (aka Ukraine) is holding an umbrella (of NATO defense) over a city. The umbrella is made of camouflage netting. This art sends two messages. The first is that Ukraine needs and asks for NATO protection. The second is that Ukraine de facto is already protecting NATO countries, being on the front lines.

The sculptural composition "Ukrainian Girl under the NATO umbrella" was recently created for the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Now down to the river!

The building of the river station looks like a big ship parked along the river bank. This is **Poshtova Square" (Postal Square). The name origins from the post station that was here in the past.

This is one of the oldest squares in Kyiv. And it is always crowded.

In 2015, during the restoration of the square, archaeologists found underground a street from the time of Rus, fragments of buildings and old stockades. The found artifacts belong to approximately the XI-XIII centuries. In 2017, excavations stopped due to lack of funding. During the archaeological work, it was possible to go deeper by 5 m; "princely seals, weapons, jewelry, seeds, remains of animals and even people" were discovered.^(wiki)

Sculptures of the founders of Kyiv, three brothers and a sister, dressed in the traditional clothes of the ancient Slavs in honor of the holiday. Braided wreaths decorate their heads. The circle under their feet is the map of Kyiv.

View of the pedestrian bridge, which connects the right bank of the Dnipro River and Trukhaniv Island. Another popular place for walking among locals. There are nice sand beaches on the island with a charming cityscape view.

The river station, or river port.

Post stamps at the Postal Square. 🙂