... Where a soul can rest. Quiet streets

Shovkovychna Street

In the centre of Kyiv, in the historic neighbourhood of Lypky, near Bankova and Instytutska streets, Shovkovychna Street is located. It appeared on the map in the early 19th century and is notable for the fact that here you can find a number of old houses and unusual buildings that have survived to this day. Among others, those are the Chocolate House, the Arabic House, the Iskul-Hildenbrand House, and more.

The street got its name in honour of the mulberry garden that used to grow in this area. At different times, it had the names of Levashovska Street and Karl Liebknecht Street.

The nearest metro stations are Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Khreshchatyk and Arsenalna.

Liuteranska Street

It is one of the most interesting quiet and uncrowded streets of Kyiv. It still breathes antiquity and legends, cherishing them in wonderful buildings, in amazing courtyards, in the very atmosphere of the place. Here you can see different architectural styles — from Neo-Romanesque style, Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance to Constructivism and modern buildings. Of the 35 buildings on Liuteranska, at least 25 are monuments of history and architecture. Few people know that the original cobblestones have been preserved on the initial stretch of the street, and this is the only such place in the city centre. 

On Liuteranska Street, one can see the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Catherine; the House of the Weeping Widow; Akim Sulima’s Mansion, luxurious at its time, which has turned into a haunted asylum known as ‘Sulymivka’; the street also has the yard where the tobacco factory of Kohen brothers (Solomon and Moses) was located; revenue houses, to which the people of Kyiv gave the names ‘Cream Cake’ and ‘House with Vases’... And definitely, having fulfilled all the necessary conditions, one can make a wish, standing on the carpet strip.

The nearest metro station is Khreshchatyk.

Vozdvyzhenka

In the very heart of Podil, between Landscape Alley, Andriivskyi Descent and Castle Hill, a bright and fabulous, but at the same time quiet and cosy, Kyiv’s residential neighbourhood rests in the Honchary-Kozhumiaky tract. Vozdvyzhenka consists of 4 streets: Vozdvyzhenska, Honcharna, Dihtiarna and Kozhumiatska. 

If you believe a fairy tale from the time of Kyivan Rus, Mykyta Kozhumiaka, endowed with heroic strength, lived near the tract.

This is one of the brightest — in the literal sense of the word — spots on the map of Kyiv. If you look down at the neighbourhood from a bird’s eye view, you will see a stunning landscape created by colourful roofs covered with red, blue, green, brown, lilac or orange tiles. There are also ordinary grey tones, but, taken together, it all looks impressive. All the houses on Vozdvyzhenka are built in the style of Baroque and Kyiv Art Nouveau, with Gothic elements. The same multi-coloured walls of houses add originality and beauty.

The nearest metro station is Kontraktova Ploshcha (Square of Contracts).

Borychiv Tik Street

This street could be found on Kyiv’s maps of the 12th–13th centuries; it was mentioned by Nestor the Chronicker in his chronicles. Borychiv Tik is interesting for its being unusually located on two levels connected by bridges and steps, which lead to houses located much below the upper level of the street. The archaic, one- or two-storey houses of Borychiv Tik are huddled against the hillside.

Here, like nowhere else in Kyiv, you can immerse yourself in the aesthetics of the environment, watch how the colours change with seasons and in different weather conditions. You can trace the play of architectural forms in combination with the relief, contemplate the originality of unique Podil’s churches, which sit firmly below, at the foot of the hill. The Church of the Intercession, with its bell tower and the wall, St. Nicholas (The Kind) Church and Samson Strelbytskyi’s Manor give a feeling of quietness and patriarchy. St. Andrew’s Hill to the right, from which a mysterious church rises, creating a special emotional mood, forms the permanent natural decoration of this street.

The nearest metro station is Kontraktova Ploshcha (Square of Contracts).

Pokrovska Street

This street strikes with several unusual features. First of all, there is no shop or a supermarket, or even a vendor kiosk. There are no cafes, restaurants or other entertainment facilities. Secondly, this is one of the few streets of Podil that has preserved its old arc-shaped shape: as a result of the restoration of Podil after the fire of 1811, most of the streets here became straight. And, thirdly, there are no ‘young’ buildings at all on Pokrovska Street. Wherever you go, you will find an architectural monument with a long history, so the spirit of old Kyiv is felt so well and distinctly here.

The street was named after the Church of the Intercession. Of all the Intercession churches in Kyiv, this church is the oldest. 

The nearest metro station is Kontraktova Ploshcha (Square of Contracts).

Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street

Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street appeared on the map of the city in the thirties of the 19th century, connecting the historic Kudriavets and Lvivska Square with the Lybid Valley. Almost every spot breathes history here. At the beginning of the 20th century, Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street was an important city thoroughfare with mainly mansions and commercial buildings lining its odd-numbered side, and educational institutions lining its even-numbered side; those were: People’s Auditorium, Commercial and Art Schools. One of the city’s first tram routes ran along the street. It was Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street that housed once popular but forever lost Hay Market. The philanthropist and sugar magnate, Lev Brodsky founded a charitable children’s clinic here, and famous Baron Shteingel built the Castle Mansion.

A walk along Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street will immerse one in admiring the architecture of the past, make one feel involved in the history of the city and, of course, one can drink a cup of coffee in one of its cafes.

The nearest metro stations are Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gate), Universytet (University), Vokzalna (Central Railway Station).