Today, Verkhniy and Nyzhniy Val streets form an important transport artery connecting Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street with Hlybochytska and Vozdvyzhenka. And before the great fire of 1811, there were earthen ramparts in their place, dividing the area into Podilska and Ploska. The Hlybochytsa River flowed between the ramparts, which is now hidden in an underground collector.

The uniqueness of Verkhniy Val and Nyzhniy Val streets, which have a boulevard alley in the middle, lies in the fact that the even and odd sides have different names. Most of the buildings were built in the first half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. They were mostly residential buildings with commercial premises on the first floors. The most famous building on the street is one of the oldest markets in the capital, known since the times of Kyivan Rus - Zhytniy Market, the new covered building of which was opened in 1980.