How old is Kyiv really? Shocking look at the true history of Ukraine's capital

Key questions:

• Was ancient Kyiv located on the hills or down by the Dnipro River in Podil?
• Why is Kyiv called the "Mother of Rus’ cities"?
• Ukraine's capital is not 1,500 years old. When and why was this myth created?
• How was Kyiv built up, and what catastrophe did the Soviet era bring?
• What are the must-see places in Kyiv, and which spots are unknown even to many locals?

Kyiv is not just about the modern era, subways, and coffee shops. This city rises from the depths of centuries - from legends, chronicles, and the remnants of ancient walls still slumbering beneath our feet. So, for Kyiv Day, we asked Nataliia Pinchuk, senior research associate at the Museum of the History of Kyiv, where the ancient roots of our capital are truly hidden - and where to go to see Kyiv in its original form.

The Princely City: Where Kyiv was born

– Where was the historical center of Kyiv located?

– Like other medieval cities, Kyiv consisted of two parts – the upper town or the hill and Podil – the lower part stretching along the Dnipro valley. Some scholars believe that Kyiv began with Podil. Others argue that the upper town was the original settlement. This part is mentioned in chronicles, and it was from the Old Kyiv Hill, where the current estate of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine is located, where our capital took its origin.

Podil was the trade and artisan district of ancient Kyiv. It housed the largest port in the central Dnipro region. A few years ago, the remains of a street from around that period were discovered on Poshtova Square. Hopefully, a museum will be created there one day, and the remains of the ancient city will be preserved.

Natalia Pinchuk, senior research associate at the Museum of the History of Kyiv (Photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

The ceremonial entrance to the upper city was the Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gate), built in the 11th century. There are several theories about the origin of its name. The most likely one is that Kyiv was trying to emulate Constantinople. The name may have been an analogy to the gates of Constantinople, just as Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was named after the one in Constantinople.

Another theory says that a toll of one "zolotyi" (gold coin) was charged for entry, but that is likely a folk tale. A third version suggests there was a gilded church above the gate, which led to the name "Golden Gate."

Chronicles mention that the people of Rus', including the citizens of Kyiv, were baptized in the Pochaina River – a tributary of the Dnipro. According to legend, it disappeared underground in the 13th century, but in fact, it is now partly enclosed in a collector system. The only place where it still surfaces and can be seen is near the current Pochaina metro station.

Beneath our capital lie many more historical treasures and secrets. The Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences is currently conducting excavations both in Kyiv and its surroundings. So, new discoveries await us.

– Where are most of the ancient monuments of Kyiv preserved?

– Ancient Kyiv includes Saint Sophia, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Vydubychi Monastery, the foundation of the Church of the Tithes, and the Zoloti Vorota. These date from the 11th to 12th centuries – the period before the Mongol invasion. At that time, there were very few stone structures, and the wooden ones could not survive, including the famous Kyiv Castle.

– Tell us about the castle.

– Kyiv once belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and had some autonomy. By order of the Grand Duke, a castle was built in the city. In the 14th–16th centuries, it became the largest fortification in the central Dnipro region and served a defensive role, protecting Kyiv from Tatar raids.

The castle housed a princely palace, later the residence of the Kyiv voivodes (governors). It was built on Zamkova Hora (Castle Hill), also known as Kyselivka – named after the last voivode, Kysil.

It was a wooden castle but had quite strong structures. It was destroyed three times and rebuilt twice. However, with the invention of artillery, it lost its significance as it could not withstand the new weaponry.

Drawings of the castle remain, along with many chronicle references, blueprints, descriptions, and memoirs. Thanks to these, it has been reconstructed as a model.

– Why is Kyiv called the "mother of Rus’ cities"?

– This expression comes from the Primary Chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years." Kyiv was the capital of the ancient Rus' state (called differently by various historians) due to its very favorable geographic location – at the crossroads of trade routes. One of the most important was the famous "route from the Varangians to the Greeks," which ran along the Dnipro and connected the northern lands with powerful Byzantium in southern Europe.

The city was a major port on the Dnipro. This strategic location gave Kyiv a boost as a trade and logistics hub. Over time, a state was formed here.

– What legends about ancient Kyiv do you tell your visitors?

– Among all the legends, there are two most famous. The first is about the three founding brothers — Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv — and their sister Lybid. Similar legends exist among other peoples as well; for example, think of Rome and the story of the two brothers who founded the city. But all these stories have some basis and do not arise out of nowhere.

Another famous capital legend is about Andrew the First-Called, who traveled and stopped on the Kyiv hills, spent the night there, and upon waking up looked around and said: "Here will be a great city, and God will build many churches." Now, on this site stands St. Andrew’s Church, which is also a symbol of Kyiv.

– Sometimes you hear that Kyiv is older than Paris and London. Is that true?

– No, of course not. Our capital was formed in the last quarter of the 9th century. Paris was founded even before our era, and London in the 1st century AD.

– So why do they say Kyiv is one and a half thousand years old?

– That’s a Soviet myth. The respected academic Petro Tolochko became the author of a "state order" so that a convenient theory would become the official version. His claim was based on the discovery of a settlement on Starokyivska Hora (Starokyivska Hill), dated to the 5th century AD. Indeed, ceramics and other craft items were found there, and there are mentions of this settlement in foreign chronicles, but it cannot be considered a city.

However, in Soviet times, there was a strong desire to have a significant founding date. Then a million rubles were received from the budget, and the decision about Kyiv’s 1,500th anniversary was made at the UNESCO level, but it was a political decision. As part of this celebration, a lot was done in the city: the Zoloti Vorota was reconstructed, the Mariinsky Palace was restored, and our museum was opened. And this myth about Kyiv’s 1,500 years still circulates.

Traces of different eras: How Kyiv was developed over the centuries

– In Kyiv, ancient monuments coexist with modern buildings. How did the city develop?

– Kyiv’s development happened in several stages. First of all, there is the story of ancient Kyiv — the Lavra, St. Sophia Cathedral, the Vydubychi Monastery cathedral, remains of the Church of the Tithes, the Zoloti Vorota. Then the Baroque period — 18th-century buildings erected on the Lavra and Sophia grounds, some churches built with funds from Hetman Mazepa. This includes the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium and the Mazepa building.

Then the building boom at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when Kyiv turned into a true European capital, and all this happened against the backdrop of capitalist production. Buildings were constructed that were atypical for capital cities of that time: banks, exchanges, palaces of wealthy people, museums, theaters, factories, and industrial buildings.

The central streets started to be paved with cobblestones only at the end of the 19th century. It began with Fundukleivska Street, now Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street. And that old cobblestone still lies near the Franko Theater, while the rest has already been replaced.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the early 1900s (photo from open sources)

Modern Maidan Nezalezhnosti (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

– What can you say about the Soviet period? How did it influence the capital?

– The greatest tragedy for Kyiv during the Soviet era was the destruction of churches in the 1930s. About 70 religious buildings were demolished. Most famous are St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, the Church of the Virgin Pyrohoscha, and the Military St. Nicholas Cathedral.

On the positive side — the construction of the metro. The Cold War influenced the specifics of building the subway and actually served us well during the modern war. These first metro stations built in Soviet times — from Vokzalna to Dnipro — were designed to serve as shelters from a nuclear explosion. They were the deepest and had hermetic doors, toilets, and water sources. And in the current war, they became the first refuge for many Kyiv residents.

Building the metro was the construction project of the century, although many processes were not automated. For example, soil from the Arsenalna station was removed manually with buckets. Builders and metro workers were something like heroes. Some even used this for PR. There is a famous photo of Pavlo Tychyna with a jackhammer in the underground next to workers. School excursions were even taken there.

Khrushchyovkas (the typical Soviet panel houses) — also a positive change, no matter what people say about them now. After all, people were resettled from communal apartments and barracks.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the 1990s (photo from open sources)

Modern Maidan Nezalezhnosti (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

– Which historical district of Kyiv suffers the most from new construction?

– All of them. The protected area covers almost the entire center of Kyiv, but construction is still underway there. For example, Afanasiyivsky Yar, Hoholivska, and Turgenevska Streets — all built up and rebuilt, and nothing remains of their historical appearance.

By the rules, excavations should be carried out on such sites, as was done (albeit hurriedly) on Maidan before construction. But in practice, this rarely happens. If it’s a separate building not designated as a monument, it can simply be demolished, and the site built over. By the way, Maidan itself is often criticized because it lacks an architectural ensemble — each building was designed by a different architect.

European Square and the beginning of Khreshchatyk Street (photo from open sources)
European Square and the beginning of Khreshchatyk Street (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

– Which streets would you recommend to walk along to see the most old buildings?

– Andriivskyi Andriivskyi Descent is rich in such architecture, but it’s already “polished.” It’s worth taking a guided walk around Podil; even Contractova Square has old buildings. But all of this was built after the great fire of 1811, which destroyed the entire wooden Podil. Then it was rebuilt according to William Heste’s design. He divided it into even squares-blocks because before that the streets were crooked and steep.

In the Lypky district, there is less historic architecture, but you can see mini-palaces from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also, the streets Striletska, Reiterska, and those adjacent to Yaroslav’s Val are notable. Until recently, Turgenevska was considered historical as well.

Khreshchatyk Street (photo from open sources)

Khreshchatyk Street (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

About the capital, its symbols, and Kyivans

– When a person visits Kyiv for the first time, what should they see?

– Sophia Cathedral, the Lavra, and then it depends on their tastes. They might visit the city theaters and museums. Everyone wants to walk down Khreshchatyk. But all who come and want to become Kyivans should be interested in the city’s history.

– What notable places do even Kyiv residents often not know about?

– Some locals sometimes don’t even leave their own district. When we took a tour around the Lypky district, many Kyivans discovered these places for themselves. And there are many such locations. Kyiv has the "Kyn Hrust" ("Throw away sadness") Park, which few know about. Once, there were wealthy people’s summer homes there, the most famous being the printer and publisher Stefan Kulzhenko. There were also workshops for city artists. The park was created in the 1970s, but the area has been known since the 18th century.

Also, Kyivans should learn more about the Zvirynets Caves and the Tatarka district, where some streets have no modern development at all.

Funicular (photo from open sources)

Funicular now (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

– Why did chestnut trees become a symbol of the capital?

– Chestnuts appeared long ago at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Originally, gardens and parks were created near monasteries and churches. Chestnuts may have been brought to Kyiv as early as the 15th century; some say even earlier. There’s a known story that chestnuts were planted along Bibiivskyi Boulevard (now Shevchenko Boulevard) but were uprooted overnight because Nicholas I didn’t like them — this turned out to be a myth.

However, memoirs and guidebooks mention many parks in Kyiv. From the early 19th century, Kyiv nobles had private gardens where they even created summer cafes to serve fruits, tea, and sweets for a small price.

– What was a Kyivan 100 years ago?

– Before World War II, there were many Jews, who mostly lived in Podil and were engaged in crafts and trade, while wealthy merchants lived in the Lypky district, which was considered an aristocratic district. It’s worth noting that in the early 20th century, population was recorded not by nationality but by religion. The Orthodox community was the largest, followed by Catholics and Jews with a large gap, and then other confessions.

Podil in the early 1980s (photo from open sources)

Modern Podil (photo: RBC-Ukraine / Vitalii Nosach)

– Who among the notable Kyivans contributed the most to the city’s development?

– The city’s iconic figures are represented in a monument exhibition to emphasize that their memory is honored and lives on for a long time. Among them are: Anthony of Pechersk, Ivan Mykolaichuk, Maria Prymachenko, Mykola Amosov, Viktor Glushkov, and many others. Many were not born in Kyiv, but all lived and created here.