My Kiev
By Elena Dehtyar
Kiev. This beautiful city, the capital of the Ukraine,
is situated on the banks of the Dnieper river.
Kiev was founded more than 1500 years ago. An old
legend tells us, that there were three brothers, Kij,
Shchek and Khoriv, who built the first settlement there
on the hills near the river and named it Kiev in honour
of their eldest brother. The hills, where the brothers
lived, were named Shchekovitsa and Khorevitsa and a small
river the Lybid nearby was given its name from their
beautiful sister.
It is interesting, that the oldest signs of ancient
people in the Ukraine were found by chance deep in the
ground right in the center of Kiev. The finds included
bones of mammoths along with ancient stone tools. These
artifacts are more than 30 thousand years old and can be
found in the museums in Kiev.
Did you know that Kiev was the capital of Kievan Rus
-- the oldest state in the IX-XIII century, which united
the East Slavic peoples in one state? It included parts
of the territories of modern Russia, Ukraine and
Bylerussia. That's why Kiev is known as "the mother of
the Russian towns."
When you visit Kiev, which currently has a population
of nearly three million people, you will fall in love
with it, because this city is so beautiful. Kiev has many
parks, old churches, where interiors were painted by
famous artists, interesting nature museums and many
museums of history and art. In the Museum of
Microminiatures you will find . . . a flea with a golden
shoe and a book of poetry, which can only be read with a
microscope. These and many other objects of this
fascinating exhibition were made by the Ukrainian master
of miniatures.
You will want to visit Kiev-Pechery Lavra, an old
monastery founded in 1051 by two monks Antoniy and
Feodosiy in natural caves. Part of this area is open for
visitors. A monk may conduct you to the caves, where
monks lived hundreds of years ago. You will have to take
a long walk through the dark labyrinthes of caves
carrying a candle. You will see there the mummified
remains of the monks and saints. There are also many
interesting museums and old beautiful churches in Lavra.
Kreshchatik is the main street in Kiev with many
beautiful stores, fountains and buildings. Chestnut trees
are planted all along the street. The Chestnut tree is
the symbol of Kiev. In the spring Kiev is in blossom and
it is especially beautiful.
Kiev has an ancient history, but despite its age in
years, it is still a young and a vibrant city. it is
beloved by the Ukrainians, and you will fall in love with
it too.
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