Explore the streets of Kyiv from the perspective of the Soviet heritage on a private guided tour. See the best examples of Soviet architecture, from the governmental buildings in Stalin baroque style to the typical budget residential blocks, known as “khruschvhevkas”.
Start the tour from Khreschatyk, the central street of Kyiv. It was blown up by the secret soviet service NKVD in the first days of Nazi occupation in 1941 and rebuilt in the early 1950s in a Stalin baroque style. Khreschatyk is the shortest main street among European capitals and at the end of it you will see the former Lenin museum. Today it is the Ukrainian House, a venue for different cultural events.
Just a few hundred meters aside, there is the Arch of Friendship of Nations between Ukrainians and Russians, which reminds a rainbow. Following the latest political events, it bears a symbolic crack on the surface.
Continue the tour and explore Lypky quarter, where all governmental buildings are located. They all date back to Soviet times: the Cabinet of Ministers, the Seat of President and Parliament were built in the 1930s and represent a wonderful example of communist architecture, with the sole aim to impress the foreigners.
The highlight of the tour is a visit of the Museum of World War II, located in the podium of the massive 10 meter tall statue of the Motherland.
Moreover, you will have a chance to visit some old residential districts on the left bank of Kyiv, where in the early 1960s the communist party started building numerous low-cost residential blocks.