Kyiv
Kyiv, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, was founded in the 5th century approximately at the riverside of the Dnipro River.
In the 9th century Kyiv, under Norman rule, became the center of Kievan Rus, the first state on the lands between Europe and the Great Steppe. The city’s history is long and complicated, the periods of prosperity were followed by periods of decline. Kyiv was a part of Lithuania, Poland, and the Russian Empire.
All those historical twists and cultural diversity have influenced the city’s architecture. You can see the 1000-year-old St.Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv, the Baroque churches of Podil and the Lavra, the classical architecture of St.Volodymyr University, Neogothic and Art Nouveau buildings, etc.
For Yuriy Khymych, Kyiv is a very personal matter. He has been collecting these architectural masterpieces on paper and canvas for most of his life. He created his best art series here – The Architectural Ensemble of St.Sophia Cathedral, The Ancient Podil, the Kyiv Cave Monastery (Pecherska Lavra), and the Vydubychy Monastery. All these treasures are now in danger of destruction because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.’
