Day 18: The Great, Golden Gate of Kiev

We took the metro into downtown and began walking about the city.  During some hasty travel research earlier in the trip, I found that the majority of the attractions were located along the Dniper River, whether it be the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Great Patriotic War Museum, or the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Quite by accident we stumbled upon this – the Golden Gate of Kiev (known for a time as the Great Gate of Kiev, also as the Southern Gate).  To alleviate some confusion, the “Great Gate of Kiev” (Movement No. 10 from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”) was actually a sketch for a redesign of Kiev’s gate’s to commemorate Tsar Alexander II’s narrow escape from an assassination attempt in 1866).  The Golden Gate of Kiev was originally built sometime in the early 11th Century by Yaroslav the Wise and survived the Mongol capture of the city in 1240 though it gradually fell into a state of disrepair and ruin over the centuries.

The gates were reconstructed by the Soviets in 1982 (to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of Kiev) leading to its present form (there is also a museum integrated into the walls).  As with many ancient European cities, this section of the wall and gate is surrounded by otherwise nondescript apartment buildings and shops.

Dad at the Great Gate.	A statue of Yaroslav the Wise next to the gate.  During his reign, he sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral, shown in his hands.