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What to see Legendary stadiums Dynamo Stadium C-4/5, I-2,
M.Hrushevskoho 3, M Maidan Nezalezhnosti, tel. (+380) 44 279 02 09. After passing through the white columns you’ll come to a m onum en t h onouring the life of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Dynamo’s famous coach who died in May 2002. Lobanovskyi won countless Soviet leagues and cups first as a player and then as coach, not to his mention his team’s two European Cup-Winners Cup triumphs and a string of Ukrainian titles. It’s ironic that he can now only be seen sitting still on a bench, because his habit was always to rock back and forth between games. An even more poignant memorial is located closer to the stadium and to the left: depicted in stern granite are the four Dynamo players who were killed by occupying Nazis during WWII. Contrary to Soviet myth and many published materials, these players were not shot in their uniforms immediately after defeating a German side in a so-called ‘Death Match’. However, their team Start (consisting of players from Dynamo and other Soviet clubs) did defeat a team of German soldiers called Flakelf in August 1942 - in fact they did it twice in 72 hours by scores of 5-1 and 5-3. Only weeks later were N.Korotkykh, N.Trusevich, A.Klimenko and I.Kuzmenko arrested. Korotkykh, a NKVD (the precursor to the KGB) agent, was tortured and soon died, while the other three were executed in Febraury 1943 at the Syrets death camp. Regardless, the less-romanticized reality shouldn’t take away from the players’ heroism, embodied when they ignored orders and refused to give a Nazi salute prior to their last game.
NSC Olimpiyskiy A-6, Velyka
Vasylkivska 55, M Olimpiyska, tel. (+380) 44 590 66 96, excursion@nscolimpiyskiy.com. ua, w w w.nscolimpiyskiy.com. ua. This is a multifunctional sport arena which holds sp or t, cul tural, business, and many other events. It is the prime venue in Ukraine and the 8th largest football stadium in the world with a total capacity of 83,450. The stadium was founded in 1923 and named after Lev Trotsky. During its almost 90 years history the stadium has been renamed 10 times. The last reconstruction works lasted over 3 years and gave the stadium its modern and incredible appearance. The official opening took place on 11 October, 2011. In June 2012 the Stadium hosted matches of the European Football championship including the final game between Spain and Italy on 1 July, 2012. Apart from sport events, NSC Olimpiyskiy provides conference & banqueting facilities, catering, corporate & wedding photo shoot services.
Kyiv In Your Pocket
“Ravine of Women”, named so after the women who would visit soldiers stationed at this former lonely outpost of the Kyiv Russ. In 1943, 32,000 Jews were taken here by Nazi soldiers, shot, and pushed by a bulldozer into the shallow ravine. The number of people killed there equals approximately one-third of the entire Jewish community of Kyiv today, and the park is located within the city where the victims lived. The largest of the two memorials at the site is actually in the wrong place. After its construction, the sculptor built a small memorial where the people had actually been shot. There are plans to create a museum and larger monument at Baba Yar, funded by various Jewish organisations from around the world. Synagogue on Podyl D-1, Schekavyts’ka 19, M Kontraktova Poscha. This synagogue was built in 1895 despite severe anti-Semitic oppression prevalent at the time. Local architect Nicolay Gardenik designed the synagogue, which had to be officially declared a private residence in order to avoid problems with authorities. The decision to build was made by the famous Kyiv patron of the arts Gabriel Jacob Rosenberg and Rabbi Yevsey Zuckerman, and was built for the parishioners of 12 small Jewish meeting houses in Podil. In 1929 the building was nationalised and given to a small producers union. The structure survived World War II and reopened as a synagogue. It remained the city’s only working synagogue until 2000. Central Synagogue A-5, Shota Rustaveli 13, M Palats Sportu. The Central Synagogue was built in 1898 by eminent Kyiv philanthropist Lazar Brodsky. This striking architectural monument served as a Jewish religious centre for nearly thirty years until it was seized by the Soviet Union in 1926. For a short time it hosted a handicraft club, after which it was turned into a doll theatre. During the Nazi occupation, Germans used the synagogue as a stable for Wermacht horses. The building was returned to the Jewish community after the fall of the Soviet Union. Despite the serious damage that resulted from 70 years of neglect, the hall was immediately opened to parishioners. Today a number of Jewish educational, religious and cultural programs are held here. The Museum of Jewish Heritage is also housed within, and displays ancient books, candelabras, Menorahs and bas-reliefs. Karaite Kenassa B-3, Yaroslaviv Val 7, M Zoloti Vorota. This century-old building belongs to Kyiv Karaites, the Jewish religious communion who lives according to the Old Testament and not the Talmud. A prominent Kyiv architect, Horodetsky, designed the building for Solomon Kohan, a tobacco magnate and the head of the Karaite communion. It was opened in 1902. Elio Zola, an Italian architect, fashioned the interiors with imitation antique stone carving. He used the newest and most expensive material available at the time, cement. The building had the latest amenities: electricity, central heating and ventilation. During Soviet times the building was partially destroyed and it lost its dome. Now it serves as a House of Artists and hosts various cultural events. Babyi Yar E-1, M Dorogozhychy. The darkest page in the history of Kyiv’s Jewish community was written during World War II. Nazi Germany invaded Ukraine in June of 1941 and occupied Kyiv by September. On September 29, Nazi commanders ordered all Jews to meet on Dehtyarivs’ka street. At the time, a train station happened to be nearby and people naively assumed they were being deported. Almost to a man, the city’s Jews obeyed the order, and were systematically marched off to Babyi Yar, a deep ravine in the woods. As the procession neared the edge of the city, naivety turned to terror. Like livestock through slaughterhouse gates, the crowd was funnelled between rows of armed German soldiers. Stripped of their possessions and human dignity, men, women and children were lined up against the edge of the ravine and shot. Thirty-two thousand Jews were murdered in the massacre of September 29-30. Altogether 100,000 people were executed at Babyi Yar during the German occupation. The few survivors were later star witnesses at the Nuremberg Trials. After the war the ravine was filled with soil, and now Babyi Yar is a park with a number of stirring monuments devoted to those who perished.
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