On June 4, 1957, Kostyantyn Shamshyn, photo correspondent of Radio-Telegraph Agency of Ukraine, walked through sunny Volodymyrska Hill Park and captured a historic moment: Construction of the only pedestrian bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv.Later the same year, the Park Pedestrian Bridge was opened, connecting the right bank of the river with a resort area on Trukhaniv island.
The photograph of Volodymyrska Hill was taken on June 4, 1957, by Kostyantyn Shamshyn. This is a courtesy photo of the Central State CinePhotoPhono Archives of Hordiy Pshenychniy in Ukraine.
The photograph of the modern view of the same area was taken by Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna.
The historical importance of the moment is strengthened by the artist whom Shamshyn frequently put into his focus. The unknown artist is captured by the photographer, along with a girl and two men on a bench who are watching the artist. They were all thoughtful witnesses to how metal construction appeared to change the river’s virgin landscape.
Only few years later, the left bank of the Dnipro River started developing, changing the look of the nation’s most powerful river. In early 1960s, Rusanivka district started developing on the artificially created sand island close to the left bank of the Dnipro. In 1970s, north of Rusanivka, Livoberezhniy district was constructed. The place is known now by Livoberezhna metro station, Intourist hotel and Ukrtelefilm studio. In addition, lush trees grew up on the top of the hill, obscuring the view of the Dnipro.
Now Volodymyrska Hill remains one of the most favorite parks and tourist spots in Kyiv. The place got its name after 1853, when the monument to Volodymyr the Great, prince of Kyivan Rus, was opened there. The monument was raised just above the place where Prince Volodymyr baptized Kyivans. The christening – and the medieval empire’s move to Christianity — happened in the waters of one of the Dnipro’s branches in 988.
A bronze statue of 4.4 meters in height, depicting the baptizer of Kyivan Rus with a cross in his right hand and a prince’s hat in the left, was poured in Saint-Petersburg, in a studio of famous Russian sculptor Peter Clodt. The statue was put on a 16-meter foundation that was decorated by Vasyl Demut-Malynovskiy, a Russian sculptor of Ukrainian origin. Konstantin Thon became the architect of the monument.
It took as long as 10 years until the monument to Prince Volodymyr was finally raised, partly because the Orthodox Church came out against it. Kyiv’s Metropolitan, the spiritual leader, called it ridiculous to raise an idol for a person. But the church softened its position and Kyiv got a monument which quickly became a symbol of the city.
Lots of pictures near Kyiv’s oldest monument were taken since then, but the one by Shamshyn is truly one of the most vivid and expressive.
Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna can be reached at [email protected].
