Yaroslaviv Val Street lies in the heart of Kyiv, running over the crown of one of the Ukrainian capital’s central hills. A center of cultural heritage, it is a favorite haunt for locals and visitors.
Even with a few modern buildings added into the architectural mix, Yaroslaviv Val Street gives its visitors a glimpse of how Kyiv looked some 100 years ago.
However, the origins of the street lie far further back in time. The name of Yaroslaviv Val means in Ukrainian “the rampart of Yaroslav.” It lies where the fortified wall that defended ancient Kyiv once stood, marking the boundary of the old city. However, in modern times, the edges of the city are now far away.
The old city wall was built in the early 11th century, when Kyiv was ruled by one of the greatest Kyivan Rus kings, Yaroslav the Wise, whose reign lasted from 1019 to 1054. The street, like the ancient rampart once did, begins at Zoloti Vorota or the Golden Gate of Kyiv, now a reconstructed architectural monument. The street leads off from here toward Lvivska Square, named after the city’s Lviv Gate, which stood in the 17th and 18th centuries.
When the last parts of the old castle were demolished in the 19th century, the street was named Velyka Pidvalna, meaning “the big street under the rampart.”
During Soviet times it was renamed Voroshylova Street — after a Soviet military officer Kliment Voroshylov. Later, its name was changed to Polupanova Street — after the first Soviet commandant of Kyiv, Andriy Polupanov.
Then: The three-story building at 1 Yaroslaviv Val St. was built by landloard Mykhailo Podgorsky in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, when this picture was taken, it hosted a cinema on the first floor, as well as the editorial office of a local newspaper. (Courtesy)
Now: People walk past the house of Podgorsky in Kyiv on May 15. The building is currently closed for rennovation. (Volodymyr Petrov)
In 1977, the street was renamed Yaroslaviv Val Street, and at the same time a monument to King Yaroslav the Wise was erected near Zoloti Vorota. Narrow and cozy, the street is now home to the Radisson Blu hotel, French bakery Paul, wine bar Malevich, the famous Yaroslava café with its traditional Ukrainian cuisine, and more.
Then: This is how the park near Zoloti Vorota, or the Golden Gate of Kyiv, now a reconstructed architectural monument, looked in the early 20th century. (Central State Film, Photo and Sound Archive of Ukraine)
Now: People walk past the Golden Gate of Kyiv, located right in front of the Zoloti Vorota metro station in Kyiv on May 15. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Transformations
While surrounding streets and squares underwent extensive development during Soviet times, Yaroslaviv Val Street has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. Many of its buildings have fascinating stories, or have become the subjects of intriguing legends.
At the beginning of the 19th century, as the fortress was demolished, this area of Kyiv lost its value as a military-administrative center and became a quiet, residential neighborhood. At that time, there were only a few, mostly wooden buildings there. Each house had an attached land plot for a kitchen garden and an orchard.
However, in the 1830s, the city plan was revised, and Yaroslaviv Val Street became a site for new development and construction.
According to the general plan of Kyiv produced in 1861, Yaroslaviv Val Street was to be a secondary
street. This meant that houses could be built not only of brick, but also with other materials, including wood, stone and metal.
Then: The building at 21/20 Yaroslaviv Val St. was built in the early 20th century as a revenue house, an apartment building that could be rented out. (Central State Film, Photo and Sound Archive of Ukraine)
Now: People walk past the Boulangerie cafe that is now located in the building, along with other stores, and apartments. (Volodymyr Petrov)
For a long time, though, the buildings of the street remained low-rise and mostly made of wood. They
were often widely spaced, with gardens on the land plots, as well as additional household buildings.
But at the end of the 19th century this began to change dramatically. The low-rise wooden residential and commercial buildings quickly disappeared. Economic factors, like the development of industry and trade, as well as the growth of population in Kyiv soon transformed the street.
As the value of the land on the site increased, it became commercially profitable to construct housing for rent. And with the accompanying development of construction technology, it became cheaper for the land owners to build multi-story apartment buildings that could be rented out — so called “revenue
houses.”
The residential house at 38 Yaroslaviv Val St. was built in the late 20th century. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Old houses
One of these revenue houses is the three-story building standing at 1 Yaroslaviv Val St.— the house of Podgorsky, built by landlord Mykhailo Podgorsky. Some even refer to it as a castle, because of the building’s Gothic architecture and the high steeple on the roof, which resembles a fairytale castle tower.
Constructed in the 19th century as an apartment building, in the 20th century it hosted a cinema on the first floor, as well as the editorial office of a local newspaper. During Soviet times, the building was nationalized and was used as a communal flat. Currently, the building is closed for renovation.
The house of Podgorsky is often mistakenly called “the baron’s house” or “Shtengel’s house.” However, Shtengel’s house is actually the house located next to Podgrosky’s, at 3 Yaroslaviv Val Street. The house, which has recently housed the Indian embassy, is the former manor house of Baron Maksym Shtengel, a member of an old aristocratic family. The baron lived there in the late
19th century until the beginning of the 20th century. Shtengel was a winemaker, and his wine used to be quite popular among Kyiv residents.
One of the most interesting buildings on Yaroslaviv Val Street is No. 7. Designed by the renowned architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi and built in the early 19th century in the Moorish style, it first served as a kenesa, or a Karaite synagogue. During the Soviet era, the building was used by various educational institutions.
From 1981 until today it has served as the city’s Actor’s House, hosting concerts, theatrical shows, literature readings, and more. Another modern theatrical venue located on this street is the National
Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatrical Arts at 40 Yaroslaviv Val.
Then: At the beginning of the 20th century, the prominent Ukrainian modernist writer Oleksa Vlyzko lived in the building at 22 Yaroslaviv Val St.
Now: Radisson Blu Hotel has been welcoming guests from all over the world here since 2005. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Famous residents
Yaroslaviv Val is also known for having been home to a number of notable figures from the arts, and
from the aristocracy. For instance, the prominent Ukrainian modernist writer Oleksa Vlyzko lived in building No. 22 at the beginning of the 20th century. Later the house was the main office for a Kyiv association of educational and cultural figures. In the 21st century, the building was renovated, and since 2005 it has housed the Radisson Blu Hotel, welcoming guests from all over the world.
Another interesting location is building No. 15. There, in the yard, can be found a partially ruined
three-story house, which was once the home of the famous aircraft designer Ihor Sikorsky. The Sikorsky family lived on the first floor of the building, while the upper two stories housed an educational institution.
