Volodymyrska Hill or Saint Volodymyr Hill is a large park located on the steep right-bank of the Dnipro River in central Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Its most famous and prominent landmark is the monument to St. Volodymyr of Kiev. The monument, with its prominent location and overlooking the scenic panorama of the left-bank of Kiev, has since become one of the symbols of Kiev, often depicted in paintings and photographic works of the city.
History
The first historical reference to Volodymyr Hill was in the Primary Chronicles of Kyivan Rus, where it describes Sviatopolk II of Kiev building the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in 1108. The hill, on which the cathedral was built, was a citadel within the ancient part of Kiev, built by and named after Iziaslav I of Kiev. Volodymyrska Hill park was established in the mid-19th century, its name reflecting the monument to St. Volodymyr of Kiev which was erected in 1853 in the park. Volodymyrska Hill originally only referred to a park located at the highest and middle terraces of the historic St. Michael's Hill, which was named after St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral and Monastery. However, the name "St. Michael's Hill" went into decline after destruction of the cathedral and the renaming of local streets by the Soviet regime in the 1930s. Construction of the terraces as they appear today started in the 1840s. Volodymyrska Hill park became the first free-of-charge public park in Kiev.
Other landmarks
In 1902 at the upper part of the terrace next to Saint Alexander's Church, a pavilion with a Golgotha panorama was opened, though this was destroyed in 1935 by the Soviet regime. A street which passes through the park's hilly landscape on the eastern side is the cobblestoneSaint Volodymyr Descent. At the park's northern end, the Kiev Funicular serves as a transport connection between Kiev's Upper Town neighborhood and the historic commercial district of Podil. As an alternative to the funicular, and adjoining it, is a long staircase. Across the funicular tracks to the north a park zone extends onto the Old Kyiv Hill which separates the Upper city from the Lower city. Ukrainian House is located near the park's southern border by the Three Saints Street. In the same vicinity is located the Institute of Philosophy. A feature of the park is a wrought-iron gazebo which was installed in 1899 through the sponsorship of a rich Moscow merchant and oil magnate Vasiliy Kokorev who was very much impressed by Kiev's beauty. This gazebo soon became the favorite spot of meetings and rendezvous.
