Kreschatik street
Russian-language article (translation in progress).
Unfortunately, lots of the buildings of the 19th and early 20th centuries were destroyed during World War II. That means much of the modern look of Kreschatick consists of buildings of the 1950s made in the so-called Stalin style. The buildings have monument-like looks, decorated with lots of sculptures, small towers, columns, frontons and pylons. The offices of the city government and city council are in one of the buildings.
In 1995 the Kiev insignia, which features the image of Archangel Michael, was placed over the entrance of the building. Saint Michael was a Kiev patron in ancient times.
The main square of the city - Maidan Nezalezhnosti - has been reconstructed several times, the last time in the summer of 2001. It has now acquired a European look.
The most modern building on the street is the Ukrainian House - the concert and exhibition centre.
The main street of Kiev isn't very long - it runs about 1.2 kilometres - but it is the most attractive for tourists as well as Kiev inhabitants. On weekends, Kreschatik is closed to traffic, making it the real heart of city entertainment, pleasure and relaxation.