5 things I love

1. The Great Fatherland War Memorial Complex:

Ukraine was in many ways the decisive battleground of WWII, and can also claim to have been both the biggest victim and the biggest winner from the conflict. The country was earmarked to serve as the industrial and agricultural treasure trove for Hitler’s fabled Lebensraum empire in the east, and it saw some of the heaviest fighting as the prioritized southern flank of Barbarossa pushed across the entire length of Ukraine before reaching its doom at Stalingrad. Caught between Stalin and Hitler, Ukraine is thought to have lost around 10 million people in the conflict, while the territory annexed to Soviet Ukraine after the war made it the largest country in Europe – a title Ukraine still holds. However, the subject of WWII remains hugely controversial in Kiev and continues to play a major role in Ukrainian politics to this day. With this in mind it is perhaps only fitting that Kiev should be home to one of the Soviet Union’s most impressive war memorials, and the Ukrainian capital’s museum complex is one of the most superb examples of Soviet monumentalism in existence. The museum itself is set in sculptured parkland dissected by alleyways of eternal Soviet glory that depict the long, hard struggle against Nazi tyranny. It occupies two floors of exhibition halls which sit in the giant pyramidal base of the iconic Iron Lady monument – a structure which stands just one meter shorter than New York’s Statue of Liberty, looking out across the ancient Dnipro River. The highlight of the entire complex is the glass-walled white marble memorial hall which stands directly beneath the giant feet of the Iron Lady. This heaven-like vault features a roll call of martyrs etched into the marble walls and is adorned with pseudo-religious mosaics in what is a brilliant example of Orthodoxy-inspired Soviet WWII iconography.

2. Truhaniv Island:

Kiev is one of the biggest cities in Eastern Europe and yet you can still find yourself in a total wilderness right in the geographical heart of the city. Linked to the very centre of bustling Kiev via a majestic pedestrian bridge, Truhaniv Island is one of a number of inland isles formed by the breaking of the Dnipro River. The island is lined by sandy beaches while the interior is largely undeveloped and remains covered in woodland. This is the kind of place where couples come for intimacy and evidence of more nefarious activities ranging from drug abuse to devil worship is also in plentiful supply. Nevertheless, it remains an essential Kiev experience and will help guests understand why the Ukrainian capital has managed to maintain such a friendly, small town vibe

3. PinchukArtCentre:

This funky modern art magnet is a very deliberate five-storey attempt by billionaire owner and local oligarch Vitkor Pinchuk to promote contemporary art to Ukrainian audiences while boosting his own credentials as an art patron of global proportions and a general Renaissance man. The centre has proven hugely popular with Kievites and guests alike since its opening in 2007, with hits including the biggest ever Damien Hirst retrospective, which ran throughout summer 2009. Expect to find plenty of pretension on display here as weekend visitors from Ukraine’s regional capitals overdress to impress in typical style

4. Gydropark:

Situated on another of Kiev’s city centre islands, this parade of kiosks and tacky neon-glow drinking dens is still one of the best old school Kiev venues which continues to offer a taste of the unpretentious social climate of the early 1990s before everyone adopted the habits and tastes of their modern European neighbours. The result is a garish and crass but nevertheless strangely innocent and engaging ambience. However, if you decide to ‘go native’ down at Gydropark you are strongly advised not to indulge in the vodka shots which will likely be proffered by enthusiastic new-found bar friends – especially with the river so close! Hundreds drown each year – you have been warned.             

5. Besarabka Market:

Shopping in a surgically clean and strategically structured supermarket might well be cheap and efficient, but it pales in comparison to the more complete shopping experience of Ukraine’s most colourful marketplace. You will pay more here at this downtown market hall then you might at any of the regional bazaars, but you will also be treated to a feast for all the senses as you sample fresh dairy produce and succulent cold meats, dried fruits from Central Asia, caviar from the Caspian Sea and dazzling arrays of flowers nurtured to fresh perfection in Ukraine’s famed black earth. Everything is offered up with a wink and a smile as the jovial stallholders join in the daily theatre with their flashing gold-toothed smiles and their well-worn comedy English.

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