Write@Home
Winter 2015

Homeland

Kyiv at night

Kyiv is the capital and largest city in Ukraine. It is located in the north of Central Ukraine, the administrative center of the Kyiv region, on the banks of the Dnipro River.

Its history goes back more than 1500 years. It is one of the oldest Slavic cities - the capital of the early feudal state Kyivan Rus. One of the centers where early Slavic culture was born was an important component of world civilization.

I moved to Kyiv when I was 17 years old and fell in love with it from the first day. I am proud of this beautiful and majestic city. I firmly believe that Kyiv is an unusual city. The most famous places in Kyiv are the central street Khreshchatyk and Andriiivsky Uzviz but there are so many other beautiful places like the botanic garden, Poshtova Square, and many not so famous but really beautiful places. In Kyiv, life is fast and full of energy. There are many museums, theatres, street festivals, etc. So, you can never be bored and always can find something to do.

Before the war, there were always many tourists in there, who took pictures, bought souvenirs, or simply spoke with the inhabitants of the city. Since Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, everything has changed. Of course, Kyiv was not affected by the bombing like many other cities and was never captured, but the war had a great impact on it as well. Now the city is under curfew and there are many organized defense points and almost no tourists. But I firmly believe that sooner the war ends, the city will bloom again, and thousands of tourists will come and fall in love with our Kyiv.