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Ukraine

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Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe and may date back as far as the 5th century A.D. The Golden Gate in Kyiv was reconstructed in 1982 on the site of the city's medieval southern gate. The structure was one of three originally built in 1037 as part of the city's massive fortifications.
The Neo-Renaissance National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv, constructed between 1898 and 1901, boasts one of the largest stages in Europe. Its opera company has acquired an international reputation.
The National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv is named after Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's most famous poet and artist. His bust sits in an alcove over the entranceway.
A view of Maidan Nezalezhnosty (Independence Square) in the center of Kyiv. The huge plaza has been the site of many political protests, the most famous being the Orange Revolution of 2004. During holidays the square is the scene of parades and open air concerts.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was completed in 1037 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The ruler was buried in the church in 1054 in a six-ton marble sarcophagus that still survives. Although the cathedral's exterior was remodeled into the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 17th century, its original Byzantine interior was preserved. In 1990 it became the first Ukrainian monument to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) building in Kyiv is home to Ukraine's 450-member parliament.
The Baroque Saint Andrew's Church in the Podil neighborhood of Kyiv was designed by the famous architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli and constructed between 1747 and 1754. It is reputed to stand on the site where in the first century A.D. Saint Andrew planted a cross and prophesied that a great Christian city would one day rise.
The Troitska Nadbrama Tserkva (Gate Church of the Trinity) sits atop the main entrance to the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. First constructed in 1106-1108, it was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of 1240, but subsequently reconstructed a number of times. It is now decorated in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
Part of the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. Since its founding as a rock-hewn cave monastery in 1015, the site has been a preeminent center of Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe.
Golden-topped domes at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves). This monastery complex is one of the largest in Ukraine with over 20 churches and more than 1,000 meters of caves.
The Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. Originally constructed between 1073 and 1078, it was further enlarged over the subsequent centuries. Destroyed by the Soviet Army in 1941, the cathedral was rebuilt between 1998 and 2000.
Another view of the Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. The unpainted section is meant to show what an earlier version of the church looked like before its 17th-century reconstruction in the Cossack Baroque style.
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