Kiev

Kiev is one of the oldest cities of the world. It was founded in the era of the formation of the Slavic nation, and it has become an influential and powerful political center of ancient Rus within a couple of hundred years. The first settlements on the territory of Kiev were formed from 1500 to 2000 years ago. The beautiful old legend about the foundation of Kyiv tells about the three brothers - Kiy, Shchek, and Khoriv and their sister Lybid, who sailing down the Dnieper River saw green banks and thought that this place would be perfect for a new city.  They named it Kyiv in honor of the oldest brother. City of Kiev has played an important role in the history of the world. Kiev has made a great contribution to the spiritual, political and cultural life of the Slavic nation and to humanity on the planet in general.
The rapid development of the city was during the reign of Volodymyr the Great. Christianity was adopted as the state religion by Prince Volodymyr in 988. This has affected the international political situation. The result is a rapid development of writing and culture of the nation.
Kyiv became the largest Christian city during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. He ordered about 400 churches to be built, including the famous St. Sofia’s Cathedral, the first library. Kyiv had 50 thousand inhabitants at the time. It could be compared with big well-known cities. Less than 20 thousand people lived in London, Novorossiysk, Hamburg at that time.
In 1648 the Ukrainian people began fighting with the invaders. Ukrainian leader was a famous Ukrainian Cossack Bohdan Khmelnitsky. After years of war he asked the Russian King for military support. The alliance between Russia and Ukraine was signed in 1654 in Pereyaslav
The Soviet Union was founded in 1922. The Ukrainian Soviet Republic was part of The Union.During the years of the Soviet government the spiritual heart of Kiev was destroyed. In the 1930s most churches were closed or destroyed; the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was blown up. All the historical and cultural values were removed from museums.
Nowadays Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and attracts visitors all over the world. It is also a modern city. You can feel a spirit of ancient history on the streets of Kiev. From mouth to mouth, from generation to generation the history of Kiev is transferred to the Ukrainian people. Kiev is the eternal city,  ‘Rome of the North’, a city without drawbacks.