Ukraine Kyiv

Kyiv is Ukraine’s capital and the seventh largest city in Europe, a city that was founded in the 5th century AD and spread East Slavic civilization all over the world. Its skyline is dominated with the ornate towers of its historic churches, like the baroque St. Andrew’s. Winding down the slope below St. Andrew’s is Andriyivski Uzviz, one of the oldest and most picturesque parts of Kyiv, lined with galleries, museums, shops, and cafés. Make your way to Independence Square, a huge open square with the Independence Monument at its center, where the Orange Revolution took place.

A must-see for anyone interested in history is the Motherland monument, a 200-foot statue raising a shield and sword to the sky as a memorial to Ukrainian lives lost in the name of the Soviet Union. The statue overlooks the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, a fascinating complex that teaches visitors everything there is to know about Ukraine’s complicated and difficult role in the German-Soviet War.