Maidan Nezalezhnosti

Ladies, gentleman and horses. Welcome to Maidan Nezalezhosti, the Independence Square, the place where everything important to Kyiv and Ukraine has started.

This is the square where you can see the monument of three brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and their sister Lybid. According to the Primary Chronicle, they were the founders of the medieval city of Kyiv.

It is also a place where the Revolution on Granite has started in 1990 and lead to Ukrainian Independence in 1991.



It is the place where under the Lach Gates (meaning Polish Gate), another remaining from the medieval times, the Orange Revolution started in 2004.

And this is the place where the last revolution, the Euromaidan errupted and run to the successful changes.

Just under the 61 meter high Independence Monument everyone can read and recall what was happening here in January and February 2014.

With the pictures you can easily imagine the dramaturgy and determination of the people fighting for their freedom.

Unfortunately over 100 fighters perished. One of the first ones was Serhiy Nigoyan, depicted now on a mural on of the nearby buildings.

Altogether 130 people lost their lives, including 112 civilians. They are called the Heaven's Hundred.

Fortunately the freedom won and today there is also a place to celebrate the Love on the Maidan. This is the emotion that we all should feel leaving this place.

Kyiv

Today I would like to show you the capital of country that is really large but only recently appeared on the map of Europe. Ladies, gentleman and horses - welcome to Kyiv.

Let's start at at the Golden Gate, the same place where, according to the legend, the Polish King Boleslaw I the Brave, used his sacred sword Szczerbiec for the first time Szczerbiec takes his name from a notch that was supposed to be chipped when the king has hit the gate.

But in fact the Golden Gate was constructed only 19 years after Boleslaw made efforts to support his son-in-law, Sviatopolk I of Kiev, in keeping Kyiv's throne. 

His effort was only successful as long as he was in Kyiv's with his army. When he has left, Yaroslaw the Wise has defeated his older brother. During his long-lasting reign, Kievan Rus' reached the zenith of its cultural bloom and military power. You can admire his monument in front of The Gate.

Kyiv has in fact one more Golden Gate. The other one is modern. In fact it is the entrance to the metro station taking its name from the medieval building.

Although the entrance might not seem impressive, the surrounding modern buildings are almost as impressive as the former city entrance.

Another interesting building nearby is the National Opera House of Ukraine. As most of the best buildings in the Ukraine's capital it is called after the poet Taras Shevchenko. It was built in classical style, similar in style to the Opera house of Lviv that we have seen last year.

Just next to the Opera House you can admire the monument of Mykola Vitaliyovych Lysenko, an Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist.

Behind him you can admire some very nice residential buildings. I would expect that you would have to be a rockstar to afford an appartment in one of them.

And here you can see the other side of the Opera House.

Speaking of rockstars, I am sure that there are quite a few really wealthy people in the city. Just on the other side of the street (yes, the Opera House reflection is visible in the windows) you can buy a Rolls-Royce to come to the opera with proper splendor.

Those who cannot afford a luxury car can always bring some gold to their life through street decorations.

Next week I will show you where Kyiv's name orignates from and its best buildings according to Unesco.

Old Town of Toruń

We will visit today yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Poland - the medieval Old Town of Toruń.

The city plan still looks like it did centuries ago.

The heart of the Old Town is of course around the Town Hall. Next to it you will quickly notice a monument devoted to the most famous inhabitant of the city - the astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus).

It is not the only monument on the square. This fiddler seems to be entertaining frogs. Actually this is a personification of a legend. Centuries ago, frogs have literally invaded Toruń. There was no way to get rid of them. Until a poor lighterman came to the city, playing his woodel violin to make some money. The frogs were enchanted by his music and followed him out of the city walls into a large pond, never to return.

It is possible to climb up the clock tower of the Town Hall. Shall we? The buildings around the Market Square were the pride of the medieval merchants.

One of the sides is populated by churches. The tall tower belongs to the church of the Holy Spirit.

Toruń lies by the Vistula river.The church by the river is the basilica of Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist (it seems to me as if there was an agreement that the church should be devoted to a Saint John but they could not reach an agreement which, so they went for both).

There is also one devoted to Saint Jacob and Saint Philip (again two!).

It is of course part of the Way to Santiago de Compostela.

In the Middle Ages the balance of powers was truck between church and the secular rulers, kings or princes. But Toruń belonged, like Malbork, to the Teutonic Knights so to some extent both the church and the secular power.

Unfortunately today the castle is in ruins.

Though one dungeon was renovated. 

Next to the ruins runs a little brook where the castle mill used to produce flour.

All medieval cities were surrounded by high walls. Toruń is not an exception.

To enter the city, visitors had to use one of the city gates.

The walls are encrusted with towers. The most famous is the leaning one. Just like in Pisa.

The day is lovely. Let's sit by the river and enjoy the sunlight before moving back to exploring Toruń.

Kamianets-Podilskyi

Since the Middle Ages, the Dniepr river was the border between Moldova (south of the river) and very fertile lands called Podolia, located north of the river and inhabited by Ruthenians. Just a few kilometers north from the border, on the banks of Smotrych River, lies the capital, main fortress and gate to Podolia and the entire Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Podolia is a mountainous region with canyon-like fluvial valleys, difficult to pass and quite easy to defend.

Just compare the view and safety of the defenders ...

with the effort of the besiegers.

Smotrych river not only created the canyon, but it has curved almost a full circle around the rock on which the castle was built, being the natural moat to strengthen its defence. From the 15th through 17th centuries, the castle was attacked by Tatar hordes a total of 51 times and was never taken by force.

Let's visit the castle, built from 14th till 18th century.

Here we are on the main coutryard. From the left: Tenchynska, White & Daily Towers.

Turning right we can admire Rozanka Tower.

Here is the view on the Turkish Bridge over Smotrych from the Lanckoronska Tower.

The corridor allowed safe passage between the towers.

View on the modern Kamianets and St. Gregory orthodox church.

View on Pope's (further) and Kovpak's (closer) towers.

View on Lanckoronska (on the left), Commandant's (the small) and Rozanka Towers.

View on the inner courtyard, White & Tenchynska Towers.

View from Rozanka Tower on Commandant's and Lanckoronska Towers.

and on the Rozanka Tower from the White Tower.

Thanks to the twelve towers the castle was never taken. But in the beginning of August 1672, a 300,000 Ottoman force led by Sultan Mehmed IV and a 40,000 combined force of Tatars and Cossacks led by Hetman Petro Doroshenko laid siege to the castle. After conducting negotiations with their attackers, the city's leaders surrendered control of the fortress to the Ottomans on August 18. In a sign of protest, the fortress's Commandant Michał Wołodyjowski and Major Hejking blew up the castle's remaining gunpowder, killing themselves along with 800 defenders. The events of the 1672 Ottoman siege were depicted in the 1888 historical novel Fire in the Steppe, written by Polish Nobel Prize laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz.

But Kamianets is not only the castle. Let's pass the bridge and visit the city centre.

Ataman Khmelnytsky welcomes you.

In the times of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth there were three magistrate buildings in Kamianets: Armenian, Ruthenian and Polish. The last one you can still admire, this is the tall building in the back. On the top you can see the Sun - the coat of arms of Podolia.

From the main secular building let's move to the main religious building, at least for the catholics. The yellow building below is the St. Peter & Paul Cathedral, built in 16th century. In Soviet times it was changed in the museum of atheism.

I hope that you have enjoyed our trip to the main fortress on the Ruthenian banks of Dniepr. Next week we will pass the river and see the other side.