Ukrainian architecture

Ukrainian Baroque emerged during the Hetmanate era of the 17th–18th centuries. Ukrainian Baroque architecture, representative of cossack aristocracy,[1] is distinct from Western European Baroque in that its designs were more constructivist, had more moderate ornamentation, and were simpler in form.[2]

During the 17th-18th centuries, most medieval Rus' churches were significantly redesigned and expanded. Additional church domes and elaborate exterior and interior ornamentation were added.

Famous examples of Ukrainian Baroque architecture include the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex, the Vydubychi Monastery, and the Pochayiv Monastery.

• Small Cossack churches

When Crimea was ruled by the Crimean Khanate, the period left several constructions inspired by Islamic motifs. The most famous was the Bakhchisaray Palace, designed by a combined effort of Persian, Turkish, and Italian architects.

• Sophia Cathedral reconstruction
• Kyiv Passenger Railway Station

As Ukraine became increasingly integrated into the Russian Empire, Russian architects had the opportunity to realize their projects in the picturesque landscape that many Ukrainian cities and regions offered. St. Andrew's Church of Kyiv (1747–1754), built by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, is a notable example of Baroque architecture, and its location on top of the Kyivan mountain made it a recognizable monument of the city. An equally notable contribution of Rastrelli was the Mariyinsky Palace, which was built to be a summer residence to Russian Empress Elizabeth.

Mariyinsky Palace

During the reign of the last Hetman of Ukraine, Kirill Razumovsky, many of the Cossack Hetmanate's towns such as Hlukhiv, Baturyn and Koselets had grandiose projects built by the appointed architect of Little Russia, Andrey Kvasov.

Russia, winning successive wars over the Ottoman Empire and its vassal Crimean Khanate, eventually annexed the whole south of Ukraine and Crimea. Renamed New Russia, these lands were to be colonized, and new cities such as the Nikolayev, Odessa, Kherson and Sevastopol were founded. These would contain notable examples of Imperial Russian architecture.

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  St. Paraskeva Church,, Zakarpattia Oblast
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  St. Anna church, Kovel
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  St. George's Church, Drohobych
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  Holy Trinity Church, Zhovkva

• Ginzburg House
• House with Chimaeras
• Russo-Byzantium in Ukraine (St Volodymyr's Cathedral)

• Historic Centre of Lviv - UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Chernivtsi University - UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Lviv Rail Terminal

The massive Freedom square in Kharkiv 1925–1953 blends early constructivist and latter Stalinist features. It was the first major architectural project of Soviet Ukraine.

During the early years of the Soviet rule, the Ukrainization policies, meant that many Ukrainian architects were encouraged to use national motives unique to Ukraine. At the same time, architecture became standardised, all cities received general development plans to which they would be built. The national motives were, however, not taken up as the new architectural fashion for the new government became Constructivism.

In Soviet Ukraine, for the first 15 years, the capital was the eastern city of Kharkiv. Immediately a major project was developed to "destroy" its burgious-capitalist face and create a new Socialist one. A talented young architect Viktor Trotsenko, proposed a large central square with large modern buildings to become the central hub of the capital. Thus the Dzerzhinsky Square (now Freedom Square) was born, which would become the most brilliant example of constructivist architecture in the USSR and abroad. Enclosing a total of 11.6 ha,[3] it is currently the third largest square in the world to date.

Of all, the most famous was the massive Gosprom building (1925–1928), which would become a symbol of not only Kharkiv, but Constructivism in general. Built by architects Sergei Serafimov, S. Kravets and M. Felger, and only in three years it would become the highest structure in Europe, and its unique feature lies in the symmetry which can only be felt at one point, in the centre of the square. As a tribute to the engineering design by Kharkiv's Technical University, none of the attempts to blow the building during the Second World War were successful, and it still remains the symbol of Kharkiv today.

Other examples on the square, however, were less fortunate. Such was the fate of the House of Projects (presently the Kharkiv University), which again was designed by Serafimov, built to symmetrise the Gosprom on the square's curvature, it too was a monumental achievement of constructivism. However, during the war it was seriously damaged and was rebuilt in a semi-Stalinist style that left little of the original building intact.[4]

The current Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, built as part of a government complex, to be located on the territory of the former St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Only one of the buildings was constructed (pictured).

In 1934, the capital of Soviet Ukraine moved to Kyiv. During the preceding years, the city was seen as only a regional centre, and hence received little attention. All of that was to change, but at a great price. By this point, the first examples of Stalinist architecture were already showing and in light of the official policy, a new city was to be built on top of the old one. This meant that priceless examples such as the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery were destroyed. Even the St. Sophia Cathedral was under threat.

However, the Second World War did not see the project realised. The surviving pre-war Kyivan constructions include the Building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (presently occupied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Built by architect, only the northern wing was completed, the identical and symmetrical southern wing to be built on the place of the destroyed monastery to house the Rada of Ministers was never completed.[5] The other example is the Verkhovna Rada building built in 1936–38 by architect Volodymyr Zabolotny.

Following the heavy destruction of the Second World War, a new project for the reconstruction of central Kyiv was unveiled. This transformed the Khreshchatyk avenue into one of the finest examples of Stalinism in Architecture. A total of individual 22 projects were drawn up, when the initial competition began in 1944, none of which was realised due to extensive critique and finally in 1948 KyivProekt institute submitted its final version, headed by architects A. Vlasov and from 1949 Anatoly Dobrovolsky. For the next two decades, this figure would dominate all of the major projects in the capital.

Despite an enthusiastic start which saw most of the buildings such as the Post Office, City Council, the elegant white portico Conservatory, and the first buildings of the Kalinina Square, which were completed by 1955, the new politics of architecture once again promptly stopped the project from fully being realised. None of the examples, however, share the fate of Hotel Ukrayina that was to top the square as an elegant high-rise built similar to the Moscow's Seven Sisters buildings, was stripped of all decorative features and completed in what could only be described as an ugly style.

• Reconstruction of Kharkiv
• Capital move to Kyiv
• DnieproGES

• Reconstruction of central Kyiv

• Urban General plans
• Kyiv Palace of Sports, Palace "Ukrayina"

Zoloti Vorota (Kyiv Metro)

During the Soviet Period, Metro stations were decorated with particularly vivid designs. The first three stations that were built by Ukrainian architects, were not actually located in Ukraine. Nonetheless, all three of them are considered to be the most iconic constructions ever achieved in history of underground construction. They are all known under one name Kyivskaya, and are located on the Moscow Metro under the Kiyevsky Rail Terminal.

In 1949, construction began on the first stage of the Kyiv Metro, which opened in 1960. All of the stations there are considered as monuments of architecture, due to their unique authentic character, that latter stations of the 1960s would lose in face of changing policy towards utilitarianism.

In 1967, construction began on the first stage of the Kharkiv Metro, which opened in 1975, this was soon joined by the semi-Metro Kryvyi Rih Metrotram in 1986 and the Dnipro Metro in 1995. Stations built in these systems, like most others in the former Soviet Union, have.