Andriyivskyy Descent
Andriyivskyy Descent (Andriyivs’kyi uzviz) is a historic street connecting Kyiv's Upper Town and the central part of the city with commercial Podil. The descent's current name emerged in the 18th century, when the Saint Andrew's Church was erected atop the hill by order of Russian Empress Elizabeth. The church was constructed to an original design by the imperial architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli under guidance of Ivan Michurin, an architect from Moscow. The Saint Andrew's Church along with the late 19th century Mykhailo Bulgakov's house-museum, the 20th century Castle of Richard the Lionheart (1902–1904) and the Museum of One Street, containing more than 6,500 exhibits, are considered to be the major attractions of the area.
The Andriyivskyy Descent is well known for its monuments. One of them depicts Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kyiv, holding a model of the Saint Sophia Cathedral. Another is the monument to Pronya Prokopyvna and Svyryd Holohvastov, unveiled in 1989, which depicts two characters of "Chasing Two Rabbits" play by a Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Starytskyi. Monements to the major Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko and world-famous literary man Mykhailo Bulgakov can also be found there. Mykhailo Bulgakov and his family lived there at two different houses in the early 20th century. The address, at No.13 Andriyivskyy Descent, is still commonly called the Bulgakov House and displays a plaque with the address the writer used in one of his books (No.13 Alekseevsky Uzviz). A museum was opened inside the reconstructed building to mark the 100th birthday of Mykhailo Bulgakov on May 15, 1991.
Andriyivskyy Descent is often referred to as the "Montmartre of Kyiv" because of its numerous picture galleries, souvenir stores and individual artists, who display and sale their works in the open air all around the year. Actors and singers love this place too and perform there almost every day. Numerous festivals, especially the art ones, as well as the Kyiv Day celebrations are traditionally held on Andriyivskyy Descent.
The street is a highly prestigious area with several new luxurious restaurants. Numerous bars and cozy cafes make Andriyivskyy Descent a favorite place of gathering of Kyiv bohemia.