Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe. It was the heart of a medieval state that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, has golden-domed monasteries listed by UNESCO, and is home to the deepest metro station in the world. Here are 14 key facts about Kyiv.
Kyiv at a glance
Country: Ukraine
Name in Ukrainian: Київ (Kyiv)
Population: nearly 3 million before the full-scale war in 2022
Area: 839 km² (324 square miles)
River: the Dnipro
Traditional founding date: AD 482
Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia
1It’s Kyiv, not Kiev.
“Kiev” comes from the Russian spelling of the city’s name, while “Kyiv” comes from Ukrainian. After Ukraine’s government launched the #KyivNotKiev campaign in 2018, the US Board on Geographic Names, the BBC, the Associated Press and many others switched to Kyiv in 2019, and it is now the standard English spelling.
2Here’s how to say it.
In Ukrainian the name sounds roughly like “KEE-yiv”, said quickly as two short syllables.
3Legend says it was founded by three brothers and a sister.
According to an old chronicle, the brothers Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv and their sister Lybid founded the city, which was named after Kyi, the eldest. The city celebrated its 1,500th anniversary in 1982, using the traditional founding date of 482.
4It was the capital of a medieval superpower.
From the 9th to the 13th centuries, Kyiv was the capital of Kyivan Rus’, a powerful state that stretched across much of Eastern Europe. In 988, its ruler Volodymyr the Great had the people of Kyiv baptised in the Dnipro River, bringing Christianity to the region.
5Two of its landmarks are World Heritage Sites.
Saint Sophia’s Cathedral, begun in the 11th century, and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a huge monastery with caves full of burial chambers, have been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1990.
6Its Golden Gate is nearly 1,000 years old.
The Golden Gate was the main entrance to medieval Kyiv, built in the 11th century. The remains of the original gate are protected inside a reconstruction completed in 1982.
7It has the deepest metro station in the world.
Arsenalna station, opened in 1960, lies about 105 metres below the surface, making it the deepest metro station in the world. The escalator ride down takes several minutes, and during the war the metro has also served as a bomb shelter.
8The Dnipro runs right through it.
The wide Dnipro River divides Kyiv into the historic right bank and the newer left bank, and the city has several islands and sandy beaches where people swim in summer.
9Its main square has seen two revolutions.
Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, was the centre of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013 and 2014, when more than 100 protesters were killed.
10Its giant statue swapped symbols in 2023.
The Motherland Monument, a 102-metre stainless steel statue overlooking the Dnipro, was built in Soviet times and carried a Soviet hammer and sickle on its shield. In August 2023 it was replaced with Ukraine’s coat of arms, the trident.
11It withstood a Russian attack in 2022.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its forces tried to capture Kyiv but were pushed back and withdrew from the region by early April. The city has continued to face missile and drone attacks since.
12Chernobyl is about 100 km to the north.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986, is around 100 kilometres north of the city.
13Chicken Kiev is named after it.
The famous dish of chicken filled with garlic butter takes its name from the city, although food historians still argue about where it was really invented. In Ukraine it is known as the Kyiv cutlet.
14A famous writer grew up on its steepest street.
Mikhail Bulgakov, author of The Master and Margarita, was born in Kyiv in 1891. His family home on Andriyivskyy Descent, a winding cobbled street lined with galleries and stalls, is now a museum.
FAQs about Kyiv
Is it Kyiv or Kiev?
Kyiv. It is based on the Ukrainian name of the city and is the spelling now used by governments and most news organisations. “Kiev” is based on the Russian name.
What river runs through Kyiv?
The Dnipro (also spelled Dnieper), one of the longest rivers in Europe.
Can you visit Kyiv?
Because of the war with Russia, the UK Foreign Office has advised against travel to Ukraine since 2022. Always check the latest government travel advice before making any plans.
How old is Kyiv?
Its traditional founding date is AD 482, and people lived in the area thousands of years before that.
Sources and further reading
Explore more: facts about Ukraine and the Chernobyl disaster.
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