Kontraktova Square
Encyclopedia
Romanization of Ukrainian
The romanization or Latinization of Ukrainian is the representation of the Ukrainian language using Latin letters. Ukrainian is natively written in its own Ukrainian alphabet, a variation of Cyrillic....
: Kontraktova ploscha; , translit.
Romanization of Russian
Romanization of the Russian alphabet is the process of transliterating the Russian language from the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet...
: Kontraktovaya ploschad’; literally: Contracts Square) is a square in the historic Podil
Podil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
neighborhood of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, the capital of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The square is an important economic, cultural, and transport center of the Podil, containing numerous architectural and historical monuments.
History
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
times as an important part of the Podil merchant neighborhood. The square lies in between the Andriyivskyy Descent
Andriyivskyy Descent
Andriyivskyy Descent is a historic descent connecting Kiev's Upper Town neighborhood and the historically commercial Podil neighborhood. The street, often advertised by tour guides and operators as the "Montmartre of Kiev", is a major tourist attraction of the city.The descent, totalling in...
, Sahaidachny, Pokrivska, Florivska, Prytisko-Mykilska, Kostiantynivska, Mezhyhirska, Spaska, Skovorody and Ilynska streets.
The construction of the Contracts House, a permanent trading center where contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s were signed, at the end of the 18th century gave the square its current name. During 1748-1749, the Fountain of Samson
Fountain of Samson, Kiev
The Fountain of Samson or Felitsiyal is a Ukrainian Baroque fountain in the Podil raion of Kiev. It was constructed in the 18th Century, later demolished by the Bolsheviks either in 1934 or 1935, and rebuilt in 1981.-History:...
was built to repair the water distribution system of the area to a design by Ukrainian architect Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi
Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi
Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi or Ivan Grigorovich-Barsky is a Ukrainian architect who worked in the Late Cossack Baroque style...
. The compound of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, one of Ukraine's leading universities dating back to 16th century, adjoins the square.
In the 1970s, archaeological works conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
were done on the square, as well as reconstructions of the square's main constructions.
The square was renamed several times during its history: between 1869-1919, the square was named Aleksandrovskaya Square (Alexander Square) in honour of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n emperor Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
; between 1919-1944 - Krasnaya Square (Red Square), dedicated to Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
; between 1945 and the 1950s, it was renamed back to Kontraktova, although Krasnaya continued to be widely used; in 1990, the original name was re-established.
Modern square
Podil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
neighborhood, and also a recreational, cultural and transportation point of the city.
The square is often used for various outdoor public festivities, including music concerts and fairs. The Petro Sahaidachnyi Street which leads to the square is limited to pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s on weekends
Workweek
The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest respectively. The legal working week , or workweek , is the part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. In most Western countries it is Monday to Friday. The weekend comprises the two traditionally...
.
Buildings and structures
Listed clockwise from the Sahaidachnyi Street:- Monument to Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, a Cossack HetmanHetmanHetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
; - Gostynyi DvirGostiny DvorGreat Gostiny Dvor is a vast department store on Nevsky Avenue in St Petersburg.This Gostiny Dvor is not only the city's oldest shopping centre, but also one of the first shopping arcades in the world...
building, 19th century; - Contracts HouseContracts HouseThe Contracts House is a trade building in the Podil neighborhood of Kiev , the capital of Ukraine. The Contracts House received its name because the city's contracts were signed there. It is located on the Kontraktova Square, once one of the Podil's main trading centers...
, where contractContractA contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s were signed; - Fountain of SamsonFountain of Samson, KievThe Fountain of Samson or Felitsiyal is a Ukrainian Baroque fountain in the Podil raion of Kiev. It was constructed in the 18th Century, later demolished by the Bolsheviks either in 1934 or 1935, and rebuilt in 1981.-History:...
, reconstructed architectural monument; - Children's Musical Theater;
- Monument to Hryhoriy Skovoroda, a poet, philosopher, and composer;
- Compound of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (including Soros Center for Contemporary ArtGeorge SorosGeorge Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
in the corner building); - Building of the National BankNational Bank of UkraineNational Bank of Ukraine is the central bank of Ukraine. Its headquarters building, constructed between 1902 and 1934, is located at no. 9 Institutska St., in Kiev-History:...
's city branch (formerly the "GreekGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Monastery"); - Church of the Mother of God Pyrohoschya.
Transportation center
Kontraktova Square is one of the largest and oldest transit points of the Kiev tramKiev tram
The Kiev Tramway is a tram network which serves the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The system was the first electric tramway in the former Russian Empire and the third one in Europe after the Berlin Straßenbahn and the Budapest tramway. The system currently consists of 139.9 km of track, including...
system, end stop for to several tram routes. However, tram lines crossing the square are being gradually phased out since 1980s.
Most importantly, Kontraktova Square adjoins the Kiev Metro
Kiev Metro
The Kiev Metro is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR . It now has three lines with a total length of 63.7 kilometres and 49 stations...
Kontraktova Ploshcha Station
Kontraktova Ploshcha (Kiev Metro)
Kontraktova Ploshcha is a station on Kiev Metro's Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line. The station was opened on December 17, 1976, and is named after Kiev's Kontraktova Square in the historic Podil neighbourhood. It was designed by B.I. Pryimak, I.K. Maslenynkov, and F.M. Zaremba...
, thus forming a multi-modal passenger knot with the tram and minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
lines. The station has a sub-surface design with four entrances, two of them being outside the square.