Ukraine is the second-largest country by area in Europe, with its capital city in Kyiv. It is bordered by several countries (Romania, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) and two seas (Black Sea and Sea of Azov).
Settled by Slavs in the 5th-6th centuries AD, today, Ukraine has the second-largest East Slavic ethnic group after Russia. Between its early settlement and now, Ukraine was occupied by various conquerors beginning with Swedish Vikings who, in the 9th century, converted the people to Christianity. Orthodoxy became the most dominant religion, highly influencing Ukrainian customs.
In the 13th century, the Mongols conquered the south and east of the country, leaving the north and west relatively independent. A century later came the Polish and Lithuanians. When serfs ran away from their Polish landlords, they settled in the steppes of Ukraine, forming their own self-governing communities. They became known as the Cossacks, meaning free men, but by the late 18th century they were disbanded and absorbed into Russia.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the Ukrainians experienced a brief independent period in 1918 before the nation was re-absorbed by Russia. After the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine regained its independence and has been a developing country since, trading in agriculture and metals, amongst other things.
Ukraine’s biggest export commodity is sunflower seeds. This bright and cheerful yellow flower with a centre packed with seeds that are both edible and used to make oil, is Ukraine’s national flower. Brought from North America by explorers, it was discovered that it grew prolifically in the rich soil of Ukraine and by the 1800s, extensive fields of sunflowers were all over the country. Embroidered on fabrics, painted on walls, furniture and household items in a folk art called petrykivka, the sunflower represents warmth and the power of the sun.
Additionally, this flower’s versatility sees no bounds. In the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, scientists planted millions of seeds because they discovered that the sunflower had the ability to rapidly soak up certain radioactive material. Disposing of the flowers is a faster and easier process than removing the soil from the affected area. Then in 1996, to mark the removal of the nuclear arsenals in Ukraine that were inherited at the end of the Cold War, officials from Ukraine, United States and Russia planted sunflowers atop the destroyed nuclear missiles. As such, the flower became a symbol of peace and nuclear disarmament. Today, the sunflower continues to be a symbol of hope and solidarity, a productive agricultural crop, and a cleaner of toxic waste.
The city of Kyiv was founded in the 5th century AD and named after one of the four legendary founders, who were three brothers and a sister: Kyi, Schcheck, Khoryv and Lybid. Home to high tech industries and a centre for education, science and culture, Kyiv is also a treasure trove of historical landmarks and nearly 1,000 churches. Green spaces abound throughout the city, and it is endowed with three UNESCO designations: St Sophia Cathedral, the Monastery of Caves (Pechersk Lavra) and the Collection of Jewish Musical Folklore.
This journey begins at Mariinsky Park, a city park founded in 1847 by Maria Alexandrovna - Empress of Russia, one of the founders of the Russian Red Cross, founder of the first Russian all-female school and famous for aiding her husband, Tsar Alexander II, with ending serfdom. During the 19th century, the park brimmed with busts and sculptures, which have since been removed, however the cast iron fountain installed in 1900 continues to hold a prominent position.
Adjacent to the park is the Mariinsky Palace, which the park is named after. A stunning baroque palace, construction was completed in 1752 with Catherine the Great being the first imperial member to stay in it during her visit in 1787.
The palace burnt down in a fire in the early 19th century and was left empty and abandoned until Tsar Alexander II restored it and renamed it after his wife. By the 1920s it was used as an agricultural school, then a museum and, following serious damage in WWII, it was restored twice more.
Today, the palace is used for official receptions and summits. Outside, it is beautifully painted in a sea foam colour with white and ivory accents. Inside it consists of 55 rooms on the ground floor, used for official purposes and the second floor has 26 richly adorned suites and halls. The walls are decorated with paintings by foreign and Ukrainian artists loaned from galleries in Kyiv, L’viv and Odessa.
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