Take a study trip through Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine awaits tourists with the port city of Odessa, the capital Kiev, the coast to the Black Sea, the splendor of flowers on the Crimean peninsula and with the Cossack horsemanship. During a city tour through Kiev you will discover the many sights such as the St. Sophia Cathedral, the St. Michael monastery church, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the Motherland Monument or the Marian Palace. On the Crimean peninsula, experience the spa town of Yalta with the palaces along the coast from the time of the tsars and the sultan’s palaces of Bahcisaray and Sevastopol. In Odessa, marvel at the wide boulevards, the Potemkin Stairs and admire the Kinsky Palace, the catacombs and the unique opera house. You can also visit the city of Donetsk with various attractions such as the opera house, the theater, the peace bell and the football stadium. Don’t miss a tour of Ukraine!
Pechersk Lavra in Kiev
The Pechersk Lavra in Kiev is a major attraction in the Ukrainian capital. It is one of the most famous Christian monuments in the world.
If you go on a study trip to Kiev in the Ukraine, you should definitely make a detour to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It can be found on the western bank of the Dnieper south of Kiev city center. The venerable monastery is one of the most important sights of the Ukrainian metropolis, so a visit to Kiev is definitely worthwhile.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The area of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra covers 20 hectares. It is divided into Upper and Lower Lavra. While the Upper Lavra is a state reserve, the Lower Lavra forms the monastery itself. The cave monastery has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.
History
According to topschoolsintheusa, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, which is one of the oldest Russian Orthodox monasteries of the Kievan Rus, was founded in 1051 by some monks. In the late 11th century the construction of the Assumption Cathedral took place. Even the Mongol rule from the 13th century did not interrupt monastic life. In 1688 the tsar’s government awarded the cave monastery the honorary title of Lavra. An award that only a few monasteries in Orthodox Russia received.
The name cave monastery goes back to the artificially created caves that were used by the medieval monks as a hermitage. By being isolated, they tried to get closer to God. The caves were also used for the burial of the monks, including the famous chronicler Nestor. Part of the cave system is accessible to tourists.
Sights of the monastery
Every year the Pechersk Lavra in Kiev attracts over a million tourists who visit the monastery complexes as well as the museums. The most important attraction is the “Museum of the Historical Treasures of Ukraine”. There you can admire the handicrafts from parts of Ukraine. These include gold work dating from the 4th century BC. From the Skyten period as well as products from the era of the Kievan Rus and the Cossacks. Also worth a visit is the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Art.
Livadia Palace
One of the most historic destinations for trips to the southern part of Ukraine is the magnificent Livadija Palace. It was used as a summer residence by the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II in 1910 and is located in a suburb of the city of Yalta on the Crimean peninsula. The Tsar’s palace made history in February 1945 when Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met there to decide on Europe’s future.
The white palace
After the castle, in which the Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III spent the warm season, had to be demolished in 1909 due to groundwater damage, Nicholas II built a summer residence at this point based on the model of Italian Renaissance palaces. Based on the plans of the Ukrainian architect Nikolai Krasnow, a building consisting of three wings with airy galleries, two inner courtyards and a total of 116 rooms was created, all of which were furnished in different styles.
The facade of the magnificent building consists of white Inkerman stones, which is why it is also known as the “White Palace”. The Livadija Palace is surrounded by an extensive park, the so-called “Sunny Path” of which is lined with impressive sculptures, exotic bushes and trees and white marble benches.
The historic Yalta conference
The Livadija Palace achieved world fame in 1945 when it hosted the Yalta Conference from February 4th to 11th. The three leaders of the Allies, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, decided there on the future of Europe and decided to divide the defeated Germany into four zones of occupation. The photo of the three statesmen, which was taken in the Italian courtyard, went around the world.
The museum in the main wing is not only interesting for study trips. It was set up on the occasion of an official state visit by US President Nixon in 1974. The ground floor is dedicated exclusively to the Yalta Conference, and the historic conference table can also be viewed here. On the upper floor there is the opportunity to take a look into the rooms of the last tsarist family and to admire numerous of their private photographs and children’s drawings.