Drive around in Kyiv for long enough and you will start to notice them, like a sore thumb. Kyiv is full of abandoned buildings, whether abandoned projects from the 1990s, Soviet relics or romantic ruins. It makes the capital an urban exploration paradise.
Urban exploration has grown increasingly popular in post-Soviet countries where relics are scattered across the horizon. Both thrill-seekers and history enthusiasts can venture to abandoned buildings and structures to explore, often under the cover of darkness.
Urban exploration has its hazards though. Falling roof tiles, sharp objects, and medical waste can make the hobby dangerous. Explorers can also risk arrest or mauling if they haven’t done their research on whether it is safe to explore the property.
The Kyiv Post does not condone trespassing or entry into private or state-owned property with permission and warns of the dangers. The following locations can be appreciated from afar or entered safely if explicitly stated. Visitors ignoring the advice given by this article do so at their own risk.
Abandoned buildings are important reminders of the past and serve as representations of failed projects and long-lost memories.
As the pace of development in Kyiv increases and many buildings of historical interest face impending demolition, these locations were all intact at the time of writing. A full map of these locations, including others, can be found here.
1. Futuristic “Castle,” 29 Nizheyurkovskaya St.
Graffiti covers the front of a space-age property at Nizheyurkovskaya Street. The future of the building is uncertain, as the government has not ascertained its owner. (Dylan Carter)
No one knows the intended purpose of this building. According to some commentators of online forums that discuss abandoned buildings, this construction was intended to be a school. Others claim it was a print house. The reason that the building has survived for so long may be due to Ukraine’s bloated bureaucracy. According to an investigation, not even the government knows who the building belongs to. The futuristic castle can easily be accessed by road. It is a popular haunt for trendy Podil youth and serves as a canvas for some of Kyiv’s most talented graffiti artists. The building is not fully secured.
2. Unfinished hospital, 3 Observatornyi Lane
View of the abandoned Children’s Urology Hospital. The ambitious Soviet project has been left abandoned and neglected by its owners. (Dylan Carter)
Originally intended to be the Children’s Urology Hospital, construction of the building was halted in the late 1980s due to a lack of funding. Such was the case with many construction projects during the decline of the Soviet Union. In 2008, a private developer offered to destroy the wreck and build a new 25-story building. Some 12 years later, the building is still standing. The building is completely unsecured, but a patrol operates at night. It has become a makeshift shelter to many of Kyiv’s homeless community.
3. House of Captain Rutkovsky, 19 Turgenevskaya St.
A view of the facade of 19 Turgenevskaya St. During Soviet times, the building was used alleged to be reserved for the families of military personnel. (Dylan Carter)
Built in 1898 for Alexander Konstantinovich Rutkovsky, a lieutenant general serving the Russian Empire, the building lies abandoned after having over 15 owners. In the 1980s, the residents of this building were evacuated due to its poor condition. The building has been purchased by Zhitloinvestbud, which has yet to touch the building. Its historic neighbor at number 17, however, was destroyed by its private owner. The building is secured and in disrepair. At the time of writing, banners from the political campaign of Ukrainian sculptor Igor Belov hang from the windows.
4. House of Baron Steingel, 1 Yaroslaviv Val St.
People walk past the house of Podgorsky in Kyiv on May 15. The building is currently closed for renovation. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Abandoned, but not forgotten. The house of Baron Steingel is possibly one of the most mysterious buildings in Kyiv. With ornate gargoyles and mosaics at its entrance, it is a recognizable landmark just a stone’s throw from the golden gates. Built in 1898, it never actually even belonged to Maxim Steingel, but rather a gentry landowner named Michal Podgorski. In the early 20th century, the building hosted a café and a cinema. The building is inaccessible, though its beauty can easily be admired from the street.
5. Abandoned “Burn Center,” Radosynska Street
An aerial view of buildings within Kyiv’s burn center development that was meant to treat patients who had burns. Located on the outskirts of Troyeshchina, a district that hosted many Soviet citizens who were forced to evacuate Pripyat due to the Chornobyl disaster in 1986. (Courtesy)
Situated on the very outskirts of Kyiv in the Darnytskyi District, this building is one of Kyiv’s most photographed abandoned buildings. The construction was meant to be a hospital to treat victims of radiation burns from the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, but the project was eventually scrapped. The location has been the set of music videos and was once a social gathering point, according to local media. Nowadays, the site is secured with a guard at the main gate. This has not stopped many explorers from visiting the buildings, however. The site can be viewed from the road below. Beware of stray dogs.
6. CPSU Dacha, Nyvky Park
A view of the original half of a summer house that used to belong to high-ranking Soviet officials in Kyiv’s Nyvky Park. The last occupant of this house was Demyan Korotchenko, to whom a monument once stood at the entrance of the park until its removal in 2015. (Dylan Carter)
Nestled within the beauty of Kyiv’s Nyvky Park and overlooking a small lake, this building served as a private residence to some of the Communist Party’s highest-ranking officials. Once the private residence of Governor-General of Kyiv Illarion Vaslichikov, the property was given new life as a summer house for various officials under the Soviet Union such as Panas Lyubchenko, Lazar Kaganovich, Nikita Krushchev and Demyan Korotchenko. In 1962 the property was transferred to the city administration and its grounds became the modern Nyvky Park. The building fell into disrepair and was purchased by private investors in the 1990s. Some repairs were carried out but a full restoration never happened. The government recently secured the property. A security guard informed the Kyiv Post that there were no future plans for the building.
7. House of Culture on the Vynohradar, Heorhiya Honhadze Avenue
A view of the “House of Culture Vynohradar,” surrounded by a makeshift parking lot. Locals say that the building is a hotspot for homeless people and parkour enthusiasts. (Dylan Carter)
In 1989, construction began for a new cinema and arts center. For whatever reason, the project was never completed, and the owners were never heard from again. A makeshift car park has popped up around the site and the ruin serves as a shelter to many homeless people. The site is completely unsecured, except for a friendly parking guard. The government is attempting to sell this site but, according to the guard, they are asking for an astronomical price. Entering the site is discouraged as medical waste is known to be scattered among the rubble. If you decide to ignore this advice, bring strong boots and gloves.
8. Stalin’s Metro, Lyutneva Street
An exposed entrance to a fragment of the ambitious metro project No.1 NKPS, dubbed the “Stalin Metro.” The line was intended to provide a regular metro service under the Dnipro River. (Dylan Carter)
In 1938, work began on creating a metro tunnel that would stretch over both sides of the Dnipro River. The project was halted shortly before Kyiv was captured by Nazi troops. The metro tunnel survives in fragments but can be best seen in the Holosiivs’kyi District on the outskirts of Kyiv. If you are not afraid of the dark (or of graffiti which jokingly warns travelers of the presence of piranhas in the waters), it is possible to kayak through nearly one kilometer of a half-submerged metro tunnel. For those scared of deep water, it is possible to walk along the top of the tunnel, which offers an equally picturesque view. The site is completely unsecured and one company offers an organized tour of the site.
9. Movie theater “Ekran,” 117 Peremohy Ave.
Signage visible above the Ekran theater which has remained unchanged for decades. In 2018, a large fire devastated the abandoned cinema, destroying its interior. (Dylan Carter)
Ekran is Kyiv’s oldest movie theater, first opened in 1911. The building, however, is in a poor state of disrepair. In 1923, the once-rural cinema entered the city limits of Kyiv and was renamed “May 1st Cinema.” It operated until 2010 but witnessed a significant decline. It was the last movie theater in Kyiv to make hand-painted posters. In 2004, a decree was made by the Kyiv City Council to destroy the building. The proviso for the demolition was that a new cinema be built within Kyiv before it could be replaced. Work started on a new complex which, itself, was abandoned during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, a decision was made to override the demolition order. In 2018, a large fire broke out on the premises, gutting the interior. The cinema’s future is possibly bright: Ekran cinema was forcibly merged with company Kyivkinofilm and now awaits its planned restoration. The site is secured but the Soviet-era aesthetic of the outside of the building is worth a visit.
10. Navodnitsky tower №4, 2 Staronavodnytska St.
View from inside the grounds of Navodnitsky tower №4. Unlike towers 1, 2 and 3, tower 4 has been left to fall into disrepair. In 2017 the Public Cadaster Map of Ukraine suggested that the building would be destroyed. It was later shown to be an error. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The structure was a military installation built under the supervision of Tsar Nicholas I between 1833 and 1839. The tower was one of four built as part of the larger Vasylkivsky fortifications. The building was never under attack but was left abandoned for many years. The condition of this building is especially poor considering its historical significance. Blog commentators lamented that just 30 years ago the building was well preserved. Like so many other abandoned buildings, the tower was used by the local homeless community. Former members of the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, which overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych, self-organized defense groups currently occupy the building and collect money for Ukrainian troops. It appears that the self-defense members have secured the site and it is no longer freely accessible. It can be viewed from the alley or the main road.
