Archive · then and now

Photo memories

Kyiv in photographs — from the Chain Bridge and horse trams to Euromaidan and the city that held out in 2022. For many of them we found a modern photo taken from the same spot: drag the slider to compare.

Then and now

Drag the divider to compare the old and new photo.

  • Removing Lenin from the square — 19911991 Removing Lenin from the square — TodayToday
    Maidan NezalezhnostiRemoving Lenin from the squareEarly September 1991: the Lenin statue on October Revolution Square is fenced off, with signs announcing the city executive committee’s decision to dismantle it. The square soon became Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The "now" photo, from 10 May 2025, shows the column of the Independence Monument (2001) rising over the square, with the same hotel, now the Hotel Ukraine, behind.Archival photo: М. Яковенко, В. Білецький, 1991, суспільне надбання · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Simon Dawson, 2025, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Bessarabskyi Market — Today Bessarabskyi Market — 1990s 1990sToday
    2 Bessarabska SquareBessarabskyi MarketBessarabskyi Market (1910–1912, architect Henryk Gay) in the 1990s, when the square in front also served as an informal trading spot. The market still operates.Archival photo: М. Яковенко, В. Білецький, 1990-ті, суспільне надбання · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Максим Козленко, 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Podil from the Dnipro — Today Podil from the Dnipro — 1998 1998Today
    Poshtova Square, River StationPodil from the DniproThe River Station and cruise ships at Podil on 19 July 1998, "still without modern high-rises", as the author put it, below the green slopes of Volodymyrska Hill.Archival photo: khrul, 1998, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Віктор Полянко, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • St Andrew's Church — Today St Andrew's Church — 1998 1998Today
    23 Andriivskyi UzvizSt Andrew's ChurchSt Andrew's Church (1747–1762, Bartolomeo Rastrelli) above the rooftops of Podil on 15 July 1998. It has since been restored and in 2018 was handed over to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.Archival photo: khrul, 1998, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Віктор Полянко, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Opening of St Michael's bell tower — 19991999 Opening of St Michael's bell tower — TodayToday
    Central KyivOpening of St Michael's bell tower30 May 1999: a costumed procession celebrating the opening of the rebuilt bell tower of St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, destroyed in the 1930s. Behind is the bell tower of St Sophia's Cathedral, seen from Mykhailivska Square. The "now" photo, from June 2025, shows the same view, with an exhibition of destroyed Russian armour on the square.Archival photo: Микола Чурпіта, 1999, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Lklundin, 2025, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Maidan after reconstruction — Today Maidan after reconstruction — 2001 2001Today
    Maidan NezalezhnostiMaidan after reconstructionMaidan Nezalezhnosti in summer 2001: the column with the Berehynia statue has just gone up and the square is still empty of crowds. The Independence Monument was unveiled for the 10th anniversary of independence on 24 August 2001.Archival photo: Максим Козленко, 2001, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Ralf Roletschek, 2017, GFDL 1.2 · Wikimedia Commons
  • St Michael's rebuilt — Today St Michael's rebuilt — 2000 2000Today
    Mykhailivska SquareSt Michael's rebuiltSt Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in 2000, shortly after the cathedral and bell tower were rebuilt (1997–1999). The 12th-century original was destroyed in the 1930s; work was still going on around it.Archival photo: Максим Козленко, 2000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Andrew Milligan, 2018, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • The Orange Maidan — Today The Orange Maidan — 2004 2004Today
    Maidan NezalezhnostiThe Orange MaidanNovember 2004: after the presidential run-off, the square fills with people in orange. The protests against electoral fraud lasted weeks and ended with a repeat vote on 26 December. The "now" photo was taken from the same slope in October 2023: no tents and no crowd, but the same Independence Monument and Khreshchatyk buildings.Archival photo: Toronto_guy, 2004, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Мандрівниця, 2023, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Euro 2012 fan zone — Today Euro 2012 fan zone — 2012 2012Today
    Maidan NezalezhnostiEuro 2012 fan zoneThe UEFA Euro 2012 fan zone on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in June 2012. Ukraine co-hosted the tournament with Poland; the final was played in Kyiv at the Olimpiyskiy stadium on 1 July. In September 2021 a flower bed spelling "Я ❤ Україну" ("I love Ukraine") stood where the stage had been, with Hotel Ukraina still rising behind the Independence Monument.Archival photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, 2012, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Грибюк Руслан Володимирович, 2021, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Andriivskyi Uzviz under repair — 20122012 Andriivskyi Uzviz under repair — TodayToday
    Andriivskyi UzvizAndriivskyi Uzviz under repair24 May 2012: the cobbles of Andriivskyi Uzviz torn up during the street's 2012 reconstruction, with workers relaying the stone and the spire of Richard's Castle in the distance. The "now" photo, from February 2024, shows the same street with its new paving.Archival photo: Andrew Niukin, 2012, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    Modern photo: Щука Олександра, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

From the archive

  • October Revolution Square, 1991, 1991 1991
    Maidan Nezalezhnosti, seen from Hotel UkraineOctober Revolution Square, 1991September 1991: October Revolution Square seen from the Hotel Moskva. The Lenin monument still stands in the foreground; it was removed the same year, and the square was renamed Maidan Nezalezhnosti.Archival photo: Gouveia2, 1991, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Rally for independence, 1991 1991
    Maidan NezalezhnostiRally for independenceSeptember 1991: a rally for independence on the square, with miners’ helmets and a "Donbas" banner among the flags. Independence was confirmed by the referendum of 1 December 1991.Archival photo: М. Яковенко, В. Білецький, 1991, суспільне надбання · Wikimedia Commons
  • Maidan in the first year of independence, 1992 1992
    Maidan NezalezhnostiMaidan in the first year of independenceMaidan Nezalezhnosti in 1992, empty where the monument had stood, with the Trade Unions Building on the right. The square took its present form, with the column and underground mall, in 2001.Archival photo: Lankyrider, 1992, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • High-rise blocks, 1992 1992
    KyivHigh-rise blocksNew high-rise blocks seen from a hotel window by a foreign visitor in 1992. Kyiv built huge panel-housing estates until the late 1980s; in the 1990s construction nearly stopped.Archival photo: Lankyrider, 1992, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • "Ukraine without Kuchma", 2001 2001
    Central Kyiv"Ukraine without Kuchma"A protest on 6 February 2001 during the "Ukraine without Kuchma" campaign, sparked by the "cassette scandal" and the disappearance of journalist Heorhiy Gongadze — the first major opposition movement of independent Ukraine.Archival photo: Майдан-Інформ, 2001, GFDL · Wikimedia Commons
  • Khreshchatyk traffic, 2001 2001
    KhreshchatykKhreshchatyk trafficKhreshchatyk in summer 2001: Ladas alongside foreign cars, chestnut trees and trolleybus wires. Since then Khreshchatyk has been closed to cars and given over to pedestrians at weekends and on holidays.Archival photo: Максим Козленко, 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • The first morning of the revolution, 2004 2004
    Maidan NezalezhnostiThe first morning of the revolutionThe morning of 22 November 2004, the first day of the Orange Revolution: people gather on the square beneath Hotel Ukraine and the Independence column.Archival photo: Serhiy, 2004, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Maidan on 23 November, 2004 2004
    Maidan NezalezhnostiMaidan on 23 November23 November 2004: the square and Khreshchatyk packed with protesters and orange flags. A tent camp soon sprang up along Khreshchatyk.Archival photo: Віктор Полянко, 2004, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Teatralna escalators, 2004 2004
    Teatralna metro stationTeatralna escalatorsThe long escalator tunnel of Teatralna metro station (1987). Kyiv’s metro is among the deepest in the world: Arsenalna, the deepest station, lies more than 100 metres underground.Archival photo: Jason Minshull, 2004, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Euromaidan, 1 December, 2013 2013
    Maidan NezalezhnostiEuromaidan, 1 DecemberOn 1 December 2013, the day after riot police beat students on the square, hundreds of thousands came to the Maidan. The protest against abandoning the EU association agreement grew into the Revolution of Dignity.Archival photo: Nessa Gnatoush, 2013, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Night on Khreshchatyk, 2013 2013
    KhreshchatykNight on KhreshchatykBefore dawn on 18 December 2013: barricaded Khreshchatyk, protesters’ tents and a laser beam over the square. The Maidan camp stood all winter.Archival photo: Аимаина хикари, 2013, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • Teremky station opens, 2013 2013
    Teremky metro stationTeremky station opensTeremky station on its opening day, 6 November 2013 — the southern terminus of the Obolonsko-Teremkivska line and the last Kyiv metro station opened before the full-scale war.Archival photo: Dimant, 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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