Музеї України

There are many interesting places to visit in our country. Among them one can find lots of museums, art galleries and exhibition halls. Kiev, the cultural center of Ukraine, boasts plenty of museums and art galleries that are of an exceptional cultural and historical value. Treasuries of national art, they represent the rich culture of Ukraine from the old days to the recent past and present. With over 60 museums to choose from, one is sure to select something to his taste. Kiev Museum of Western and Oriental Art The Museum of Art named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko was founded on the basis of their private collections. The museum is also known as the Museum of Western and Oriental Art. Now it keeps one of the best collections of foreign art in Ukraine. From 1919 the number of exhibits has been more than 13 times increased, from 1,250 to nearly 17,000 artworks. 

National Art Museum of Ukraine It is a real treasury of canvases by prominent Ukrainian and foreign painters. This museum also contains a priceless collection of unique icons. Now there are thousands of exhibits presented in the museum's collections. The 1990s, the first decade of Ukrainian independence, were the time when museum came to an international level. For the first time in the museum's history its collections were exhibited in famous museums of Canada, France, Denmark, Croatia and they became real sensations.

7 Чудес світу

The Seven Wonders of the World

The list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was originally compiled around the second century BC, although Herodotus wrote about the idea as long ago as the 5th century BC. The final list of the Seven Wonders was compiled during the Middle Ages. The list comprised the seven most impressive monuments of the Ancient World, some of which barely survived to the Middle Ages.

The Great Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty around the year 2560 BC. The structure consists of approximately

2 million blocks of stone, each weighing more than two tons. When it was built, the Great pyramid was 481 ft high.

It ranked as the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43 centuries. It is the oldest and only surviving 'wonder'.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Terraced gardens adjoining Nebuchadnezzar's palace said to rise from 75-300 feet. Supposedly built by the king about 600 BC to please his wife, a princess from the mountains, but they are also asssociated with the Assyrian Queen Semiramis.

Most descriptions of the Gardens come from Greek historians, but Babylonian records stay silent on the matter.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Carved by Phidias, the 40-foot statue marked the site of the original Olympic games in the 400s BC.

It was constructed of ivory and gold, and showed Zeus on his throne. It was regarded as the greatest work in Greek sculpture. Today nothing remains at the site of the old temple except the foundation of the buildings, and fallen columns.

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Constructed of parian marble and more than 400 feet long with over 100 columns 60 ft high, it was begun about 550 BC and took some 120 years to build. It was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Phidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon. In 356 BC a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Erected by Queen Artemisia in memory of her husband King Mausolus of Caria (in Asia Minor), who died 353 BC. It stood 140 feet high. The beauty of the Mausoleum is not only in the structure itself, but in the decorations and statues that adorned the outside at different levels on the podium and the roof. All that remains are a few pieces in the British Museum and the word 'mausoleum' in the English language.

Colossus of Rhodes

Gigantic bronze statue of the sun god Helios (or Apollo); it stood about 117 feet high, dominating the harbour entrance at Rhodes. The sculptor Chares supposedly laboured for 12 years before he completed it in 282 BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake about 226 BC. It has long been believed that the Colossus stood in front of the harbor straddling its entrance. That is improbable and recent studies suggest that it was erected on the eastern embankment of the harbor.

Pharos of Alexandria

Marble lighthouse and watchtower built about 270 BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria's harbour. Possibly standing 400 feet high, it had, at the top stage, a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day while fire was used during the night. Its reflection could be seen more than 35 miles off-shore. Of the six vanished Wonders, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the last to disappear. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1375.

Українська кухня Among the first impressions for all the visitors who come to Ukraine is its national food. Ukrainian cuisine is diverse and unique. It has a rich history and is very popular in Slavic countries. There are a lot of tasty dishes in Ukrainian cuisine but the most famous one is perhaps the borscht. It is a vegetable soup, made of beets, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. They also add garlic, onion, dill and meat. There are many varieties of this dish. Every housewife in Ukraine has her own recipe of borscht. Next on the list is the vinegret salad – salad of beetroot with sunflower oil and vinegar. People also add cooked and chopped potatoes, sauerkraut or pickles, onions, herbs and carrots. Breads and wheat products are also important for Ukrainians. For example, they cook traditional wedding bread called “Korovai”, which is a symbol of national hospitality. Easter cake is known as “Paska”. The recipe of paska varies from place to place, but it usually includes milk, butter, eggs, sugar and raisins. Traditional Ukrainian drink is uzvar – compote, made of dried apples and pears. Those, who like fish, would appreciate ukha. It’s a clear soup, made from various types of fish, for example, bream, catfish or ruff. For the main course Ukrainian guests especially like varenyky or pirohi. They are small pastries or dumplings, which can be stuffed with mashed potatoes, cheese, cherries or strawberries. Of course, everyone knows about Ukrainian salo. Nobody leaves Ukraine not having tried one.