Pushkinska

Pushkinska

Walking around Kyiv, most of us never lift our eyes from the pavement, even to look up at buildings with bright shop windows. But the facades of many buildings often remind us how nice some city streets are. One of them is Pushkinska Street near the downtown.

In the former Soviet Union, many cities had streets named after the beloved Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) as they were for Vladimir Illich Lenin, and Kyiv was no different. Puskinska St. in Kyiv in fact has been around for more than 100 years.

Pushkin often spent time in Kyiv and wrote much about it in his stories “Ruslan and Lyudmila” and “Poltava”. The name suits the lane and may have been named for Pushkin given that it has long been one of the most artful and romantic streets in the city.

Pushkinska, which runs parallel to Khreshchatyk, begs comparison as a smaller version of Khreshchatyk. It has long been a popular street in the city and had previously been named for England’s Queen Elizabeth I, who was highly respected in Kyiv. This street first appeared in the 1870s, meaning Pushkin would not have walked along the street that now bears his name until after the 100th anniversary of his death.

In 1880, in building No. 4 on Pushkinska, publisher Stefan Kulzenko operated one of the greatest printing houses in the Russian Empire. Kulzenko, one of the pioneers of the Ukrainian publishing industry, was known not only in the Russian Empire but also in Western Europe. Kyiv inhabitant was one of 300 the most successful and wealthiest businessmen in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century.

Currently, Pushkinska St. retains its position as a lovely, charming street, but has become more densely populated now. But anyone will certainly have fun walking along it (and we have some advice to make your stroll that much more interesting!).

Restaurants on Pushkinska

Babai-Bar	Pushkinskaya 25	223 0790	nonstop	$
Concord	Pushkinskaya 42/4	234 7788	12:00 - 24:00	$$$
Dom Bergognie Art Café	Pushkinskaya 17	234 2202	08:00 - 23:00	$$
Dovira	Pushkinskaya 39	234 8586	10:00 - LC	$$
Empire Hotel Premiere Palace	Pushkinskaya 5-7/29	537 4535	07:00 - 23:00	$$$
Ethno Café	Pushkinskaya 25	332 2888	12:00 - LC	$$
La Bella	Pushkinskaya 7	279 2842	10:00 - 23:00	$
Pilsner Bar	Pushkinskaya 20	234 3111	11:00 - 24:00	$$
Rombouts	Pushkinskaya 11	278 7506 278 7496	09:00 - 24.00 Sat/Sun 12:00 - 24:00	$
Sumosan Hotel Premiere Palace	Pushkinskaya 5-7/29	537 4537	12:00 - 24:00	$$$
The Cavern beat-clubcafe	Pushkinskaya 9a	536 1531	10:00 - 23:00	$$
Velika Loshka (Big Spoon)	Pushkinskaya 16	279 9270	09:00 - 22:00	$