In the capital, there are many places with interesting histories that few people are aware of
Kiev consists of ten administrative units — districts. Each of them is the size of a small town. The districts have their own history, traditions, and interesting spots. “Kashтан NEWS” highlights and reminds us of intriguing facts about the districts of Kiev. Last time, we discussed areas named Mysholovka, Zvirynets, Batiyeva Hora, Lysa Hora, Chorna Hora, Cherepanova Hora, Korchuvae, Feofaniya, Ipodrom. Today, we will talk about the “Expo Center”.
Location
The National Complex “Expo Center of Ukraine”, which during the USSR was known as VDNH (Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy), is located in the Holosiivskyi district of Kiev, at Glushkova Avenue, 1. It borders the territory of the “Feofaniya” park, a clinic of the same name, the Institute of Beekeeping, and the Beekeeping Museum. Also nearby are the Kyiv Hippodrome, Ice Stadium, Main Astronomical Observatory, and the buildings of Taras Shevchenko National University.
7Throughout its history, the Exhibition Center has undergone four name changes. At different times, it was known, as previously mentioned, as the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNH) of the USSR, then as the Exhibition of Advanced Experience of the USSR, followed by the Exhibition of Advanced Experience of Ukraine of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, and the Expo Center of Ukraine of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine, and now it has received its latest (we hope) name — the National Complex “Expo Center of Ukraine”.
Land of the Metropolitans
Like any land in Kiev, the area of the modern Exhibition Center has never been barren and had its owners. In the 16th century, this locality belonged to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra until it passed into the personal ownership of the metropolitans Petro Mohyla and later Sylvester Kosiv, before becoming the property of the rector of the Mykhailivsky Zlatoverkhyi Monastery, Feofan. The latter decided to build a country residence of a dacha type for the monastery's rectors on this land.
8In this form, the territory of VDNH existed until 1920. At the same time, it was managed by the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In 1934, all institutions in this territory were closed by the Bolsheviks.
Interestingly, where the main entrance to the “Expo Center” now stands, there was once the entrance to the village of Krasny Traktir. This settlement consisted of only 20 households and primarily served as a postal station. Its main task was to service horses, wheeled carriages, and travelers.
Six Decades
In its current form, the “Expo Center” has been in existence for 66 years. In 1949, the former First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Nikita Khrushchev became the ideological inspirer of its establishment. According to his vision, a center for the Republican Agricultural Exhibition with the tallest sculpture of Joseph Stalin in Europe was to be built on the territory. Fortunately, after Stalin's death in 1953, this idea was rejected.
9The decision to construct VDNH was made three years after Khrushchev's proposal. Over six years, this idea was brought to life by the best architects, artists, and sculptors of Ukraine. As a result, on July 6, 1958, with the participation of 150,000 people, the facility was ceremoniously opened, but under the name VDNH of the USSR.
The First in the World
Today, the Central Square of the “Expo Center” is the only architectural-palatial complex in Ukraine and Europe. Its buildings are designed in all known architectural styles: Babylonian, Roman, Egyptian, and Greek, with extensive use of communist-Soviet symbolism. Currently, all 20 main pavilions of the exhibition center, as well as four fountains and a water tower, are recognized as architectural monuments of national significance.
0The most majestic structure on the territory of the “Expo Center” is Pavilion No. 1. Its height is 75 meters, and the 25-meter spire is covered in gold leaf. Due to these characteristics, this building is considered the most monumental civil structure of rotund type in Europe.
The Center's territory contains 180 buildings and structures, with a total area of 286.3 hectares. Of this area, over 48 hectares are built up, while 174 hectares are occupied by garden and forest park zones, ponds, and lakes. The permanent staff of VDNH consists of almost one and a half thousand various employees.
Notably, the closed exhibition area of the “Expo Center” is 18,000 square meters, while the open area is 21,000 square meters. Additionally, there are demonstration areas and competition fields totaling 30,000 square meters. Thus, in terms of total area, the Kyiv “Expo Center” ranks fifth in the world among the largest exhibition centers, following Hannover, Milan, Frankfurt, and Moscow. However, in terms of forest park area, the “Expo Center” is the greenest in the world. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was visited by up to two million people annually, as nearly 100 exhibitions were held there, half of which had international and national status.
Over the years, notable world politicians have visited the “Expo Center” — such as Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, French President General Charles de Gaulle, UN Secretary-General U Thant, Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Losses and Unfulfilled Ideas
Unfortunately, not all structures of the former VDNH have survived to this day. For instance, the “Green Theater” which burned down in 1996, and the auto pavilion built in 1958 was demolished in the 1970s. At that time, fragments of the monorail, electrified railway, and subway tunnel were dismantled. In the 1990s, the amusement area ceased to exist. Beekeeping, agrochemical laboratory, and three fish ponds were also eliminated.
1Additionally, at one time, the planned thematic exhibition pavilions — such as “Transport,” “Melioration and Water Management,” “Nature Conservation and Health,” “Fisheries,” and “Horticulture and Greening” — were not constructed or were not completed within the VDNH territory. The project of the Government Reception House also remained only on paper.
2One of the significant losses for the “Expo Center” is the Blue Whale exhibit that adorned Pavilion No. 11. This exhibit was made from the bones of a female blue whale, measuring 26 meters in length and weighing 140 tons. It was caught in Antarctica, stored for a long time in a special pit in Sevastopol, and then transferred to Kyiv. The skeleton of the ocean giant stood until the early 1990s and suddenly disappeared.
Interestingly, visitors to the VDNH were transported by special small blue-and-white buses with trailers. The length of the tour route was nearly 4.5 km. The ride lasted 40 minutes, and the fare was 10 Soviet kopecks. In November 1988, these vehicles were decommissioned, leaving the Exhibition Center without a tour transport.
3At the same time, in the mid-2010s, the Kyiv City Council distinguished itself with a variety of ideas that could be implemented. In particular, it was proposed to create a museum of the history of totalitarianism in Ukraine, a museum of totalitarian painting, a museum of the history of agrarian totalitarianism, a museum of totalitarian architecture, and a park of totalitarian sculpture.
Moreover, the deputies of the Kyiv City Council suggested placing an exhibition-museum of official gifts to Ukraine from other states, an anti-totalitarian art center, a concert hall, a museum of Euromaidan, a museum of modern defenders of Ukraine, an exhibition center for alternative energy, an IT exchange, a large observation tower, a sports complex, a swimming pool, an open hydropark based on artesian springs, a large exhibition pavilion, as well as a modern open-air summer cinema and other recreational and exhibition infrastructure in the Center's pavilions.
Scandals
Like all major facilities in Kyiv that occupy valuable plots of capital