In our area: Central Bus Station.

In the capital, there are many places with intriguing histories that few people are aware of.

Kyiv is made up of ten administrative units—districts. Each of them is the size of a small town. The districts have their own histories, traditions, and interesting locations.

Kashтан NEWS shares and reminds us about fascinating facts regarding Kyiv's districts. Last time, we discussed areas named Mysholovka, Zvyrynets, Batiyeva Hora, Lysa Hora, Chorna Hora, Cherepanova Hora, Korchuvate, Feofaniya, Ipodrom, Expo Center, Ice Stadium, the museum in Pirogovo, Teremky, and Holosiivskyi Park.

Today, we will talk about the Central Bus Station.

Location

The Central Bus Station "Kyiv" is located in the Holosiivskyi district, in a historical area—on Demiivska Square, along Nauky Avenue. It serves as the main passenger bus gateway to the capital: for many decades, it has been referred to as the "second gate" of the city, after the railway station. The station can accommodate up to 600 buses and nearly 7,000 passengers daily. It has a total area of over 3,500 square meters.

Currently, modern bus liners depart from the platforms of the bus station to other cities in Ukraine, as well as to European countries.

History of Creation

The main bus station in Kyiv was constructed over four years—from 1957 to 1961—based on a design by a group of architects that included Avraam Miletskyi, Eduard Bilskyi, and others. The new bus station became one of the first examples of capital modernization, in line with new trends. In November 1955, the Soviet Union adopted a resolution aimed at "eliminating excesses in design and construction." In other words, the pomp of "Stalinist" architecture began to be criticized for "unjustified excesses" related to decorative elements in the exteriors and interiors, excessive stucco work, and more.

In the early 1970s, a road interchange was built around the bus station, allowing access to 11 boarding platforms. Almost 40 years later—in 2008-2010—an auto overpass and a metro station were constructed in front of the bus station.

Renovation

Interestingly, in 2013, there were plans to close the station and redistribute bus routes among 20 other bus stations scattered across the city. However, someone thoughtfully reconsidered and convinced the city authorities to abandon this idea.

Meanwhile, the city was rapidly growing, and the main building of the bus station underwent its first renovation only in 2015. That is, nearly 60 years after its inception, the interior was updated, and the exterior was clad in glass and ventilated facades. The next renovation occurred in 2021, during which the elements of cultural heritage—artistic mosaic ceramic panels by Ada Ryabchuk and Volodymyr Melnychenko—were restored inside. The station's facade was also redesigned, and the interior found space for a hotel with 34 rooms, a hostel, a lounge area, and a room for mothers and children. It is worth noting that previously, the first floor of the bus station housed a café-restaurant, a hair salon, and small shops.

At the same time, a one-story building housing a McDonald's restaurant, which had been located there since 2001, was demolished, and a two-story structure was built in its place. The number of bus platforms was also increased from 11 to 30.

Another interesting fact is that in early spring 2021, the State Property Fund of Ukraine sold the bus station to private ownership. The new owner decided to give the building a modern elegant look. Investments in this endeavor exceeded 100 million hryvnias. Additionally, the owner spent nearly 20 million hryvnias on the development of various IT solutions: now, for instance, passengers can enter the platform using a ticket with a QR code.

Mosaic Decor

Arguably, one of the main attractions of the bus station, its distinctive hallmark, is the mosaic panel. It consists of small pieces of various tiles that decorate the walls and floor of the premises. Interestingly, each detail in this composition merges into a unified picture.

The artists working on the design of the Central Bus Station labored from June to December 1960. They proposed black for the walls, yellow for the ceiling, and turquoise for the columns.

A composition titled "Movement" was created on the walls of the third floor and the staircases of the second. It recreated the atmosphere of nighttime Kyiv: silhouettes of cars and outlines of streets were laid out on black glazed tiles.

By the way, during the renovation of the building, restoration work on the mosaic was also carried out. This took 162 days. As a result, the efforts of a group of restorers led by Volodymyr Melnychenko completely restored the mosaic fragments on the columns of the three floors of the building, as well as the damaged tiles on the walls.

How to Get There

If you are interested in visiting the Central Bus Station to see everything for yourself, you can take the metro to the "Demiivska" station, as well as trolleybuses No. 2, 4, 11, 12, 43, 416, 507; buses on routes No. 19, 20, 22, 28, 119; minibuses No. 1, 22, 205, 211, 239, or use private transport with the help of a navigator.

Yevhen DEM’YANOV