Tourist Route “Chant of Ukrainian Empire style”

Poltava is a city with its long and fateful history, which left its track both  at home and in Europe. We invite you to take a walk around in the streets of Poltava  and feel its snow-white chant of the Ukrainian Empire style. We will talk about the Empire architectural style, which is widely represented on Poltava land.In the early nineteenth century Poltava becomes the centre of the province or so called governorate. The new status also required an architectural renovation of the city. Cathedral Square had been the historic centre for a long time, but because of lack of space, it had no enough room for all necessary administrative institutions of the provincial Poltava taking into considerations fast development and growth of the city.

The talented graduate of Moscow Architecture School M. Avrosimov got the chance to refurbish the city. It was him who suggested to the Governor-General O. Kurakin to set the administration buildings on a new square in a circle. Thus, within the period from 1805 and 1840-s the pure white architectural ensemble of the Round Square was formed, which proved to be the fashion for the Empire style.

M. Avrosimov based his project for the future buildings on the so-called "exemplary" designs by the famous St. Petersburg architect A. Zakharov. This is the style that was used to erect the Novorossiya’s Post office (1809), which is the Small Academy of Arts now, the building of the Noble Assembly (1810) - now it is the cinema building named after Kotlyarevskyi, the Governorate Administrative office (1811), which is the city council now, the building of the Vice-Governor (1811 - residential building) which is the Office for Fighting the Organized Crime today, Peter's Cadet Corps (1840), the building of the Governor-General (1811), which is the building of trade unions these days.

The total number of buildings of this beautiful style of Empire or as it is also called the Provincial classicism of the beginning of 19-th century is eight. The center of Corps Park, which was founded back at the same year of 1840 has the famous monument of Glory (by architect Tom de Tomon) Until this very day we can see buildings on the central street of Sobornosti (Cathedral street): The House of Varshavskyi and The Grand Hotel, the former department of excise and the State Bank, the house of Joseph Khmelevsky and others.

We will also stop at the Petrovskyi Park, which stretches all the way to the Sunny one. We’ll take a look at the house of Taranushenko and General’s wife Selastelnikova, go to the Institute Hill, admire the exquisite houses of V.V. Kapnist and the house of the city’s first fire and police departments, the architectural complex of the School for Noble Maidens (the project of architect O. Staubert), and we’ll visit the city garden (founded in 1803).

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