Kyiv - Ukraine - page 125

GAME OF ARCHITECTURE

Beautifying Kyiv's skyline was obviously his vocation, but Wladislaw Horodecki had
very little time for it. There were so many exciting things to do in Kyiv at the start of
the 20th century, like riding first motorcars or taking to the skies in flimsy biplanes
built by aspiring aviation engineers. One of them was Igor Sikorsky, a fellow Kyivite,
destined to become the father of the US helicopter industry. But Horodecki's main
passion was big-game hunting, which took him to Siberia, Central Asia, Afgh-
anistan and Africa. He even authored a book about his exploits in the savannah.
That is why his contribution to Kyiv's cityscape appears relatively modest. But
discounting all the storehouses and public toilets the architect designed to fund his
adventures, it is fair to say that his creations became Kyiv's architectural icons.
Those include the classical-styled National Arts Museum, the neo-Gothic St Nich-
olas Catholic Cathedral, the Karaite Kenasa on vul Yaroslaviv val and - most fam-
ously - House of Chimeras.
He decorated the latter with his hunting trophies and intended to occupy one of
the apartments, while renting out the others. But debts were piling up and he had
to sell it in 1912. Soon WWI began, followed by the Russian revolution. Horodecki
escaped to Poland, but always passionate about travel (and short of funds), he
moved to Iran at the age of 65 to build Tehran's train station and shah's palace. He
died there in 1930.
These days, Wladislaw Horodecki (or at least his bronze statue) seems to be in
no hurry and is always available for a coffee and a chat in the Pasazh. There is a va-
cant seat by his (also bronze) table, which you are free to take, without worrying
that he will dash off to walk his pet monkey on vul Khreshchatyk, as he did a cen-
tury ago.

Information

INTERNET ACCESS
The Central Post Office has an efficient internet service. For more internet facilities,
Click here .

GOOGLE MAP (2nd fl, vul Khreshchatyk 48; per hr Oscar Internet Centre OFFLINE MAP

20uah; 24hr; Teatralna) VOIP calls to Europe and the US cost 0.85uah per minute.

MEDICAL SERVICES

American Medical Center (

emergency hotline [phone]; http://amcenters.com ; vul

Berdychivska 1; 24hr; Lukyanivska) Western-run medical centre with English-speaking

doctors.