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The '''Verkhovna Rada building''' is located in the centre of ]'s capital city ]. It is the place where the Ukrainian ] ''(])'' meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions. The '''Verkhovna Rada building''' is located in the centre of ]'s capital city ]. It is the place where the Ukrainian ] ''(])'' meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions.


The building was erected in ]–] to a design by ] (Vladimir Zabolotny) in the ] ] {{fact}}, in Kiev's centre-most ] section of the ] neighbourhood. At the time, the rapid development of the city was just accelerated by the recent (]) transfer of the capital of ] from ] to ] and many administrative buildings to house the government institutions of the ] appeared in central Kiev. Zabolotny, a chief city architect at the time, was awarded the State Award of Ukraine in ], specifically for the design of the Rada building. The building was erected in ]–] to a design by ] (Vladimir Zabolotny) in the ] ], in Kiev's centre-most ] section of the ] neighbourhood. At the time, the rapid development of the city was just accelerated by the recent (]) transfer of the capital of ] from ] to ] and many administrative buildings to house the government institutions of the ] appeared in central Kiev. Zabolotny, a chief city architect at the time, was awarded the State Award of Ukraine in ], specifically for the design of the Rada building.


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Revision as of 15:21, 21 March 2006

Verkhovna Rada building

The Verkhovna Rada building is located in the centre of Ukraine's capital city Kiev. It is the place where the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions.

The building was erected in 193638 to a design by Volodymyr Zabolotny (Vladimir Zabolotny) in the neo-classical Stalinist architectural style, in Kiev's centre-most Lypky section of the Pechersk neighbourhood. At the time, the rapid development of the city was just accelerated by the recent (1934) transfer of the capital of Soviet Ukraine from Kharkiv to Kiev and many administrative buildings to house the government institutions of the Soviet Republic appeared in central Kiev. Zabolotny, a chief city architect at the time, was awarded the State Award of Ukraine in 1940, specifically for the design of the Rada building.

File:Rada at night.jpg
Night view of the Verkhovna Rada building with its illuminated glass dome.

A hundred-tonne glass dome over the main session hall is the building's most memorable feature. The red-and-blue Flag of Soviet Ukraine was flown on the dome's top for most of the Rada's history, until replaced by the yellow-and-blue national Flag of Ukraine following Ukraine's attainment of independence in 1991.

File:Verkhovna Rada face.jpg
Frontal facade

The dome's multicoloured illumination at night provides a memorable view, one of Kiev's tourist attractions. The front of the building was decorated with ornament and statues featuring Soviet symbolism, with the Coat of Arms of the Ukrainian SSR in the centre. Following Ukrainian independence some of the decoration was altered and some replaced, to reflect the national symbolism of independent Ukraine. Currently, the stylized trident, the centrepiece of the modern Coat of Arms of Ukraine, is featured above the front entrance to the building. The interior of the building is generously decorated with intricate wood panels, multicoloured marbles, bronze artworks, and statuary. The chandelier in the main hall is in the shape of the sunflower, a motif frequently featured in the Ukrainian folk arts.

File:Verkhovna Rada back.jpg
Rear side of the building

The first session of the parliament of Soviet Ukraine convened in the building in May, 1939. Having been destroyed in the Second World War, the building was reconstructed in its original style in 1945-1947 and the glass dome was rebuilt one metre higher than the original one. Although it is adjacent to Rastrelli's Baroque Mariyinsky Palace (1752), the architect of the more monumental and imposing Rada building managed to avoid disharmony from the juxtaposition of such contrasting architectural styles.

File:Rada plus mariyinsky.jpg
The juxtaposition of the glass-domed neo-classical Verkhovna Rada building and the late Baroque Mariyinsky Palace is shown in this aerial view. The greenery of the Mariyinsky Park and the Dnieper slopes, the floodlights of the Lobanovs'kyi Dynamo Stadium and the flowing Dnieper River are in the backgroung.

The building is located on the eastern side of Hrushevskoho Street, across the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine building, and is surrounded by the Mariyinsky Palace, Mariyinsky Park, and a spacious pedestrian park square. From the square the building and the palace are seen next to each other, along with a spectacular view from the Kiev heights to the left-bank neighborhoods across the Dnieper River. The square is one of the favourite spots of Kievans and tourists.

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