Information
Landmark: House with ChimaerasCity: Kyiv
Country: Ukraine
Continent: Europe
House with Chimaeras, Kyiv, Ukraine, Europe
Overview
The House with Chimaeras (Будинок з химерами) stands out as one of Kyiv’s most remarkable landmarks, famous for the fantastical creatures and ornate details that cover its walls.Built in the early 1900s, this Art Nouveau gem is known for ornate carvings of exotic animals, mythical beasts, and vivid hunting scenes-like a stag frozen mid-leap.At 10 Bankova Street in Kyiv’s city center, just steps from the Presidential Administration, stands an Art Nouveau building with touches of fantasy and Gothic style, designed by Polish-Ukrainian architect Vladislav Gorodetsky-often called the “Gaudí of Kyiv”-between 1901 and 1902 as both a luxury apartment house and his own home.The building takes its name from the many sculpted chimaeras perched along its façade, their stone wings and snarling faces catching the light.It began as a home, but now it serves mostly as a hub for government business, with its heavy wooden doors opening to the public only for special events or scheduled tours.The building’s exterior brims with intricate concrete sculptures, each one a chimaera-a fantastical blend of animal parts, like a lion’s mane curling around an eagle’s beak.You’ll find elephants lumbering past, rhinos with mud-caked hides, crocodiles lurking in the shallows, lions on the prowl, dragons in vivid colors, and plenty of other exotic creatures.Details feature hunting motifs-rifles leaning against a tree, a pair of dogs poised and alert.Sculptures tuck into balconies, perch on cornices, and cling to rooflines, lending the building a surreal flair and a bold, theatrical edge.At the time, using reinforced concrete was a bold new idea, making it possible to carve out intricate details, right down to the sweep of a curled leaf.The interior was first created as lavish apartments, filled with Art Nouveau touches like curved brass railings and stained glass panels.These days, most of the interiors are off-limits, with heavy wooden doors that stay firmly shut to visitors.Certain spaces are kept in pristine condition for official state events, like the echoing marble hall where dignitaries gather.Exotic animals and mythic beasts carry the spirit of adventure and fantasy, reflecting the architect’s bold imagination-like a gilded dragon curling along a rooftop.The hunting motifs reveal the owner’s love for tracking game and being out in the wild, where the air carries the scent of pine.The building’s whimsical curves and carved beasts clash vividly with the stately, white-columned offices around it, making it one of Kyiv’s most striking examples of architectural variety.Today, the House with Chimaeras hosts the president’s official and diplomatic gatherings, where guests step past its carved stone beasts into grand, echoing halls.The building sits inside the official government complex, so the public can’t just walk in off the street.Now and then, it welcomes the public during cultural festivals or on special guided tours, when the air hums with music and chatter.You’ll find it at 10 Bankova Street in Kyiv, though it’s usually off-limits except for rare tours or special events.The best view is from the sidewalk on Bankova Street or while strolling through the nearby parks.Within walking distance are Mariinsky Park, Mariinsky Palace, and the Verkhovna Rada building.Gorodetsky also left his mark on the city with landmarks like the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the grand St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral.The House with Chimaeras stands as Kyiv’s bold emblem of architectural whimsy, its stone beasts frozen mid-prowl above the street.Among the earliest structures in Kyiv, it rose from solid slabs of reinforced concrete, still cool to the touch on a summer morning.
