Exhibition: "Kyiv Guidebooks and Maps"

Starting May 20, the "Homestead on Kudriavka" Museum presents a new exhibition: "Kyiv Guidebooks and Maps."

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kyiv underwent a rapid transformation: the city expanded, and new streets, tram lines, bridges, hotels, and educational institutions emerged. These changes created a growing demand for maps and guidebooks to help residents and visitors navigate the bustling modern metropolis.

The exhibition features vintage guidebooks, tourist maps, and city plans that, over a century ago, guided travelers to shrines, theaters, restaurants, and train stations — even providing the fares for local horse-drawn cabs.

A special focus is placed on guidebooks dedicated to Kyiv’s sacred sites, such as the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and ancient monasteries. It was through these publications that Kyiv's identity as a preeminent spiritual and cultural center was shaped.

Today, these maps and guides serve as invaluable historical documents, offering a glimpse of the city exactly as Kyivans saw it more than a hundred years ago.