Zhytniy Market (Ukrainian: Житній ринок, romanized: Zhytniy rynok) is an indoor market in the Podil neighbourhood of Kyiv, Ukraine. The modernist building, then the largest indoor market in Europe, opened in 1980 on the site of an open-air market dating to the time of the Kievan Rus'.
| Zhytniy Market | |
|---|---|
Житній ринок | |
 Market interior, 2021 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Indoor market |
| Address | 16 Verkhnii Val St., Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 50°27′54″N 30°30′41″E / 50.4650°N 30.5115°E |
| Year(s) built | 1974–1980 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Valentyn Shtolko, Olha Monina |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
editThere has been a market on the site since the time of the Kievan Rus', and it has been a major marketplace since the 15th century.[1]
Indoor market
editThe current modernist building was designed by Valentyn Shtolko and Olha Monina, and built in 1974–1980.[2][3] Designed to accommodate 1,350 vendors, it was then the largest indoor market in Europe.[4] A curving concrete ceiling patterned with hexagonal indentations spans the market hall, supported by jutting beams.[2][3] Clerestory windows on all sides are overlaid with metal designs evoking the horse chestnut leaf that symbolises Kyiv. Metal reliefs on the exterior by Anatoliy Domnych depict Ukrainian trade routes over 1,500 years.[3][5]
The building is in need of renovation[6] and is threatened by the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022 and also by anti-Russian sentiment that has led to the destruction of many monuments from the Soviet era.[3] Once packed with vendors and the site of monthly flea markets,[2] it is now little used. The Kyiv City Council has offered its lease at auction and then withdrawn it twice in 2024.[3][6] Celebrity chef Yevhen Klopotenko is among those urging the building be saved and refurbished as a tourist attraction.[3][4][7]
References
edit- ^ "Про Житній ринок" [About Zhytniy Market]. Житній Ринок (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Elina Kent (14 January 2021). "Kyiv's 12 extraordinary sights of Soviet architecture". Kyiv Post.
- ^ a b c d e f Charlotte Higgins (12 August 2024). "'Casual decommunisation': seeking to save Ukraine's Soviet-era modernist masterpieces". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Ally of Kyiv mayor may soon own Zhytniy Market". The New Voice of Ukraine. 3 October 2023.
- ^ Darmon Richter (18 September 2023). "10 Extraordinary Examples of Modernist Architecture in Kyiv". TravelMag.
- ^ a b Kateryna Hodunova (12 April 2024). "Kyiv City Council suspends second auction for iconic food market due to public uproar". The Kyiv Independent.
- ^ Dominic Culverwell (22 March 2024). "Kyiv at risk of losing iconic market to development". The Kyiv Independent.
External links
edit
- Official website (in Ukrainian)
- 2015 photographs
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