Categories: HISTORYUKRAINE

The oldest residential building in Kyiv

The building located at 7 Kontraktova Square is officially considered the oldest residential building in Kyiv. To clarify — it is the oldest residential building that still serves its original purpose: housing. It was constructed in 1798 with funds from nobleman Leontiy Vyshnevsky (his father, Fedir, was the one who brought Oleksii Rozumovsky to the capital of the empire). Just a year earlier, a different building stood on this site, but it was destroyed in the fire of 1797.

In 1806, the building was once again damaged by fire. It was restored, but in 1811, the most catastrophic fire in the history of Podil broke out. All the wooden buildings burned down, and the brick ones — including the Vyshnevsky house — were scorched. The following year, a complete redevelopment of Podil began. Few pre-fire buildings have survived, and the Vyshnevsky house is among them. It no longer faced the street with its main facade and was gradually expanded over time. Its appearance was particularly distorted by wooden annexes and Soviet-era brick additions.

Today, the building is located in a courtyard — to reach it, you need to pass through an archway at 3 Frolivska Street. From the outside, it doesn’t resemble a tourist attraction at all, but inside it is quite fascinating. The ground floor still features vaults dating back to the late 18th century, as well as a wooden staircase from the late 19th century and many other historical details. The building is owned by Kostyantyn Maleyem, who gladly welcomes tourists to view the main vaulted room (the hall). He even allows small events and film shoots to be held there.

The Maleyev family has owned the building since 1891, when the great-grandfather of the current owner, Maksym Nechayev — a well-known confectioner in the empire who sold gingerbread — purchased it. During Soviet times, the building was converted into communal housing with five apartments — in fact, each room became a separate apartment. Kostyantyn Maleyev invested tremendous effort into returning the house to his family’s ownership — some parts he bought back, others he reclaimed through court.

Near the entrance stands a tree planted by the current owner’s mother in 1945.

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