Inspirational Kyiv stories: Vladyslav Gorordetsky

Today, when all of us have more time for our beloved affairs and interesting discoveries, Premier Hotels and Resorts offers you to feel the spirit of Kyiv and inspired with the stories of the legendary Kyiv native persons.

Yulia Bevzenko, manager of Kyiv, tour guide and author of the Shukay project has prepared 5 inspirational Kyiv stories especially for Premier.

The story of my last inspiration began in Uzhgorod in 2017. In all the cities and countries that I visit, I take individual tours with guides. In Uzhgorod, we had an excursion with Victor Opalenik and at one point he showed us a tiny sculpture of the Statue of Liberty. Just a small sculpture was attached on the railing of the embankment and Victor told us that there are already more than 20 such sculptures in the city and all of them are somehow connected with Uzhgorod, Ukraine and Hungary. I did not need anything else, neither a tour, nor a house, nor facts; I wanted to find all the sculptures. Finding each, I was happy and jumped like a child. Having returned to Kyiv, I realized that it would be great if there was such a project in Kyiv. Only so that these sculptures tell the story of Kyiv. Thought and forgot.

So the project “Shukay!” was born, because I simply could not take and forget about such an idea. In two years, we installed 24 mini-sculptures and on April 10 the twenty-fifth (it was an online opening).

Creating the project “Shukay!”, I realized that I needed new skills and new strengths. I needed to be uncompromising, faith in my idea, a little crazy, industriousness and many stories about Kyiv. Every time it was difficult for me, I remembered the stories of those people about whom I will tell today. So, get acquainted, Vladislav Gorodetsky.

IV Story

VLADYSLAV GORODETSKY

Our next hero is the owner of a plant, an airplane and one of the best weapons collections in Kyiv. Sikorsky's friend, smart, poseur, businessman and eccentric man. It would seem, but where is the talent and hardworking skills? He combined all incompatible qualities. What did Vladislav Gorodetsky constructed and why is he interesting to us?

He has built the House with Chimeras, the National Art Museum, the Nikolaev Catholic Church, the Karaite Kenasa.

Looking at these Kyiv pearls, it’s even embarrassing to remember how Vladyslav Gorodetsky, a young graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts, began his journey. At the beginning of his career, Gorodetsky built sewers. When no one knew him yet, when it was necessary to start from something. Gorodetsky's architectural bureau began with the design of toilets for Kyiv estates. He took on any job and soon became perhaps the most popular person in the city. 100% of other architects were much stronger than Gorodetsky, but no one had so much energy, excitement and entrepreneurial spirit.

While everybody was using stone for construction, he believed in a novelty - concrete. Since Gorodetsky had a lot of hobbies, he had a good environment. And when he needed support, he turned to friends for help. So to build a house with chimeras, he turned to the owners of the cement plant FOR. He offered to sell him concrete at a low price - that the constructed building will become an advertisement to the enterprise. Gorodetsky succeeded, the FOR plant began to receive orders, and soon he also used concrete for his projects. In fact, he used the karaite kenasa and the house with chimeras as a billboard of the possibilities of the new material.

When he decided to build a house on the steep Kyiv slope, everybody talk he was crazy. Three floors on the one hand, six floors on the other, two sections - one for the house, the other just to avoid neighborhood. A house with chimeras was not supposed to be a house with chimeras. In the beginning there are no animals at all building. The money simply ran out and it was necessary to get a second wave of investment, and he and his friend Elio Sal came up with this move - to frame the house with sculptures, especially since Gorodetsky was a hunter. There was a barn in the house with cows to drink fresh milk in the morning. In the house was a drawing workshop of Gorodetsky.

Cellar.

Laundry.

Glacier.

Elevator.

Alexander Kobelev said that he was just crazy. He was an excellent businessman. While an apartment in a tenement house could be rented from 200 rubles, he rented his own from 420 to 3.5 thousand rubles. At that time, a kilogram of pork costs 30 kopecks.

He could earn huge sum of money and at one moment could spend it all. For example, expend money on a Safari or buy his own plane. He wrote, illustrated and published the book “In the Jungle of Africa” all by himself. Walked along the street with a pet monkey. He owned one of the first cars in Kyiv. He created theatrical costumes and jewelry. He had everything he dreamed about.

Even great people started from the bottom and Gorodetsky is a vivid example of this.