At: Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station

Hostynnyi dvir (Hostynnyidvir means Guest Yard and guest meant tradesman back in the day)is an old trade complex in the center of Podil. Fairs took place there from1728 to 1829.

In 1808,a Neoclassical rectangular building designed by Swiss-Italian Luigi Ruskawas constructed here. It had 50 stores and shops by specialization: silk, iron, fur etc. Each of them had two entrances, a basement and a storehouse. After finishing a second floor of the building, they did this hall with great acoustics, which is still attracting singers from all over the Europe.

  • This elegant building was colored in white and yellow.The outside walls were surrounded by arch galleries and facades were decorated with pilasters. Six gates led to Hostynnyidvir. It’s considered to be a construction lasting for years. Fires, lack of funds, reconstruction and several renovations has come along during two centuries.

  • The latest history is marked by quarrels with developers, who were planning to build a shopping center in the yard.

  • Thanks to the activists, the building was returned to the state's property, but the future remains uncertain.

- Guys, how do you see the modern Hostynnyidvir?You think it’s possible to combine something old and new?Just imagine.