This beautiful palace sits on a hilly back of the Dnipro River in downtown Kiev Ukraine. Blair and I had a hard time capturing a photo of this building without hundreds of military soldiers around it. They were expecting protesters, so they called in the military to guard this and many other spots in the city that day. Let’s just say it made for an interesting day within the city.

This is the official ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine. It was originally built between 1744 and 1752 for the Russian empire royalty. It also serves as the residence for Governors-General in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sadly, it was burned down by a number of fires in the 19th century but was reconstructed later using old drawings and watercolors as their guide. In the early 1900s, it was part of an agricultural school and museum. It was badly damaged in World War II and restored again in the late 1940s. Today it serves for official functions for the Ukrainian President.

To view a larger version, click HERE