Central Post Office (Kyiv)
| Central Post Office | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | Khreshchatyk, 22 Kyiv, Ukraine[1] |
| Coordinates | 50°27′00″N 30°31′24″E / 50.4499°N 30.5232°E |
| Current tenants | Ukrposhta |
| Completed | 1958[1] |
The Central Post Office (Ukrainian: Головпоштамт, romanized: Holovposhtamt) in Kyiv, Ukraine, is located in Maidan Nezalezhnosti.[2] It houses Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, and includes offices and a 24-hour internet café on the upper floors.[2][3] The building was completed in 1958, and underwent a renovation during the 1990s.[1]
History
Construction for a new post office began in 1914, was halted by World War I, and was eventually completed in 1941.[1] It was deliberately destroyed later that year by Soviet forces in an explosion during the 1941 demolition of Kyiv, once Nazi forces had entered the city following the Red Army's retreat.[1][4] The current building was built between 1952 and 1958.[1]
On 2 August 1989, during heavy rainfall, the portico of the building collapsed, killing 13 people.[5][1][6][a] At the time of the collapse, the building had been undergoing reconstruction.[5]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, although many Ukrposhta employees either moved to safer areas in Western Ukraine or left the country entirely, the post office remained operational.[3] Ukrposhta also released a number of popular stamps, highlighting events such as the sinking of the Moskva, the 2022 Crimean Bridge Bombing, and the liberation of Kherson, leading people to queue up for hours outside the post office.[7][8][9][10]
Building
The seven-story brick building has concrete floors and a tin roof.[1] It is L-shaped, with its wings being about 80 m (260 ft) in length.[1] The wing located along Khreshchatyk has a slight curvature.[1] The façade includes Ukrainian Baroque elements.[1] The building used to have a parapet, but it does no longer.[1] White marble tiles were added to the central hall during a renovation in the 1990s.[1] On the first floor, the frames for the doors and windows are made of dark granite.[1]
Gallery
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Three-quarter view -
Monument in front of building -
Central hall -
Seal of Ukrposhta -
Lit for the holidays -
![The old post office in 1937[b]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%89%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA_%D0%A1%D0%9A_1937-10-33.jpg/180px-%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%89%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA_%D0%A1%D0%9A_1937-10-33.jpg)
The old post office in 1937[b] -
The old building, destroyed in 1941 -
Collapsed portico in 1989 -
Around the start of Euromaidan -
Around the end of Euromaidan
.jpg)
![The old post office in 1937[b]](/en/File:%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%89%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA_%D0%A1%D0%9A_1937-10-33.jpg)
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