Trukhanov Ostrov

Trukhanov Ostrov is one of the favorite places of Kiev citizens and guests to the city. They come here to spend their leisure and enjoy the company of each other. On Trukhanov Ostrov there are the best and cleanest city beaches, which make the place an exciting oasis in the middle of the city hustle and bustle. Just like every resort place, it contains numerous cafes, bars, restaurants and other leisure places.

Trukhanov Ostrov is an island connected with the city by means of the Parkovy pedestrian bridge. The island is a paradise for fishers who enjoy sitting on the banks of the river and admire beautiful landscapes. There are numerous stories the fishers tell each other concerning great catch and unbelievable sizes of fishes they caught on the Trukhanov Bridge. The fishers believe that the island is a very lucky place.

The name Trukhanov Ostrov probably comes from Tugor-khan, who won a victory over Kiev Prince Svyatopolk II and made him marry his daughter. The summer residence of the princess was located on the island that was called in honor of her father. Several years later Tugor-khan was killed in a battle and buried in Berestov, close to the site where Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Church is located nowadays. Historians suppose that on Trukhanov Ostrov in 1103 Kiev Rus princes gathered to discuss their united efforts against the tribes of Polovtzi. Later the island belonged to the Pustinno-Nikolsky monastery, but at the end of the 18th century the lands were passed to the state treasury.

Until 1957 those who wanted to get to Trukhanov Ostrov had to hire a boat in the summers or cross the river by ice in the winters. In 1957 the Parkovy Bridge was constructed, and Trukhanov Ostrov gradually turned into fashionable place for a rest, and it still remains as such. There are counsels to turn the territory of the island into a huge entertaining center, supply Trukhanov Ostrov with a subway station and a rope-way. Probably the island will be changed soon, but until those times it will gladden the guests with plenty of flowers, trees and water.