<p><br />

Parts of<br />

Khreshchatyk street which do not exist currently. The character of<br />

the housing indicates that the ground floors were occupied by shops<br />

and workshops (e.g., those producing seals or stamps) while the upper<br />

floors were residential. The buildings’ architecture is typical of<br />

the 1880s-1890s: they are constructed in the Historist style,<br />

sometimes having façades with rather rich plastic decorations and<br />

dormer windows. Over the balconies, there is a kind of draw linen<br />

curtains, the so-called marquees used for protection from excess<br />

light; it is one of the peculiar things here. The street is divided<br />

into a sidewalk and a carriageway by limiters; the both parts are<br />

located on the same level. There are many carts on the road, which<br />

are harnessed with a horse, as well as cabs; before the advent of<br />

trams and cars it had been the main kind of wheel transport, which,<br />

nevertheless, did not lose its popularity in the following decades.<br />

The façades of the buildings are reflected in the puddle, and this<br />

is an undoubted sign of the picture quality. Some poles can be seen<br />

on the street; most likely, they are meant for electric lighting but,<br />

for some reason or other, there are no electric wires on them; the<br />

process of installation was probably going on.</p><p>Olga Martyniuk</p>