National Philharmonic of Ukraine

In 1881, the Council of Elders of the Kiev Merchants Assembly acquired permission to establish a recreational area in the Tsarskaya (Tsar’s) Square (now the European Square) where a year later a brick building decorated with towers and metal eaves was erected by the famous Kiev architect Vladimir Nikolayev and named the Merchants’ House (Merchants’ Assembly). The building rapidly gained recognition among Kyiv residents and became the center for cultural gatherings where society held masquerade balls, science and political conferences, charitable lotteries, and literary evenings. Because of the building’s good acoustics the Merchants’ House became popular for musical performances.nAfter the 1941 Nazi invasion, the Philharmonic Society stopped its work, and most of its priceless archives were destroyed. During the German occupation of Kyiv, the Society’s building was converted to a German Officer’s Club. This was one of the important reasons why the building was not destroyed, remaining one of the very few surviving pre-war buildings on Khreshchatyk street. Following the liberation of Kyiv, the Philharmonic Society building resumed its operation in 1944 as soon as hostilities moved away from Kyiv.