Central Post Office (Kyiv)

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][lower-alpha 1] 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 and the liberation of Kherson, leading people to queue up for hours outside the post office.[7][8][9][10]

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]