Kyiv Fortress

It's just behind the Olympic Stadium, which is the odd thing about it: this is the largest earthwork fortress in Europe and the second largest in the world, and it sits in the middle of the city where most people walk straight past it.

Don't expect a single castle. The fortress is spread across four areas and you'll need to decide how much of it you want. The western side holds the Hospital Fortification and the Vasylkiv fortification, the northern part takes in the Kyiv Arsenal with its gendarme barracks and government buildings, and the southern side has the Pechersk citadel. Vasylkiv has three towers and the Hospital Fortification a single semi-tower. If you're only doing one, make it the Hospital Fortification - it's the best preserved and the most impressive.

What It Was For

Construction was announced after the council at Pereyaslav, and the fortifications went up in stages between the 17th and 19th centuries, with most of the work done under Nicholas I between the 1830s and 1850s, on ground where the fortified monastery of Pechersk Lavra had stood.

It never really worked. After a series of failed defences the fortress lost its military value entirely and was turned over to barracks and storage.

The Prison

Parts of it were used to hold prisoners, in conditions no different from a prison. Kosyi Caponier, built in 1844 from bare brick and stone with loopholes and gun ports in the walls, held mostly political prisoners. The museum here dates from Soviet times, and the exhibit people remember is the "Condemned carriage", where prisoners sentenced to death were executed.

It's a bleak place and worth knowing that before you bring children. The museum's collection of artillery and uniforms is the lighter half of the visit. English is limited, so a guide or some reading beforehand will get you a lot more out of it.