Kiev is an ancient city of the Slavdom, the capital of mighty Kievskaya Rus'. It is mentioned in the following chronicle:"Povest Vremennykh Let" and "Slovo o Polku Igoreve" The fame of Kiev was widely spread in Europe and Asia, in many countries of the East and the West. Kyiv, a scenic city of close to 3 million people situated on the Dnipro River, is the bustling capital of Ukraine. Ancient Kievan Rus, which reached its greatest period of ascendancy during the 11th and 12th centuries, was a center of trade routes between the Baltic and the Mediterranean. The city of Kyiv and the power of Kievan Rus were destroyed in 1240 by Mongol invaders and the lands of Kievan Rus were divided into principalities located to the west and north: Galicia, Volynia, Muscovy and later, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. Once a powerful force on the European scene, Ukraine's fate in modern times has been decided in far-off capitals. As a result, modern Ukrainian history, for the most part, has been defined by foreign occupation. But after gaining the independence by Ukraine in 1991 it significantly restored it's political and economic weight. Kyiv is a really beatiful city with its marvellous hills and unique sightseeings. Having bunch of trees and flowers it is always associated with chestnuts. Kyiv architectural landscape is unique. Due to the huge number of orthodox churches it is called sometimes the Gold-Domed city.