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The most famous monument of decorative Art Nouveau in Kyiv was built on the slope of the Klov Plateau in 1901–1903 to the design by Władysław Horodecki. That is why it has three floors on one side, and six on the other! The architect’s friend, the Italian sculptor Elio Salya, created a stunning sculptural interweaving of exotic animals, mermaids, fantastic creatures and sea reptiles outside and inside the building. The house looks fabulous during the day, and mystical at night. They say that at midnight the ‘animals’ that inhabit it leave their dwellings and go wandering, flying and crawling around the city.
The history of the building is shrouded in other legends by Kyivites: they say that the architect built a fantastic building as a sign of mourning for his daughter who drowned. In fact, Horodecki only revealed his own ardent hunting passions in the decoration of the house. In 1913, he sold his house, and in 1920 he left Kyiv forever. His daughter lived for a long time after his death. After the restoration, the House with Chimaeras houses the official residence.