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10 Bankova Street
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It is these giant concrete frogs that guard the roof of the House with Chimaeras on Bankova Street. This architectural symbol of Kyiv was built by the star architect Władysław Horodecki in 1901–1903. He was a huge fan of hunting. Presumably, this is precisely why the façades of this house in Art Nouveau style are decorated with dozens of concrete sculptures of various animals authored by Elio Salya. The house is believed to be the embodiment of Horodecki’s dream of hunting in the African savannah, and numerous chimeras reflect the fauna of the local mountain ranges and lakes.
On different sides, the building has the varying number of storeys, each of which has a single flat. It was planned that the architect himself would live in one of them, and the rest of the apartments would be rented out. Unfortunately, due to a difficult financial situation, Horodecki was forced to sell his creation, and then, in 1917 the building was nationalised. Now, the civil servants’ offices are located there, and the President holds ceremonial receptions in several halls.