Hostynnyi Dvir (Kyiv)

Hostynnyi Dvir (Ukrainian: Гостинний двір [ɦɔˈstɪnːɪi̯ dʲʋʲir]; Russian: Гостиный двор, Gostiny dvor) is a trade complex (hosting court) built in Kyiv, Ukraine (at the time part of the Russian Empire) back in 1813 by Luigi Rusca.

The original merchant house type complex in Kyiv was built in the 1760s at Podil by the project of Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi, but with time it became too small due to increase of trading, so in the 1790s it was decided to organize an additional marketplace on a square nearby.

Neoclassical architect Luigi Rusca was chosen to develop a new two-storey trade complex to be located on the square.

In July 1811 there was a fire at Podil which firefighters could not extinguish quickly and due to neighborhood mostly consisting of wooden buildings and a windy season it had turned into a a three-day-long disaster.

In the beginning of XX century the second floor was enlarged by lowering the first one, it was made to increase the space for trade.

In 70s the metro line was built to Podil and due to underground work the merchant court got a subsidence.

Valentyna Shevchenko and Yurii Losytskyi developed a reconstruction project based on Luigi Rusca's original one found in the archive.

In 1994, a music video of the People's Artist of Ukraine Pavlo Zibrov «Білий цвіт на калині» was filmed in Hostynnyi Dvir with the participation of People's Artists of Ukraine: Ivo Bobul, Lilia Sandulesu, Vitaly Bilonozhko and Svitlana Bilonozhko.

The illegal reconstruction was continuing with its roof being dismantled and a construction right in the middle of the court beginning, however the Revolution of Dignity had started in Ukraine later that year and the work had to be stopped in February 2014.

That month the trials against Ukrrestavratsiia had started and later the approval of the reconstruction was canceled and their ownership of the building was decided to be illegal.

Hostynnyi Dvir in 1920
Rebuilt Hostynnyi Dvir in 2012
Abandoned Hostynnyi Dvir without roof in 2019