Kyiv

According to the famous Primary Chronicle the name of the city derives from the name of a legendary leader of the eastern Polans, Ruthenian prince Kyi, the brother of Schek and Khoryv. According to historical data, Kyiv - which was the capital of Kievan Rus (9th century), Kievan province (after the Union of Lublin 1569), the Ukrainian People's Republic (1918), the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and finally the capital of independent Ukraine (since 1991) - was founded in the early 5th century as a trading post on the route joining Constantinople with Scandinavia. Today this city situated on the Dnieper River, with remarkable cultural and historic wealth, is an important hub, industrial and educational centre, as well as the host of numerous international fairs.