KievMapJuly 17–31, 2009 A new sandy-beige uniform was issued to the local police over the summer. Sandy beige abruptly went out of style among civilians.  In Soviet times, an architectural monument was incorrectly called a pam’yatnik in Ukrainian.  Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Pam’yatnik of Architecture. Protected by Law The correct term is pam’yatka.  Ukraine. Pam’yatka of Architecture. Mansion. Preservation No. 359. Protected by the state. Damage punishable by law Sometimes you have to live in a city for several months to discover a super-important detail. Turns out, in Kiev, electrical insulators are mounted directly on the walls of almost all the buildings that are tucked away in the courtyards. Facades facing the streets have been free of such ugliness for the past 40 or so years.  But Kiev’s main object of interest is the taxi roof sign. There’s an unspoken competition here for the most original, interesting, eye-catching, striking and memorable roof sign. Sometimes it seems like no two are the same.            But the uncontested winner of this viewing is undoubtedly the phone handset that takes up almost the entire roof of the car.  |
