Description of the attraction
The house with chimeras was built by the architect Gorodetsky in 1903 on the former bank of the drained Goat bog. Many at that time considered it madness to start construction on a cliff - therefore, the house was initially shrouded in legends: they say that Gorodetsky took up construction on a bet with other architects, who argued that it was impossible to build on such a cliff.
According to Gorodetsky's drawings, the Italian sculptor Elio Sala decorated the facade and interiors with bizarre sculptures - sea monsters and exotic animals. There is a legend that the sea monsters on the facade are a tribute to the architect of his daughter drowned in the sea.
In the newly built house, the architect occupied one floor, the rest of the apartments were rented out. Despite the very high price, there was no end to customers. In 1913, Gorodetsky sold his mansion and in subsequent years the house changed its owners, and in the end, after the revolution, the building was nationalized. For some time, under Soviet rule, there were communal apartments in the house, then a hospital of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine was made in it.
In 2003-2004, "House with Chimeras" was restored: the interior of the building was completely restored, including parquet flooring and painting. After the restoration, the “House with Chimeras” became the Small Reception Residence of the President of Ukraine.
On the basis of Gorodetsky's house, a museum and cultural center "Masterpieces of Ukrainian Art" was created as a branch of the National Museum. The exposition of the center presents works of fine art, sculptures, objects of decorative and applied art from the fund collections of the leading museums of Ukraine.
