National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine
Coordinates: 50°27′12″N 30°31′42″E / 50.45333°N 30.52833°E
The National Philharmonic of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна Філармонія України), often referred to as Kiev Philharmonic and National Philharmonic, is a complex of two adjacent concert halls in the Khrestchaty Park in Kiev, Ukraine. Formerly the Merchant's House, the building's use for musical performances is associated with the Philharmonic Society, established by Mykola Lysenko.
The historic building was built at the end of the 19th century. Standing at the end of Khreschatyk street near the European Square, it has hosted numerous Russian composers such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and famous opera singers like Leonid Sobinov and Feodor Chaliapin.
At the end of the nineteenth century, Kiev, at the time the leading commercial center in the south-west of the Russian Empire, flourished in its cultural development. In 1881, the Council of Elders of the Kiev Merchants Assembly acquired permission to establish a recreational area in the Tsarskaya (Tsar’s) Square (now the European Square) where a year later a brick building decorated with towers and metal eaves was erected by the famous Kiev architect Vladimir Nikolayev and named the Merchants' House (Merchants' Assembly). The building rapidly gained recognition among Kiev residents and became the center for cultural gatherings where society held masquerade balls, science and political conferences, charitable lotteries, and literary evenings. Because of the building's good acoustics the Merchants' House became popular for musical performances.
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