Mariinskyi Palace

Baroque masterpiece by Rastrelli on the Dnipro — the official ceremonial residence of Ukraine's president, next to parliament.

The Mariinskyi Palace stands on the steep right bank of the Dnipro River in Kyiv, one of the finest examples of Elizabethan Baroque architecture in Ukraine. Built in 1752 under Empress Elizabeth, it served as an imperial summer residence before falling into disuse and later being restored. Today it functions as the official ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine and is a protected architectural monument. The palace's vivid blue facade with white stucco ornaments is the work of architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli — the same architect behind the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. Its location directly beside the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, gives the site unusual political and symbolic weight.