Golden domes above the Dnipro
Kyiv is among the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, the centre of the medieval state of Kyivan Rus. Its greatest monuments are Saint Sophia's Cathedral, with 11th-century mosaics and frescoes, and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a monastery complex with caves where monks were buried, both UNESCO sites. The gold-domed St Michael's Monastery, the sloping Andriyivskyy Descent and the broad Khreshchatyk boulevard are other landmarks, set on hills above the Dnipro river.