The Golden Gate was the main ceremonial entrance to medieval Kyiv, constructed as part of the city’s fortification system and mentioned under the year 1037 in the chronicle The Tale of Bygone Years, during the reign of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. It was not only a defensive structure but also a grand symbol of the state’s power.
According to scholars, the name “Golden Gate” was borrowed from the main entrance gate of Constantinople — the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the primary ally of Kyivan Rus in the 11th century. It also echoed the traditions of Jerusalem, reinforcing the idea of Kyiv as the “second Jerusalem” — a spiritual center of the Orthodox world.
Today, the ruins of the ancient Rus’ walls are covered by a protective pavilion designed in stylized forms of Kyivan Rus architecture. This is a conceptual historical reconstruction created by architect Mykola Kholostenko, archaeologist Serhiy Vysotskyi, and restorer Yevheniia Lopushynska. It was opened in 1982 to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv and serves a dual purpose: to protect the authentic remains and at the same time allow modern visitors to imagine the grandeur of the Golden Gate of the 11th century.