Rusanivka ( uk, Русанівка; russian: Русановка, translit.: Rusanovka) is a man-made island and neighbourhood surrounded by a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

, the ''Rusanivs'kyi Kanal''. The canal is an artificial distributary of the

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...

. The river and canal make the neighborhood resemble an island. The island is located in the left-bank part of

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

, the capital of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. It is surrounded by such neighborhoods like Hidropark,

Darnytsia Darnytskyi District ( uk, Дарницький район, ), is an urban district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. It is the southeastern district of Kyiv located on the left bank of Dnipro river. It borders the Holosiivskyi District of the city t ...

, Berezniaky, and

Livoberezhnyi masyv Livoberezhnyi Masyv ( uk, Лівобережний масив) or commonly known as Livoberezhna ( uk, Лівобережна) is a residential neighborhood of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The neighborhood is administratively a part of the Dnipro ...

Overview

Closer to the river, Rusanivka has a couple small beaches. The neighbourhood has many apartment buildings, most are which are 9 to 16 stories tall. There are many stores and cafés on the ''Rusanivs'ka Naberezhna'', the main street in Rusanivka. Lacking industry, Rusanivka was conceived from the start as a purely residential neighbourhood according to the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

concept of allocating the so-called ''sleeping districts'' (dormitory neighbourhoods) in large industrial cities. It was envisaged, during creation of this neighbourhood, that the area would be served by two main types of public transportation — buses and river boats on Dnieper and canal – so private cars would not be necessary for the residents. The river boats would have created a

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

-like atmosphere in the area. In reality, mass transit based on river boats proved uneconomical and was discontinued. But this loss has been compensated for by a fleet of buses and

trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

which locals can reach right from the island. Besides, the Rusanivka Embankment has been recently renovated and attracts both the residents of the island and surrounding neighbourhoods to take a walk or have dinner at a local cafe. One can try anything from European to Asian to

Greek cuisine Greek cuisine ( Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα) is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In common with many other cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. It uses vegetables, ol ...

there. The island is also known for its dancing

fountains A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...

at the canal open from spring till autumn every year.

External links

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Русанівка
i
''Wiki-Encyclopedia Kyiv''

kievphoto.org.ua
Photos of Rusanivka {{Subdivisions of Kyiv Neighborhoods in Kyiv Dniprovskyi District, Kyiv River islands of Ukraine Islands of the Dnieper