Rybalskyi Island ( uk, Рибальський півострів, translit. ; literally: Fisherman's island) is a misnomer for an actual peninsula on 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 ...

, located in the right-bank Podil neighborhood and Kyiv

Harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

of the city 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 ...

. Although named as an island it is in fact a peninsula and a former spit serving as a left-bank of a former

Pochaina River Pochaina may refer to: * , a steeped-in-legend river in Kyiv * Pochaina (Kiev Metro), a subway station in Kyiv * 3441 Pochaina, a main-belt asteroid {{disambig ...

that with time transformed into several oxbow lakes located in Obolon (see Opechen lakes). The peninsula is now a predominantly industrial area.

History

The peninsula was formed from

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

deposits, which served as the left-bank of the Pochaina River. Rybalskyi Peninsula takes its name from the fishermen of

Podil Podil ( uk, Поділ) or the Lower cityIvankin, H., Vortman, D. Podil (ПОДІЛ)'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. is a historic neighborhood in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is located on a floodplain terrace over the Dnieper betwe ...

who once lived on it. In 1897-1899, the peninsula was raised and strengthened, which would later enable it to house a local shipyard for steamboats (engineered by M.Maksymovych), as well as to form the newly built Kyiv Harbor between the peninsula and the

riverbank. In 1926-1930, an electrical power station was constructed in the north-western part of the peninsula (engineered by B. Domanskyi and M. Parusnikov), today

Thermal power station A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...

-2 (power and heat producing station). During this time an industrial area has developed here. On the banks of the harbor in the Sailors Park a ship-monument to Monitor Zhelezniakov was installed on a pedestal. In 1929 Petrovsky Railway Bridge was finally officially opened after 10 year of abandonment. In the end of the 1930s, the

Kuznya na Rybalskomu Kuznia na Rybalskomu ( uk, "Кузня на Рибальському") is a ship building and armament company in Kyiv, Ukraine. Situated on the Dnieper River and presently concentrating on river ships, the company is also able to produce and re ...

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

factory was reconstructed (now it owned by President 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 ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the peninsula suffered heavy damage from bombings. After the war, reconstruction began, while new factories and foundations were constructed. The Petrovsky Railway Bridge, shipyard, power station, and others were rebuilt.

Present infrastructure

In 1961, piers of the new Kyiv River Port was built in the Harbor, and in 1963 the Kyiv cable-stayed bridge was constructed to provide road access to the Rybalskyi Peninsula from the center of the city. In 2001 the bridge was closed to a vehicle traffic, because of its conditions. In 2009 it was closed completely and eventually was partially disassembled with construction of the new Kyiv Harbor Bridge. The main compound of the GUR MOU, the military intelligence institution, is located on the Rybalskyi Peninsula.

Development plans

In 2005, plans were released for the perspective reconstruction of the Rybalskyi Peninsula, by the year 2020. Included into the plan are residential and business buildings, underground parking, hotel-office combination buildings, trade centers, and socio-cultural constructions. In addition, the

Kyiv Metro The Kyiv Metro ( uk, Ки́ївський метрополіте́н, Kyivskyi metropoliten, ) is a rapid transit system in Kyiv that is owned by the Kyiv City Council and operated by the city-owned company Kyivsky Metropoliten''.'' It was initi ...

station, Sudnobudyvina of the Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line, is currently being constructed on the peninsula, which will provide better access to the peninsula from the city.

References

{{Subdivisions of Kyiv Neighborhoods in Kyiv Peninsulas of Ukraine *