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Saint Volodymyr Descent (Ukrainian: Володимирський узвіз, Volodymyrsky uzviz) is a street in Kiev located between the Pechersk and Podil city districts. It stretches from European Square to Postal Square.
Map of Volodymyrs'kyi descent, Kyiv, Ukraine
The city street splits two city parks (Khreshchaty Park and Saint Volodymyr Hill) located on the slopes of Saint Michael Hill (see Kiev Mountains).
The street started to form in 1711 in place of the so-called Old Pechersk Road that used to connect Pechersk with Podil. As a city street it was known originally as Khreshchaty Drive (Ukrainian: Хрещатицький приїзд, Khreshchatytsky pryizd) and later as Paved Street (Ukrainian: Мостова вулиця, Mostova vulytsia) becoming the first city's street paved with cobblestone. Sometime in 1810s it became part of a long Aleksandr Street (after Alexander II of Russia) that stretched all the way from Arsenal Square to Contracts Square, while the descent was unofficially referred to as Aleksandr Descent. After the occupation of Kiev by the Soviet troops in March of 1919 the long street was renamed as Revolution Street (October Revolution). When Kiev became the capital of the Soviet Ukraine in 1934, the street was renamed once again, now as Sergei Kirov Street after the Russian government official Sergei Kirov. During the Nazi occupation the street along with the modern Hrushevsky Street carried the name of the Nazi political figure Fritz Todt.
During the World War II when Kiev was freed from Nazi occupation, the former long Kirov Street was split at the Stalin Square (today European Square) into Kirov Street (today Hrushevsky Street) and Volodymyr Descent that stretched from the Stalin Square to Contracts Square. In 1955 the street was shortened and part of it between Postal Square and Contracts Square was renamed into Zhdanov Street (today Sahaidachny Street) after a Soviet official Andrei Zhdanov.