Beneath Kiev, we have more than 80 underground rivers. Clean water fed by underground springs flows through them when the weather is fine, but when rain falls on the streets the water level in the tunnels rises very quickly, and it can be dangerous for urban explorers. That is why we never visit these tunnels during the warm season, only in winter, when it is below freezing on the streets.
Unlike the European “mixed” sewerage system, where all types of water flow through the same tunnels under the city, at the end of the 19th century engineers in Kiev decided to separate domestic sewage from storm drains. Beneath the Kiev hills there are also more than 53 kilometers of drain-tunnel labyrinth, but that is a different story.
Kiev Underground Tour for those who want to uncover all its historical secrets!
The most beautiful and longest river beneath the streets of Kiev is called the Klov. In fact, this tunnel system unites the flows of three rivers that were buried underground as the growing metropolis expanded. The most interesting part is the historic brick tunnels, built in the middle of the 19th century to a design by the famous Ukrainian architect Vladyslav Gorodetsky.
Walking through Kiev in the 19th century would remind us little of the familiar outlines of today’s streets. On Khreshchatyk, right down the middle of the street, flowed a stream from the Goat Marsh, in the area of the modern Independence Square, with sources near European Square. The problems began during heavy rains. Fed by water from the neighboring hills, the stream swelled and flooded the houses badly; some sources even mention that “people and horses were drowning on Khreshchatyk.”
Klov is the technical name of the Prozorovsky tunnel system, which unites three underground rivers: the Klov, the Khreshchatyk stream and the Klovitsa. The Klov stream originates under the Arsenal plant, the Khreshchatyk under Independence Square, and the Klovitsa near the Presidential Administration.
So let’s begin our underground trip through the tunnel system at the flooded area by the entrance. It formed here because the entrance was rebuilt.
The water looks deep, but it is only half a meter deep, and only 15 meters of the tunnel are flooded.
The name comes from the word “Klov”, which means “water” or “moisture”. In ancient times the Klovski stream flowed here, emptying into the Lybid River. The Klov River still runs through the city center, but it is now hidden underground in the reservoir.
In some places the tunnel splits in two; in this way the builders reduced the ground pressure on the arch, thereby strengthening the underground passage. The two people here are not a Photoshop trick, but were captured in a single frame 🙂
Using light-painting, we can create really cool shots.
At the junction of the old and the new tunnel, a plastic pipe 1.5 meters in diameter branches off in the direction of the NSC Olimpiyskiy. In the past, you could climb out of one of the hatches inside the stadium and get into a football match without paying for a ticket.
On both sides of the underground river, beautiful formations have appeared, similar to those found in natural caves. Sometimes stone stalactites hang from the ceiling.
The historic section of the tunnel beneath Khreshchatyk is made of brick and is one of the most remarkable places in underground Kyiv. It was built in the 1880s.
The historic section of the tunnel was built in the 1880s.
This place looks more like some kind of underground passage in London. Some tunnels lead up to the rain grilles that townspeople walk over every day on Khreshchatyk, right beneath their feet.
In this section of the tunnel, the floor is completely paved with cobblestones, just as Andrew’s Descent once was.
In some places time has not spared the old masonry, and the water has literally destroyed the old brick floor of the tunnel. In 2015 the damage here reached monstrous proportions and the tunnel arch threatened to collapse, but workers from the Kievavtodor department repaired this section of the tunnel.
The greenhouse grasshopper (Tachycines asynamorus) is a small insect native to central China that became established on plants in Europe and America. It settled mainly in greenhouses and hothouses, which is how it got its name. Grasshoppers belong to the class of insects, the order Orthoptera, and the grasshopper family.
In the Klov you can find small valuables that people have lost from their pockets on the streets over the past 150 years: coins, bullets, crosses, badges, medals and stripes.
The oldest coin I have ever found in the underground rivers was a 1/4 kopeika from 1861.
You can visit the underground river Klov during the cold season; just contact us through the Underground River Klov Tour page.
WARNING! Visiting underground rivers without experience can be extremely dangerous. Do not try to do it on your own!
