Did you know that:

In the 18th century, Russian military caused the deterioration of the sanitary condition of Pechersk town. Moscow garrisons stayed in Kyiv since the middle of the 17th century and after 1706. Once the foundation of the Kyiv Fortress Citadel was laid, the militarization of Pechersk town accelerated. There started mass housing development for the officers and soldiers of the garrison. Parallel was the process of “stables, smithies, taverns, slaughterhouses, and baths” construction.

One of the consequences of these big changes in the life of Pechersk town was its significant pollution. In 1726, its inhabitants wrote a petition to Empress
Kateryna I, asking for permission to expand the town territory to avoid its excessive crowding. The documents also mention that some streets of Pechersk town were partially unfit for traffic at that time due to the dumping of sewage on them. The air was full of ugly smell. All that had an extremely negative impact on people’s health.

Captions to illustrations:

1. General plan of the fortifications of Kyiv in 1745