Did you know that in the late 1930^s and early 1940^s, some buildings of the Historical and Cultural Preserve “Museum Town” (today known as the National Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”) were used by various artels and sales organizations as warehouses, cellars and storage premises?

In particular, it is here, where the raw material warehouses of two large winemaking organizations were located. One of them belonged to “Glavvino” (Main Department of the Wine Industry), the other – to “Ararat” Caucasian company.

After the Second World War, on January 8 and 10, 1947, Dmytro Krasytsky, director of the State Historical and Cultural Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”, and Mykyta Mailyan, director of the Kyiv Wine and Cognac Factory of “Ararat” trust of the Ministry of Taste Industry of the Armenian SSR, signed lease agreements. According to those documents, concluded for three years with the possibility of prolongation, Kyiv Wine and Cognac Factory received basements and semi-basement premises of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. They were used as warehouses or for production needs and located in building № 54 (Office of Hostynny Dvir/Hospitable Courtyard and Hotel, 1870–1883), building № 57 (Cells and Household premises, 1854, 2^nd half of the 19^th–20^th centuries), building № 60 (Brethren’s building, 1885) and building № 64 (Candle Factory, 1830–1831, 1872–1874).

Captions for the illustrations:

1. Building № 64 of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo taken by Anna Yanenko, 2021

2. Advertisement of grape wines of the Main Department of the Wine Industry of the People’s Commissariat of Food Industry of the USSR. 1939–1940

3. Label of cognac produced at the Kyiv Wine and Cognac Factory of “Ararat” trust

Anna Yanenko