Some historical data

UNIT 4

THE NATIONAL BANK OF UKRAINE

Text A

Before you read

Answer the following questions:

1. What is your general knowledge on the central bank of Ukraine?

2. What is it called?

3. What are possible functions of the NBU?

4. Do you happen to know any facts about the premises of the NBU taken from history?

Some historical data

The Kyiv office of the State Commercial Bank was founded half a century ago, in 1839. Later a large one-storey house built in Empire style in Institutskaya Street was purchased for the Bank.

However, the Bank's financial operations expanded year after year and it was quite evident, that the old house was not any longer able to meet the growing demands of the State Bank. It was decided to construct a new modern building.

Such architects as O.Kobelyev, P.Holandskyi and V.Gorodetskyi (the famous designer and owner of the Fancy House (1901-1903)) participated at the tender for the best design. The Kobelev's design was acknowledged as the best one and the work started. Later, architect Verbytskyi, who designed the main facade, joined the group.

To manage the construction process, a special Commission was formed. It developed the following basic construction principles:- the premises were to be planned as large as to meet bank's requirements for at least 50 years;- great attention had to be paid to strength and durability of the building constructive parts;- almost all wooden parts had to be excluded to make it fully fire-protective.

All the above-mentioned requirements were observed. Furthermore, the spacious reserve underground premises for future needs were designed as well. On August 1, 1905, the banking operations were transferred to the new building and on the 22-d of February, next year, and the bank premises were sanctified. The city of Kyiv had received a beautiful modern one-storied building with ground and basement floors. It was supplied with central heating, electric lighting and airing system. Seven electric ventilators were able to repump air in all premises within one hour. In winter, it was heated by heating system, in summer; the air was cooled when passing through cold underground corridors.

It's interesting that the air for ventilation was taken from a special rose garden laid out in the bank yard. Every morning specially installed air collectors were turned on and rose fragrance was brought to all bank premises...

According to the design, 5 meter-spacings were foreseen between the neighboring house and the old bank building. It allowed making a very unusual binding of the new building to surrounding houses. It was compositionally tied to the neighboring houses with a stone gate. The rooms were heated by stoves.

Though area of the bank premises was planned in such a way as to meet the bank's requirements for no less than 50 years, as far back as in 1933, the Central office of the State Bank failed to correspond to the growing demands of the city (due to forthcoming transferring of the Ukrainian capital from Kharkiv to Kyiv). So, it was decided to add two more stories to the main building. Only in rare occasions that such additions did not interfere with a building's integrity and proportional unity.

Due to its high artistic merits, this structure is one of the best Kyiv buildings of XX-th century. Passing it by, please find a few minutes in your daily bustle and stop for a while to admire this unique creation of human hands and you will feel that life is not as bad, as we sometimes think about it.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30