The Kiev electric tram, first in Russia, made its debut in 1892 on Aleksandrovsky (now Vladimirsky) Descent. It quickly turned popular (and profitable) and spread to all of the city: Twenty years later, in 1912, the total track length reached 172 kilometers of single track (for comparison, in 1984 it was 268 kilometers). At the beginning of the 20th century, it seemed harder to name a street where trams did not run...
This is where it all began.
The Kievlyanin mentioned that during the first days,
many curious people rode the tram up and down several times
-- so interesting was the new means of transportation.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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Tsarskaya Square was the upper end of this line.
[That square seems to hold the record in the number
of names it held at different times. Konnaya (Horse),
Teatral'naya, Evropeyskaya, Tsarskaya, 3rd International,
Stalina, Leninskogo Komsomola, and back to Evropeyskaya.]
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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Later on, the line was extended upwards from Tsarskaya Square,
along the upper piece of Aleksandrovskaya. That piece was demolished in 1960...
(Obtained from Sand) |
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The same place, viewed from top.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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The same line in a different aspect:
Historical Museum and the tram uphill to Pechersk.
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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In the other direction ran the Kreschatik line.
Here the tracks were disassembled much earlier, in 1934.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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Among others, tram number 1 ran along Kreschatik (note the route
number on the car).
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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Kreschatik again, near Bessarabskaya Square.
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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Bolshaya Vasilkovskaya, the extension of the Kreschatik line.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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Route number 2 turned from Kreschatik into Fundukleevskaya and
proceeded to the railway station.
(By the way, the photo caption in the album mentions a Pullmann
car turning into Kreschatik. That is evidently an error,
as it is clearly seen that the car turns away from Kreschatik.)
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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The Fundukleevskaya line, up from Kreschatik.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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The Fundukleevskaya Gymnasium...
(Obtained from Sand) |
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... and the end of the railway station line, on Bezakovskaya (now Kominterna).
The same route 2.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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Other lines in the upper town: Lvovskaya...
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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... Vladimirskaya (torn down in 1959)
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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Here (crossroads with Fundukleevskaya) the numbers of
the Vladimirskaya routes are seen on the cars:
Facing us is the 10, away from us, the 11.
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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At Sofievskaya Square, those two routes parted:
the 10 ran to the upper station of the Funiculaire,
the 11 to the Andreevskaya Church.
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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Down the descent was the line along the lower part
of Aleksandrovskaya. It was in 1977 that trams ceased to
run on the descent...
(From Mikhail Bulgakov's Kiev, photoalbum, 1990) |
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... and the Aleksandrovskaya line
was moved to the parallel Bratskaya in 1973 when subway
construction was started underneath. This is the only line
among those represented here which (with the change mentioned)
is still alive.
(Obtained from Sand) |
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The Dvoryansky Bank.
(Obtained from Sand) |