May is the best time for the story about the indisputable symbol of Kyiv - chestnuts. Right now, when the streets are drowning in green of trees which were once called the bouquet tree. White horse chestnut candles can be seen in any Kyiv park, yard, they grow along the main streets, alleys and avenues.
Naturally that there is a bronze mini sculpture dedicated to the visit card of the capital of Ukraine. It was installed back in 2018 and became the second of the Series of mini sculptures of SHUKAI project. Every mini sculpture has a QR code so you can scan it and read its story, one of many stories about Kyiv.
Before the full-scale invasion, or even before COVID, Kyiv turned into place of pilgrimage every May. People arrived here from all over Ukraine to enjoy the blooming season. I remember, they came one after another - lilac blossoms in a large botanic garden and blooming of horse chestnuts or cashtan in Ukrainian.
Later in May, there is a Day of Kyiv, on the last Sunday of the month. It used to be lots of events, like parade of brass bands, shows or sports performances in the stadiums, great street concert on the Maidan square and local entertaining in every district.
Strictly speaking, we call these species of trees cashtan or castan or chestnut but it's not correct. 🙃 The correct name is Aesculus hippocastanum this name emphasizes that the fruits of this plant are not edible, unlike sweet chestnuts.
Whether this name is correct or not, images of chestnuts began to appear on the facades of houses as early as the end of the 19th century. They say that there is a chestnut tree in Kyiv that is over 350 years old! It is present in every song about Kyiv, it was used in the names of shops, on emblems, ice creams, cakes. Chestnuts with cream are on all versions of the Kyiv cake. The chestnut leaf was depicted on the tokens of the Kyiv metro for decades, before they switched to electronic tickets.
But... how it all started? Every Kyivan can tell you the story of how this chestnut epidemic began on the streets of the city. This story is retold so often and overgrown with so many details that it has become almost a historical fact. Although there are not exact confirmations to it.
In 1842, Emperor Nikolay I visited Kyiv. On the eve of the visit, the emperor was informed about the readiness of the city for his visit. During the report, the emperor winced at the moment when it came to the chestnuts that were planted on Bibikov Boulevard. So... during the night, the chestnuts were replaced by pyramidal poplars. To not waste the dug saplings, the townspeople were allowed to took them and plant in their yards.
Speaking of planting chestnuts and scandals. The last sensational one was in 2013, during the during the presidency of Yanukovych. The culprit of the scandal was Kyiv city state administration. By the way, a mini sculpture is installed on its facade near the entrance.
At that time, the city authorities reported that they bought 300 chestnuts of the Brioti variety in Italy, spending more than 3 million UAH. Chestnuts were planted in the downtown along the main street, but in May, when they started to bloom they turned out to be an ordinary chestnut, not Brioti, which blooms pink and costs 500 euros per seedling. There were only a few chestnuts of the declared variety.
Activists reacted with humor and installed a sign "Linden Chestnut Alley". The play on words in this title is that linden means fake. In our language, forgeries began to be called linden a long time ago, when scammers forged seals by cutting them out of linden, the wood of which was soft. The sign hung for only 1 day, police took it off (Yanukovych's time...) but the name became viral.
There is also a real monument to the Kyiv Chestnuts. I found it just recently. But in my opinion, the mini sculpture is more cute. Especially with Sonia. 😉
Unfortunately, in recent years, chestnuts have suffered from ecology and pests. Very soon their leaves will begin to be covered with brown spots, and after a month or two they will turn yellow-brown, as if burnt. This disease affects chestnuts throughout Ukraine.
I recently learned that the pink variety is invulnerable to the chestnut moth. Well, time will tell. For now, let's enjoy their beauty.
(Especially in May)
See you,
All pictures above are taken by me and can't be used without my consent.