One of the beloved places of all Kievans and tourists. During summertime here you can hide from the heat under its huge trees. The main sight is Mariinskii Palace, which was ordered to be constructed in 1744 by the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Nowadays it is an official ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine in Kiev and adjoins the neo-classical building of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine. It is a Baroque palace on the hilly bank of the Dnieper River. Currently it is under reconstruction.