The Chocolate House is an elegant Kyiv mansion, easy to recognise by its dark brown facade and ornate decoration. This distinctive look gave the building its unofficial name — from the outside, it really does resemble a bar of chocolate.
The house is a striking example of Neo-Renaissance architecture, best known for its interiors. Each room follows a different style, blending Rococo, Baroque and Art Nouveau. Inside, you’ll find the Moorish Hall, a former smoking room, the Garnet Drawing Room, the White Hall with a Venetian mirror, and a space with original stained-glass windows featuring irises. Over the years, the building served as a residence for high-ranking officials and even as a Wedding Palace. It is also part of the Kyiv Picture Gallery, and before the full-scale invasion it regularly hosted exhibitions of painting and sculpture.
The mansion stands in the government quarter, which currently has restricted access due to martial law, so it isn’t possible to visit the interior at the moment. Even so, the facade alone is well worth stopping to admire from the street.
Photos: from Wikipedia and the toursdekiev website
