The Chocolate House, Kiev

The Chocolate House is a late 19th-century mansion built in the Venetian Renaissance style, commissioned by Semen Semenovich Mogilevtsev and designed by the architect Vladimir Nikolayev. Its dark brown exterior, which resembles chocolate, gave the building its unusual and memorable name.

For over fifteen years, it served as a private residence for the Mogilevtsev family, limiting access to the general public.

During the Soviet period, the building was repurposed for public use, housing the Central Civil Registration Office and, in 1986, the Children’s Picture Gallery. These functions gave the historic structure a civic role, but much of its original interior decoration and design were neglected over time.

In 2009, the Chocolate House came under the jurisdiction of the Kyiv Museum of Russian Art and underwent a careful restoration. Several rooms—the White Room, the Art Nouveau Room, and the New Russian Room—have been restored and opened to visitors. Original wall paintings and wood inlays were preserved and reinstalled wherever possible, providing a sense of the mansion’s original elegance.

Once fully restored, the Chocolate House is planned to host the Museum of Paintings, a Private Collection Museum, and a picture gallery. For visitors today, it offers a chance to explore the building’s distinctive architecture, historical interiors, and ongoing efforts to preserve Kyiv’s cultural heritage.