The unfinished caisson "Stalin Tunnel" is one of the main attractions of Obolon. This is nothing but the ground part of the unfinished railway tunnel under the Dnieper. Its construction took place in complete secrecy and lasted from 1936 to 1941. Two tunnel crossings were laid under the channel: Northern (Obolon – Vygurivshchyna) and Southern (Zhukiv Island – Osokorky).
The work was planned to be completed before the war, but the events of the summer of 1941 canceled the plans for "construction No. 1", as it was indicated in special documents. In July, the work was suspended: the tunnels were preserved, the equipment was taken to the east, and a bridge-building brigade was formed from the workers for the needs of the front. Everything that could not be taken out was also preserved or buried.
The construction of the tunnel near the Dnieper was continued after the liberation of Kyiv in 1944, but soon it was deemed impractical and in 1949 the construction was finally closed. Now this construction is reminiscent of a huge caisson in Natalka Park and the entrance to the tunnel on Zhukov Island.
In 2021, with the aim of creating safety in the caisson tube, work was started on the reconstruction of the building with the subsequent opening of a museum and gallery in it, and possibly a restaurant. In the upper part, a tower and observation decks were equipped, which can be reached via external stairs. In 2022, with the beginning of the war, work was suspended.
Address: Obolonska naberezhna, 15.
Photos 2014-2022
