In these times the Golden Gate was the main gala entrance to Kiev, delighting the citizens and terrifying enemies due to it's impregnable nature. As well as being the entrance for merchants and ambassadors, the Grand Prince's troops would leave through the Gate to start new military campaigns, and his daughters would leave Kiev through it to venture on to Europe and marry European kings.
Due to an attack by the Mongol ruler Batu Khan and his Golden Horde in 1240, the gates were partially destroyed and fell into decay. As time passed, the gate remained the city's central entrance but was only used for specific ceremonies into the city. Due to a lack of care and constant interference by man, the gates deteriorated with increasing speed. From the records of travellers in the 16th and 17th Century we know that the gates were practically ruins, and that by the end of the 18th Century all that was left of this once mighty entrance was a pile of stone.
In 1832 a conservation project began, the ruins were excavated and an initial survey was undertaken. By 1973 an adjacent pavilion had been added to the gate, housing a museum. The museum teaches visitors about the Golden Gate itself and also about ancient Kiev as a whole. It includes displays of weapons, everyday objects and other exhibits that were found during archaeological excavations in the areas surrounding the Gate.
1982 saw the gate being completely reconstructed to celebrate Kiev's 1500th anniversary. Though some art historians were unhappy with the reconstruction due to no solid evidence existing for the appearance of the original gates, they still stand today.
During the expansion of the metro, Kiev's underground transportation system, in 1989 a station named Zoloti Vorta was built to serve the Gate's visitors and open it to further tourism.
A monument to the Gate's builder, Yaroslav the Wise, was unveiled in 1997. Made out of bronze it is an enlarged copy of an experimental figuring by Kavlaeridze.