"Ukrainian St.Petersburg" Top 5 Page for this destination Kharkiv by hunterV

Kharkiv Travel Guide: 169 reviews and 453 photos

One of the city landmarks: the railway station

A Bit of History

The history of Kharkiv dates back to the 17th century.
In 1654 a fortified settlement was founded at the confluence of two rivers known as the Kharkiv and the Lopan. The settlement was founded on the hill that is known now as the University Hill. The settlement was named after the River Kharkiv. The legend says the river was called in honor of Cossack Kharko (full name Khariton).
It was a fortress built to secure the southern border of Russia.
The settlement that later became a town was located on the crossroads of very important trade routes. That is why the city's coat-of-arms introduced in 1781 by Empress Catherine the Second represents a horn of plenty and a Mercury club.
Kharkiv has been famous as a city of theaters and museums.
In 1886 the Museum of Arts and Crafts was dedicated in the city. It was the first of its kind in Russia. Now it's the Skovoroda Ukrainian Historical Museum. At the entrance to this museum you can see a tank with a plaque that reads, The British tank captured by the Red Army in the Civil War in Ukraine.
The captured tanks were the base for the formation of armor units of the Red Army in Kharkiv.

Kharkiv Mayor Says

Outstanding Achievements

Sumy Street, Kharkiv, Ukraine

Sumy Street ("ulitsa Sumskaya" in Russian) is one of the oldest in the city and in the country in general. It dates back to the 17th century. The street was named after the city of Sumy that is neighboring to Kharkiv. The zoo located in this street was dedicated in 1896 and is one of the oldest in the country.
Kharkiv is a city where famous Russian and Ukrainian poets, writers and playwrights lived and created their works.
Such poets and writers as Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, Huluck-Artemovsky, Kostomarov, artist Ilya Repin used to live and to work in this city.
"The Kharkiv Anecdotes" by Hryhory Skovoroda, a famous Ukrainian 18th-century educators, philosopher and poet, bear witness to the wisdom, integrity and love of life of the resident of the city and its area.
The 19th-century Ukrainian playwright Hryhory Kvitka-Osnovyanenko described the city public as those not likely to be pushed around, yet at the same time always ready to share the last piece of bread with a stranger. You may become the subject of a practical joke, you may have your leg pulled, but when it comes to principal matters, honesty is the name of the game.
I think the modern generation of the residents of Kharkiv does not differ much from the people of the past in their cheerfulness, generosity, sharp wits and vigor.
There are hundreds of enterprises in Kharkiv now, the largest of which are the tractor-building plant, the "Turboatom" plant, the electro-mechanical enterprise, the ball-bearing plant, the bike-making factory and lots of others.
The products of the city industrial enterprises have always been known all over Ukraine and in many foreign countries.

A Huge City

A sign at the entrance to the city (in Ukrainian)

At present Kharkiv is the second largest Ukrainian city with the population of more than one and a half million inhabitants.
The city occupies the area of 306 sq.km (118 sq.mi).
It's a city of theaters and museums, fountains and flowerbeds. The six Kharkiv theaters, among them the modern Opera and Ballet Theater, and Pushkin Theater, attract lots of visitors every week.
The city is famous for its old streets such as Sumy Street ("Sumskaya" in Russian) named after the city of Sumy, a neighboring big city and a regional center.
The old cathedrals are also very well-known:
- Pokrovsky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God) dating back to the 17th century;
- Assumption Cathedral dating back to the 18th century.
You can see a lot of other sites in Levada - the central city district.
There are dozens of institutes, colleges and universities in this huge city. Kharkiv used to be the capital of Soviet Ukraine in 1919-1934.
Now it is the center of Kharkiv region with the area of 31,000 sq.km (about 12,000 sq.mi) and population of about 3 million people.
People coming to Kharkiv can spare their precious time traveling about the city, if they use the underground metro system that was put into operation on August 23, 1975.
Among the city sites are:
-> its parks: Gorky Park, Shevchenko Gardens with the Zoo, Artyom Park, the forest park;
-> its museums: Fine Arts Museum, Natural Science Museum and Historical Museum;
-> its theaters: Opera and Ballet Theater, Pushkin Theater.
Dozens of different monuments adorn the city streets and squares, among them the famous Shevchenko Monument erected in 1935.

Skovoroda Memorial Museum

You can also have a look at the official city site:
www.raix.kharkov.ua

Pros and Cons

Pros:Broad avenues and old paved streets, lots of cafs, restaurants and niteclubs
Cons:high prices for hotels, even for locals...\\\\\/////
In a nutshell:Both Old and Modern Ukrainian City

Last visit to Kharkiv: Jan 2009
Intro Updated Feb 26, 2012
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Reviews (19)

The railway station square at night - Kharkiv

Relax at the Fountains Nightlife (5)

I have always liked people watching and relaxing at the railway station square. There are several fountains with benches... more travel advice

Getting Around Kharkiv Transportation (3)

There are a lot of taxi services in Kharkiv. Call “061 taxi” dialing 19 52 45 (mobile) in the city; Call “Pagio” taxi:... more travel advice

Jubilee columns at the entrance to Kharkiv - Kharkiv

Kiev-Kharkiv Transportation (3)

Now there's an express train of European design from Kiev to Kharkiv: 1st and 2nd class. It takes the train about six... more travel advice

Kharkiv Champagne Off The Beaten Path (1)

Taste Kharkiv champagne – one of the well-known Ukrainian brands! There are different sorts of champagne: dry, semi-dry... more travel advice

Things to Do (4)
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Hotels (4)
See All High-End Hotel

Comments (34)

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GentleSpirit Jan 27, 2013 at 5:30 AM

Victor, I enjoyed your tour of Kharkiv. The history museum sounds enjoyable! Do they have some museums about the writers that called Kharkiv home? Impressive how some public buildings like the railway station are so ornate!
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toonsarah Dec 23, 2012 at 10:42 AM

Just popped back for another look at Kharkiv, as it's possible we may visit here in February when Newcastle play against Metalist!
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Yaqui Mar 18, 2012 at 3:16 PM

Relaxing at the fountains at the railway yards sounds like a great idea and does Liberty Square. Not sure if the rating went through. My power went out for a spell. Nice page!
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Basaic Mar 15, 2012 at 12:51 PM

Another of your many fine pages. Thanks!
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Feb 26, 2012 at 10:44 AM

Great updates here since June of 2007! I've been passing by Kharkiv several times on my way to the Crimea and once visited it on business. I know very few about it. Dream to come there even for a few days...
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magor65 Nov 8, 2011 at 11:54 AM

An interesting page about Kharkiv. I'd like to visit the city one day. Bth, thank you for visiting my Berlin page.
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gubbi1 Oct 1, 2011 at 2:36 PM

Railway stations seem to be famous Ukraine landmarks...
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yumyum Apr 4, 2011 at 4:15 AM

I certainly had a good time there years ago hanging around for a week with local artists. Hope you can revisit there one day.
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Nemorino Nov 5, 2010 at 4:24 AM

That's an interesting idea to ask English-speaking visitors to come and volunteer at the school. Do many of them actually do that? I see the school is on Shakespeare Street, which is certainly appropriate.
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Dabs Jul 13, 2010 at 7:51 PM

I don't remember much of our visit to Kharkov, just that they took us to a nearby dairy farm. I should revisit someday :-)