Attractions of Kharkiv

The city garden named after Taras Shevchenko is the oldest green area in the center of Kharkiv, one of the most favorite places of rest for the citizens.

Founded in 1804 by Vasyl Karazin, the founder of Kharkiv University, on the basis of a natural oak grove on the outskirts of the city, it was then called University. A monument to Karazin (1907) was erected on the north side of the park.

A chestnut avenue leads from the monument to Taras Shevchenko (1935) to the university building. Next to the "Ukraine" movie concert hall - the central entrance to the Kharkiv Zoo (1895). The Astronomical Observatory (1808) is located in the garden.

Other monuments installed in the park: Monument to repressed Kobzars (1997), sculpture "Soccer Ball" (2001), monument to Archangel Michael moved from Kyiv (2004), sculpture "Aksakal" (1989 -2007 years).

The building complex of the Building of State Industry was built in Kharkiv on the initiative of Feliks Dzerzhynskyi, becoming the core of the new administrative center of city, which was then the capital of Ukraine.

This is the first high-rise reinforced concrete structure in the USSR (63 meters). The useful area of the premises is 60,000 square meters. The building was designed by a group of Leningrad architects in the then fashionable and advanced style of constructivism. Construction under the leadership of engineer Pavlo Rottert was completed in record time - in 3 years.

Until 1934, the Council of People's Commissars of Ukraine was located here. In 1955, one of the first 45-meter television towers in the USSR was installed on the roof. Now the building houses the regional government, offices of many companies.

In the 5th entrance there is a museum of Derzhprom, created in the 1980s with the participation of Kharkiv writer Eduard Zvonytskyi.

The Derzhprom building is recognized as an architectural monument of national importance - it is the largest monument of constructivism in the world.

RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 1, 2022, Maidan Svobody, where the Derzhprom complex is located, was attacked by Russian Kalibr missiles. One of them hit the historic building of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, injuring twenty people and killing ten. All the windows were broken and significantly damaged, and in some places the ceilings were completely destroyed.

On September 7, 2023, UNESCO included Derzhprom in the list of objects for enhanced protection and in the preliminary list of World Heritage.

On January 2, 2024, the Derzhprom building suffered severe damage for the second time, when a Russian missile hit next to the building. The impact of an enemy rocket damaged the glazing of windows and stained-glass windows in almost the entire northwestern part of the Derzhprom building.

On October 28, 2024, the Derzhprom building was once again destroyed. As a result of a direct hit by a FAB-500 guided aerial bomb in one of the entrances of Derzhprom during the aerial bombardment of Kharkiv by the Russian occupiers, 3 floors of the building were completely destroyed.

The Kharkiv city dolphinarium "Nemo" opened in the garden named after Taras Shevchenko in 2009 for Children's Day.

Theatrical performances with the participation of marine animals take place here, as well as dolphin therapy sessions, which are an effective method of improving and rehabilitating children with functional limitations. 4 dolphins, 3 fur seals and 1 sea lion participate in the performances. Visitors are also offered swimming with dolphins.

The Dolphinarium Nemo in Kharkiv works in any weather, all viewing points are under a canopy.

The Museum of Famous Kharkiv Residents named after Klavdiya Shulzhenko was founded in 1996 on the initiative of the singer's relative Borys Ahafonov on the basis of the apartment in which Klavdiya Shulzhenko lived from 1959 to 1974. The museum building is a monument of 20th century architecture.

The museum collection was assembled with the participation of the singer's son Ihor Kemper-Shulzhenko. In one of the rooms, the interior of Klavdiya Shulzhenko's house is recreated - here you can see the singer's personal belongings, furniture, and dishes. The exhibits in the other three halls tell about the life and creative path of the pop legend. On display are editions of Klavdiya Shulzhenko's works, manuscripts, sheet music, letters, concert programs, posters, numerous rare photographs from the family album, personal memorial items, and concert dresses in which the artist performed.

The museum's exposition includes special thematic exhibitions dedicated to the life and work of Leonid Bykov, Irina Buhrymova, Lyudmila Hurchenko, Isaak Dunayevsky, Anatoliy Efros, Volodymyr Kraynyev, Les Kurbas, Yevheniya Miroshnychenko, Vadym Mulerman, Nataliya Fatyeyeva and many others who make up the fame of Kharkiv's artistic figures.

A branch of the Famous Kharkiv Residents Museum named after Klavdiya Shulzhenko is the Hryzodubov Family Memorial Museum-Apartment.

An open-air Fantasy Park was opened in Kharkiv in 2021.

The park of light sculptures is located in a public garden near the Kharkiv Municipal Cultural Center, the former Metallist House of Culture.

Art installations and figures of fantastic heroes are installed on park alleys and lawns. In the evening, the figures are illuminated and come to life with the help of projection technologies. A stage has been set up in the park, a large playground has been equipped, a fountain has been reconstructed, pedestrian paths have been laid, and recreation areas with benches have been landscaped.

It is assumed that young sculptors, designers, lighting designers, architects, musicians and artists will be able to embody their creative ideas on the territory of the creative space of the Kharkiv Fantasy Park.

The Museum of Folk Art of Slobozhanshchyna was founded in Kharkiv in 1991. The museum is located in the building of the former Sunday school of the prominent Ukrainian writer and public figure Khrystyna Alchevska, which was built according to the design of architect Oleksiy Beketov at the end of the 19th century.

The museum collection includes about 2 thousand exhibits that reflect the history and main directions of folk art of the region. These are samples of ancient folk art and works of modern masters: embroidery, folk painting, pottery, carving and folk decorative painting. In addition to products made of clay, straw, vine, wood, beads, the museum presents non-traditional types of folk art for Slobozhanshchyna - miniatures on birch bark and works made of modeled colored glass.

The Museum of Folk Art of Slobozhanshchyna is a department of the Kharkiv Art Museum.

The largest memorial complex in Kharkiv was opened on the northern outskirts of the city in 1977 in honor of Kharkiv residents who died during the Second World War.

Sculptors Vasyl Ahibalov, Yakiv Ryk, Mykhaylo Ovsyankin, artist Serhiy Svitlorukov, architects Ihor Alforov, Anatoliy Maksymenko, Yerik Cherkasov.

Visitors are greeted by two walls with flags and inscriptions on the reverse side. The forest alley leads to the tall sculpture "Motherland", at the foot of which an eternal flame burns. On the left is a wall with bas-reliefs depicting various episodes of the city's defense. A few years ago, a wooden cross surrounded by flower beds was installed on the square.

The old building of Kharkiv University was built in the 18th century as the Governor General's House.

The Governor's Palace is the oldest building in Kharkiv in the classicist style. Kharkiv University was located in the governor's house from 1805 to 1958. Later, the university was moved to new buildings on Svobody Maidan.

Currently, the premises of the governor's palace are occupied by the Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy.

The Henrikh Semyradsky Art Gallery opened in Kharkiv in 2015 to commemorate the birthday of the famous Polish artist, graduate of the Vasyl Karazin Kharkiv University, Henrikh Semyradsky, and was named after him. It is located in the northern building of the university.

The gallery organizes and holds art exhibitions to showcase domestic and international projects in the field of culture and art, and promotes communication between artists, critics, art historians, curators, and the public. Here you can see not only paintings by recognized artists and young authors in various styles and genres, but also the best examples of decorative and applied arts, photographs, musical instruments of the peoples of the world, pottery, embroidery, etc.

The Museum of History and Railway Equipment of the Kharkiv Railway (former Southern) was founded in 1967, completely reconstructed in 2014 for the 140th anniversary of the Kharkiv Railway.

It is located in a reconstructed warehouse building of the 1950s. Three main expositions are presented: "Green Hall" (the pre-revolutionary period of the construction and establishment of the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov road), "Red Hall" (the Soviet period of the development of the Southern Railway (now Kharkiv Railway)) and "Blue Hall" (the history of development during the independent of Ukraine).

The museum has collected many ancient and rare exhibits, unique documents and photographs, models of rolling stock.

The layout of the route of the high-speed "Capital Express Kharkiv - Kyiv" is presented, which accurately reproduces not only the train itself, but also the railway section with copies of the buildings of the stations of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava-Kyivska and Myrhorod. The model features an automatic centralization system with traffic lights, turn signals and a level crossing, and the train departs and makes stops to music and announcers.

Old steam locomotives and other retro equipment are presented on the outdoor area.

The Museum of History of the Vasyl Karazin Kharkiv National University is one of the first university museums in Ukraine.

Founded in 1972. Located on the second floor of the main building of KhNU. The museum has about 19,000 exhibits.

The exposition consists of four sections, covering the entire bicentennial of Kharkiv University from its founding in 1804 to activities in the conditions of independent Ukraine. In particular, materials related to the life and work of the founder of Kharkiv University Vasyl Karazin, the first professors and students are presented.

Special attention is drawn to the unique exhibits - the diploma of music teacher Ivan Vitkovsky, who was a student of Joseph Haydn, with the first seal of the university, as well as invitations to university holidays in the early nineteenth century.

The Museum of the History of Ambulance is located in the building of the Ambulance Station, built in 1914 in the Ukrainian Art Nouveau style. Mykola Molokhov was appointed as the senior doctor even before the station was established. He organized the work of the station, equipped it and was its permanent manager until his death. In the hall of the central dispatch room, Molokhov created a museum, which housed ten glass cabinets with anatomical specimens, weapons (knives, bullets), and poisons used by suicides. After the death of Mykola Molokhov in 1956, all the exhibits of the museum disappeared.

In 2000, at the initiative of the medical service workers, the Museum of the History of Ambulance was recreated in the premises of the Kharkiv Ambulance and Emergency Medical Service Department, where the dispatch service is located. In 2004, on the eve of the anniversary of the establishment of the ambulance service in Kharkiv, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the facade of the building in honor of Mykola Molokhov, the man whose efforts led to the establishment of this service a century ago.

The grandiose architectural ensemble of the Holy Annunciation Cathedral in the Neo-Byzantine style with a 75-meter bell tower rises in Kharkiv above the Lopan River.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos was built in 1901 on the site of the old Annunciation Church, the history of which dates back to 1655. At that time, a wooden church was built in the village of Zalopany on the outskirts of Kharkiv, which was later replaced by a stone one, but it soon ceased to accommodate parishioners.

In 1888, the construction of a new cathedral began nearby, the funds for which were collected by the local nobility, merchants and ordinary parishioners. Mykhaylo Lovtsov, a professor of architecture, was chosen as the architect. The five-headed temple with a high bell tower is distinguished by a special "striped" masonry and a wealth of decor. The iconostasis of the work of the master Vasyl Orlov was made of white Narra marble, the paintings were made by local artists.

The Annunciation Cathedral was closed by the Bolsheviks in 1930, but became active again during the Second World War. According to legend, a cross fell three times from the dome of the temple due to hurricanes and fire.

The tall and slender Holy Assumption Cathedral in the Ukrainian Baroque style was built in Kharkiv in the center of the University Hill on the site of the old church of 1688.

The bell tower with chimes, built by architects Yevhen Vasiliev and Andriy Ton, is the tallest building in the city (89 meters). Thanks to the location of the windows, the temple looks like a palace.

During Soviet times, the church was closed, and in 1986, the House of Organ and Chamber Music opened in it. After the opening of a new philharmonic complex in Kharkiv in 2016, the Assumption Cathedral became fully owned by the diocese.

In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cathedral was damaged by shelling from Russian troops. The projectile that hit the building of the Assumption Cathedral broke windows and stained-glass windows, damaged church utensils and decorations.

The Holy Intercession Monastery in Kharkiv is the oldest building preserved in the city. In the 17th century, the monastery was part of the system of fortifications of the Kharkiv fortress. The Belfry of the Intercession Cathedral (1689) looks like a defensive tower.

The entrance gate is decorated with an icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. On the territory there is the Ozeryan Church (1896), the bishop's house, the abbot's house and a cell block with a refectory. In 1726, the Kharkiv Collegium was founded here, where the philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda taught (the monument is erected), and the writer Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko worked.

For the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, the figure of Jesus Christ was established.