Attractions of Kharkiv

Kharkiv National University named after Vasyl Karazin is one of the oldest and largest universities in Eastern Europe.

It was founded in 1805 as Kharkiv Imperial University. The initiator was the outstanding scientist and educator Vasyl Karazin, whose name the higher educational institution bears today.

Count Severyn Potoski became the first trustee of the university, he formed the teaching staff. Initially, the university was located in the Governor General's house, later it was moved to new buildings on Svobody Maidan.

Over two centuries, Kharkiv University became the center of Ukrainian national cultural revival, played an important role in the development of modern Ukrainian science and culture, and turned Kharkiv into one of the leading intellectual centers of the country. Today, 15,000 students study at 20 faculties of Kharkiv National University.

The University includes the Botanical Garden, the Museum of Nature, the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, the University Museum, "Landau Center", "Yermilov Center", Henrikh Semiradsky Art Gallery.

From the first days of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian forces bombarded Kharkiv. Karazin University, which is one of Kharkiv's landmarks, was no exception to Russian missiles and projectiles. Some of its hulls are badly damaged. By the beginning of 2023, 25% of the university buildings have been destroyed.

The Kharkiv Planetarium was opened in 1957 on the initiative of the prominent Soviet astronomer Mykola Barabashov.

The "Middle Zeiss" apparatus is installed in the hall, which allows, in addition to the starry sky, to demonstrate other celestial phenomena.

The museum of cosmonautics and ufology (the science of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations) works at the planetarium. Presented are four-meter figures of aliens, models of flying saucers made on the basis of eyewitness accounts, photographs of UFOs.

Kharkiv Zoo is the oldest in Ukraine. The Kharkiv Zoological Garden was founded in 1896, when an exhibition of domestic animals and birds was organized on an area of 2 hectares rented near the University Garden. Later, the exhibition was replenished with wild animals, which were delivered to Kharkiv by residents of the surrounding villages.

In 1906, the construction and equipment of the main building of the aquarium was completed. In 1911, the South Russian Acclimatization Society decided to set up a zoo in Kharkiv, which became the third largest zoo in the Russian Empire. At the expense of the Society, winter premises and summer enclosures were built, wild animals and birds were purchased, some of which came from the Askania-Nova reserve.

During the Soviet-Ukrainian war at the beginning of the 20th century, the zoo was destroyed. In 1921, it began to be restored, and within a year, the capital's (at that time) Kharkiv Zoo was again open to visitors. In 1928, a whole echelon of animals arrived from Germany, including a lion, leopard, llama, kangaroo, mongoose, monkey, parrot, white-cheeked kazakh and many others. Swans, pelicans and about a hundred other species of waterfowl were brought from Transcaucasia. A pond with an area of 2,400 square meters was built in the ravine for geese, swans, flamingos and other aquatic animals. In the 1930s, a "mountain enclosure" with artificial slides was built, where turus, gazelles, and mouflons lived in conditions closest to natural ones. An elephant house, a monkey house, an aviary, pens for ungulates were built.

During the Second World War, most of the animals died, the zoo was rebuilt on an almost empty site. A new aquarium, winter quarters for large animals, pools for fish and waterfowl were built, and tens of thousands of trees and shrubs were replanted. During the time of the reforms, there were problems with financing and feeding the animals, and their number decreased somewhat.

Now it is one of the most favorite leisure places of Kharkiv residents - adults and children.

The square in the center of Kharkiv at the intersection of Pushkinskoy, Zhon Myronosyts and Darvina streets near the metro station named after the architect Beketov is called  Maidan Arkhitektoriv.

In 2009, the square was completely reconstructed and turned into a kind of sculpture park. Sidewalks were laid, lawns were laid, and benches were installed. In the center of the square is a romantic Monument to Lovers, created based on a sketch that won the city's student competition.

Around the monument are the "Seven Wonders of Kharkiv" - white marble models of the city's best architectural buildings: Derzhprom, Assumption Cathedral, Taras Shevchenko monument, Annunciation Cathedral, "Mirror Stream" rotunda, "House with Spire", Intercession Cathedral.

The Maidan arose at the same time as the Kharkiv Fortress and until the 19th century was called the Yarmarkova (Fair) Square (since 1659, the annual Assumption Fair was held here, which by the middle of the 19th century had become one of the largest in the country).

In winter, the square was a favorite place for sledding. Over time, the square was named Mykolaivska in honor of the church of the same name, which was located on it.

In the 19th century, the first brick buildings appeared on the square. In particular, the Noble Gathering, near which stood two cannons that were once armed with the Kharkiv fortress (not preserved). Opposite, according to the project of the architect Oleksiy Beketov, the following bank buildings were built: St. Petersburg International (building 22; now the Central branch of the Savings Bank), Volga-Kamsky (building 24; now the Puppet Theater), Moscow Merchant (building 26; now the House of Technology) and Zemelny (building 28 ; currently a motor vehicle technical school).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the building of the square was supplemented by the Metropol hotel, the multi-apartment residential building of the insurance company "Russia" (building 1/17; now the Labor Palace), the building of the Azov-Donskoy Bank (building 14; now "Ukrbiznesbank") and others.

In 1919, Mykolaiv Square was named after Moisei Tevelev, a member of the Kharkiv underground regional committee of the CP(b)U. In Soviet times, the stock exchange building and the Mykolaiv Church were demolished to make way for a tram line.

During the Second World War, many buildings were destroyed. After the liberation of the city, the people of Kharkiv restored the Maidan, including the Beckett houses. For a long time, the square had the name of the revolutionary Tevelev, then - Soviet Ukraine. Since 1996 - Maidan Konstytutsii.

In 2012, the Monument to the Independence of Ukraine was opened in the center of the Maidan Konstytutsii, created by Kharkiv sculptors Oleksandr Ridnyi and Hanna Ivanova.

On March 2, 2022, during the battles for Kharkiv during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Maidan Konstytutsii in Kharkiv was fired upon by the Russian army. The Palace of Labor was severely damaged. Buildings adjacent to it were damaged, in particular, an adjacent residential building, the building of the Kharkiv City Council, and others.

The current Serhiivskyi Maidan below the Universitsky Hill, along the former embankment, was formed at the beginning of the 18th century as a shopping area with benches and taverns, where auctions were held 4 times a week.

It was called the Basarna Square or the Lopansky Bazaar. In the 19th century, a wooden covered market was built at the Lopansky Bazaar. In 1835, all the houses burned down during a great fire. In the middle of the 19th century, the construction of stone commercial buildings began, in particular, Serhiivskyi row, named after the Kharkiv governor (the square was called Serhiivskyi). In 1868, stone stairs were built instead of wooden ones, which were located in the place of the current ones.

In 1875, the construction of Novo-Serhiivskyi row was completed, in which the city museum soon opened. In 1890, a two-story Mykolaivskyi row was built on the site of the burned-out Serhiivskyi row according to the project of the architect Alfred Spiegel. In 1898, stone shops were built on the banks of Lopan according to the project of the academician of architecture Oleksiy Beketov. The "Grand Hotel" was located in the southern part of the square.

In 1932, the square was renamed Proletarska. After the Second World War, the square was reconstructed. Trees have been planted along the banks of Lopan, and a square with flower beds and lawns has been laid out. The Universitsky Hill and its slopes were arranged, and new stairs were built.

In 2016, the historical name of the square was returned - Serhiivskyi Maidan.

Maidan Svobody in Kharkiv is the central square of the city. It is among the twenty largest areas in the world.

According to legend, at the time of its construction it was the largest square in Europe (11.9 hectares), although in reality Chess Square in Bordeaux had a similar area (12 hectares), and Kuybyshev Square in Samara with adjacent squares was even larger (17.4 hectares ).

Maidan Svobody was built in 1926-1928 as the new administrative center of Kharkiv, which was then the capital of Ukraine. Initially, it bore the name of the revolutionary Dzerzhynskyi, who was engaged in construction (it is believed that he was the initiator of the clearing of chaotic buildings in the historical center of Kharkiv).

Since 1995, the square has had its current name. Political actions, fairs, festivals and concerts often take place here.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 1, 2022, Maidan Svobody 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. According to preliminary estimates by experts, the building cannot be restored.

The Kharkiv Maritime Museum illuminates the history of seafaring in models.

The exposition visually tells about how wooden ships were built and launched, how warships of the 17th century were arranged, how tools were used on an old sailing ship, how gold was extracted from sunken galleons.

The exposition presents beautifully executed models of ships created over the course of dozens of years. You can also see navigation devices, facsimile maps, engravings, documents (partly from the archives of the Royal Society of Great Britain), written by brave travelers themselves.

Kharkiv Stadium "Metalist" is the home arena of the football club of the same name. Opened after reconstruction in 2009 for the Euro-2012 championship. Accommodates more than 35,000 spectators.

The history of the stadium began in 1925, when the leadership of the city of Kharkiv, which at that time had the status of the capital, decided to use the wasteland near the city center for the stadium, and a year later it was already opened as the main sports arena of Ukraine.

In 1950, the stadium had to be rebuilt after the Second World War. It was not subject to serious reconstruction until 2009. Currently, the "Metalist" stadium in Kharkiv is one of the most modern in Ukraine and has one of the best lawns. It was nicknamed "The Spider" for its characteristic metal supports that resemble spider legs.

Excursions are held, during which you can visit the stadium bowl, premises for football players, official representatives of the teams and the media, visit the children's football academy of FC "Metalist", buy souvenirs in the football paraphernalia shop. Excursions are conducted upon request for groups of at least 10 people. The duration of the tour is 60 minutes.

The Museum of History Kharkiv Metro is housed in several halls of the Kharkiv Metro Public Administration building.

On the stands of the metro museum, the history of the construction, formation and development of the enterprise is displayed, various exhibits are presented, which in one way or another belong to the long-term activity of the Kharkiv metro, and the company's awards and commemorative gifts are exhibited.

In particular, you can see models of trains that carry passengers every day, a mock-up of an electrical depot, a jackhammer with which metro builders used the first meters of the Kholodnohirsk-Zavodska Line tunnels, samples of metro workers' uniforms from different periods, a nobleman's lantern, and more.

The rotunda of the "Mirror Stream" fountain in Victory Square opposite the Opera House is considered a hallmark of the city.

It was built in 1947 according to the project of the architect Viktor Korzh in honor of the Victory in the Second World War.

Until 1930, the Myronosytska Church (1701) was located on this site, then a wasteland and a trolleybus park. According to legend, the decision to create a square with a fountain was made by the city authorities after Mykyta Khrushchev, who visited Kharkiv, was dissatisfied with the view from the window of the regional committee.

At first, the gazebo-fountain was called "Glass stream". In 2007, for the 60th anniversary of the "Mirror Stream", its reconstruction was carried out. The next reconstruction took place in the fall of 2019.

The monument to Father Fedir, a character in the novel "Twelve Chairs" (1928) by Ilya Ilf and Yevhen Petrov, is installed on the 1st platform of the South Railway Station in Kharkiv.

The monument serves as an illustration of an episode of the novel in which Father Fedir writes a letter to his wife to the county town of N from the Kharkiv railway station, as well as a reminder of how Father Fedir was seen on the Donetsk railway: "He fled along the platform with a kettle of boiling water..".

Father Fedir is depicted in the image embodied by the Soviet film actor Mykhaylo Puhovkin in the screen adaptation of "12 Chairs" directed by Leonid Hayday (1971).

On the pedestal is a quote from his letter to his wife: "Kharkiv is a bustling city, the center of the Ukrainian Republic. After the province, it seems as if he has gone abroad."

Cossack Kharko (Kharyton) is the mythical founder of the city of Kharkiv, about whom several urban legends have been compiled.

According to the "Topographical description of the Kharkiv governorship" (1785), "...if we believe the rumor, one of the wealthy Ukrainians established a farm in this place, but who he was, where and when, there is no information about it, by the name of Kharyton, and according to the colloquialism, Kharko, from which this city and the river supposedly got their title."

The monument to the Founders of Kharkiv in honor of the city's 350th anniversary was opened in 2004 at the beginning of Nauky Avenue. Presented to the city by the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. This is the first equestrian monument in the history of the city. It is a 12-ton bronze sculpture of a horseman, the Cossack Kharko. In his hand he holds a spear, a shield, behind his shoulders is a bow and a quiver of arrows. The height of the sculpture is 6 meters, the pedestal is 7 meters.

The monument to Ostap Bender, Ipolyt Matviyovych Vorobyaninov and Ellochka the cannibal - cult characters of the novel "12 Chairs" by Ilya Ilf and Yevhen Petrov - was opened in Kharkiv in 2005 on City Day.

The "Great Combiner", cast in bronze, sat on a bench installed in front of the entrance to one of Kharkiv's cafes. Kisa Vorobyaninov, who was looking for treasures hidden in a furniture set together with the "great combiner", is depicted as begging for alms. Ellochka in a defiant pose seems to invite passers-by to sit on the treasured chair.

In 2024, monuments to the characters of the novel "12 Chairs" in Kharkiv were dismantled as part of decolonization.

A sculpture depicting a student programmer is located in the city of Kharkiv near the central entrance to the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics.

Established in 2010 in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics. The author of the project is Roman Blazhko, the designer is Viktor Honcharenko.

The monument to the student programmer was made of bronze with charitable funds.