Attractions of Mykolaiv

The children's town "Kazka" in Mykolaiv is called the Ukrainian "Disneyland". Each building of the cultural and game complex located in the center of the city is associated with some famous fairy tale or folklore character.

There used to be a city market on this place, and when it was moved in 1982, they decided to open a children's amusement park on the former place. First, a large concert pavilion with a golden rooster on the roof was opened, then a wooden fortress and a medieval stone castle were built, as well as a sea harbor with a sailboat "Buyan", which is a model of the first ship built in Mykolaiv. In addition, there are two lighthouses, a real steam locomotive, a carousel with a learned cat and a mermaid from Pushkin's fairy tales. Two new carousels of different types, a ferris wheel, and an autodrome have now been added.

The sundial is the central figure of the "Kazka" children's town.

The Old Fleet Barracks in Mykolaiv is part of the complex of buildings of the Admiralty, which was built in the middle of the 19th century for the Maritime Department.

The barracks were built in 1850 according to the project of the architect Karl Akroyd in the style of classicism. The premises were intended for sailors of naval crews. Each of the three buildings of the Old Fleet Barracks accommodated 1,200 to 2,000 people. In 1863, the complex was handed over to the Oleksandrivska male Gymnasium, which was located here before the revolution. After the Second World War, the western building housed a construction technical school, and the other two were transferred to the military.

In 2012, the creation of a museum town began on the territory of the Old Fleet Barracks. The Mykolaiv Museum of Local Lore, which used to be located on the territory of Saint Joseph's Church, moved to the main building. The museum was created in 1913 on the basis of the office of rare things at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, where various finds from the territory of the Black Sea were collected. They formed the basis of the collection, which now has more than 160,000 exhibits.

In particular, the exposition of the local lore museum presents objects found during archaeological research in Olbia, objects from Kyivan Rus, Cossack weapons.

The building of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Mykolaiv was built in 1794 in the style of classicism, designed by architect Illya Neyolov.

For some time, the residence of the Black Sea Fleet Commander-in-Chief was located here.

Since 1978, the premises have been occupied by the Museum of Shipbuilding and the Navy. The exposition demonstrates the development of shipbuilding in the Northern Black Sea region from ancient times to the present - more than 100 models of ships of the XVIII-XX centuries. In particular, models of the first ship of the Mykolayiv shipyard - the 44-gun frigate "Saint Nicholas", the legendary 20-gun brig "Mercury", the rebellious battleship "Potemkin", the aircraft carrier "Kyiv", the research ship "Academic" are presented. Also presented are fragments of ancient ships, navigation devices, rare maps and documents.

One of the most interesting exhibits - a diorama "Construction of the first sailing ships on the Mykolaiv Admiralty".

In front of the house is the Alley of Fleet Commanders (busts of Ushakov, Lazarev, Bellingshausen, Nakhimov, etc.).

The Memorial Museum of Admiral Stepan Makarov was established in Mykolaiv in 1949 by teachers, staff and students of the Admiral Makarov National Shipbuilding University.

The museum is located in the main building of the university.

The museum's exposition presents exhibits that tell about the life and activities of the outstanding scientist, shipbuilder, and naval commander Admiral Stepan Makarov - ship models related to Admiral Makarov's service, a large number of photographs, issues of the "Maritime Collection" with the Admiral's scientific publications, and Admiral Makarov's books that were printed during his lifetime.

Among the museum's exhibits are many memorial items - a fragment of the ladder to the navigation bridge of the world's first icebreaker "Yermak", created according to the idea of ​​Admiral Makarov, and an armchair from the cabin of this icebreaker, and the diary of the senior mechanic of the icebreaker Ulashkevych, who, under the leadership of Admiral Makarov, took part in the second Arctic expedition, and a drawing of the first-rank cruiser "Admiral Makarov" from 1908.

The complex of buildings of the Maritime Department (Admiralty) in Mykolaiv began to be created in 1788 during the construction of the Mykolaiv Shipyard.

According to the instructions of the Governor-General of Katerynoslav, Hrihoriy Potemkin, the complex had a closed structure and was a small fortress. After the reconstruction carried out in the 1840s by order of Vice-Admiral Mykhaylo Lazarev, the Admiralty included a shipyard with a stone fence and main gate, a foundry and a rope factory, various workshops, three-story barracks in the classicist style, as well as a male gymnasium building, which now houses the Mykolaiv Construction College.

Most of the original buildings of the Mykolaiv Admiralty were destroyed during World War II. Nowadays, the admiralty refers to the main administrative building of the Shipyard (1951), which is distinguished by a tall spire. It plays a significant urban planning role, closing the wide and well-planted Sadova Street, serving as the compositional center of the square formed at its intersection with Admyralska Street. Only the foundations and the main gate to the right of the house with the spire remain of the old buildings.

In front of the entrance, there is a monument to the founder of Mykolaiv and the Admiralty, Prince Hrihoriy Potemkin.

On the night of April 27, 2023, during the large-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia attacked Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles. One of the missiles hit the Admiralty building. As a result of the rocket attack, the right wing of the historical Admiralty building was destroyed and the left wing was significantly damaged.

The Church of All Saints is one of the oldest churches in Mykolaiv. City planner and founder of Mykolaiv Shipyard Mykhaylo Falyeyev is buried in the crypt of the church.

Nearby, in the Old Cemetery, is the crypt of Kharkiv University founder Vasyl Karazin.

Aquapark Vodoliy is one of the first water parks in the country, opened in 1997 on the basis of a water sports complex.

In the hall with stands there is a sports bath measuring 50 by 21 meters, designed for swimming competitions on eight lanes. The 5.5-meter-deep jumping pool is equipped with springboards and towers up to 10 meters high. The 16.5-by-8.5-meter attraction bath has a 26-meter-long speed slide, fountains, water flow, waterfalls, hydromassage. For the youngest visitors, there is a children's bath with fountains and a water umbrella (water temperature +32°С).

There is a cafe-bar, a sauna, a gym. Individual swimming lessons are held.

The Art Gallery named after Serafyma Senkevych was founded in Mykolaiv in 1998 at the Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University.

Since 2022, it has been named after the Mykolaiv artist Serafyma Senkevych, who was the director of the gallery for a long time and was at the origins of its creation.

The Art Gallery does not have its own collection, but works with traveling exhibitions of both Mykolaiv artists and masters from all over Ukraine and foreign countries.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the oldest church in Mykolaiv. It was built in 1800 with donations from Mykolaiv merchants, so it was called the Old Merchant Church.

The 38-meter-high classicist building has powerful walls made of hewn tortoiseshell stone. Later, two side altars were added, the church became the city diocesan cathedral. In 1876, a belfry was built, a huge bell weighing more than 8 tons was installed in it.

The cathedral was closed in 1938, the premises housed the officers' garrison house. Since 1992, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin has been operating again. A new iconostasis with its original appearance was installed.

The Cathedral of the Kasperivska Icon of the Mother of God is distinguished by ancient Rus architectural forms (architect Fedir Eppinher), due to disputes over which the construction was delayed for three decades.

The main shrine, in honor of which the church is named, was the icon most revered by the inhabitants of Tavriya province during the Crimean War.

In Soviet times, the building was a club of the Plant named after 61 Communards.

The Cathedral of the Kasperivska icon of the Mother of God was returned to believers in 1992, and reconstruction was carried out. Currently, it is the cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Mykolaiv.

Flotskyi Boulevard in Mykolaiv is a shady pedestrian embankment over the Inhul River that vaguely resembles Primorsky Boulevard in Odesa.

It offers a view of the river, bridges and Peremoha Park on the opposite bank. In honor of the founding of the city, a memorial sign - an ancient cannon - was installed.

In 2002, a monument to Prince Hrihoriy Potemkin's associate Colonel Mykhaylo Faleyev, who oversaw the construction of the city and the shipyard, was erected nearby. At the other end of Fleet Boulevard is a monument to Admiral Stepan Makarov (1976), a famous scientist and naval commander.

George Redoubt at the entrance to the former village of Mala Korenykha (now Mykolaiv District) is part of the fortification system created during the Crimean War of 1853-1856 by the project of the famous engineer Eduard Totleben.

The redoubt covered the approaches to the Kostyantynivska Battery. Many guns, a powder cellar, barracks and everything necessary for people's daily life were placed inside. Significant earthen ramparts have been preserved.

The Museum of the History of the Mykolaiv Sea Commercial Port was established in 1976.

The exposition chronologically introduces the development of port construction from the beginning of the founding of the city of Mykolaiv and the appearance of the first piers to modern port structures located on the banks of the Buh-Dnipro Estuary, including the Ochakiv Port, transshipment facilities, and volumes of goods turnover.

The museum's stock books currently record 2,992 exhibits, of which 2017 are original.

The museum's current collection includes: an old map of Mykolaiv from the 19th century, paintings by famous artists, models of port cranes, various port equipment, original photographs, postcards, and books dedicated to the port. The museum's exposition is decorated with 10 models of ships that are connected with the history of the port or named after famous leaders of the Mykolaiv Commercial Port.

The Church of the Holy Spirit was built in 1857 on the then outskirts of Mykolaiv, in the village of Bohoyavlenske, at the expense of the villagers with the active financial assistance of the merchant Kostyantyn Sobolev.

It was closed in Soviet times. In 1941, the German occupiers allowed religious services to be held and the church was reopened. During the retreat of the Germans, the church was destroyed.

It was restored in its original form in 1992-1997.

The Kostyantynivska Battery in the Mykolayiv area is an artificial dam on the right bank of the Buzky estuary, which ends with the fortified island of Flagshtok.

It was built in 1855 according to the project of the famous military engineer Eduard Totleben. The dam starts from the former village of Mala Korenykha (now a district of the city) opposite the center of Mykolaiv and runs across the estuary.

During the Crimean War, it became part of the defense system of the city, when there was a threat of its capture by Anglo-French troops. The artillery battery located on the island, together with the Kaufmann battery on the opposite bank of the estuary, blocked the narrow fairway passage for ships with fire.

The Kostyantynivska Battery did not take part in the battles, after the end of the war the battery was abandoned.