Travel to Kharkiv and Kharkiv Region

Kharkiv (Ukrainian: Харків), also known as Kharkov (Russian: Харьков) is the second largest city in Ukraine. It was founded in the 17th century and it was also the first capital of The Soviet Ukraine. Now it serves as the administrative center of the Kharkiv Oblast (province). It also serves as the administrative centre of the surrounding Kharkivskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city is located in the north-east of the country. As of 2006, its population is 1,461,300.

Kharkov is a major cultural, scientific, educational, transport and industrial centre of Ukraine. Its industry specializes mostly in machinery. There are hundreds of industrial companies in the city. Among them are the world famous giants like the Design Bureau and the Malyshev Tank Factory, the leaders in tank production since the 1930s; Hartron (aerospace and nuclear electronics); and the Turboatom turbines producer. As you can see - Kharkov is an industrial city. There are many factories and plants here. With this in mind many people head to Kharkov in search of jobs and a career.
In Kharkov you can find an underground rapid-transit system (metro) with about 35 km (22 miles) of track and 28 stations. A well-known landmark of Kharkov is the Freedom Square (Ploshchad Svobody), which is the 3rd or 4th largest square in the Europe. Kharkov is also a significant transport centre with its several railway and bus stations and an international airport.
Nowadays Kharkov is proud of its newly reconstructed streets and buildings, its 26 educational establishments and six theaters, four big museums and numerous art galleries, its libraries (the biggest of which are the Korolenko and National University Libraries), its brightly-lit shops and huge markets.

And Kharkov is also a city of fun and entertainment. One never gets bored either in the daytime or at the night time. Cinemas, cafes, restaurants and disco clubs come alive when the darkness falls. Among the most popular entertainment establishments should be mentioned Misto, Bolero and the restaurant of traditional Ukrainian cuisine - Sloboda.

For those who are interested in architecture and history, Kharkov has preserved all its historical monuments and its unique architecture. The main street Sumskaya is also the longest street in Kharkov and it is lined up with shops and fashionable boutiques. Pushkinskays Street is the oldest one and it is considered to be the home of the first Kharkov habitants.

The first Kharkov Church Pokrovsky Cathedral was built in 1689. It was the first stone building (and the oldest surviving Kharkov building at present) and it was used both as a place of worship and as a watchtower. The pre-war period in Kharkov was not only a constrictive but also a destructive one as many beautiful churches were pulled down in the anti-religious campaign. The older citizens of Kharkov regretfully recollect the beautiful Nikolsky Cathedral. There is also Dzerkalna Struya "The Mirrow Flow", one of the symbols of Kharkov, and the St. Michael's Church that stood in the modern Uritsky Square. Now many old buildings are under reconstruction and after the restoration Kharkov will be a more beautiful and interesting place to visit. A lot of citizens of Kharkov are proud of the monument to Taras Shevshenko which they consider to be the most beautiful and expressive in the world. In Kharkov there are also many beautiful parks always full of people having a walk or sitting near to the fountains listening to beautiful music.

The life is always in full swing here and it never slows down. Even in the quietest moment of the day the city is full of life. Parks and recreational zones are the most favorite destinations for students and young people, who come from all over Ukraine to get their education. Kharkov has the oldest university of Ukraine. And the city is the students' center of Ukraine as well, with more than 188,000 students - including 5,300 foreign students from 50 different countries - studying at its 83 higher education institutions. The Kharkov National University was founded in 1805 by Vasil Karazin.

Kharkov is a city of youth and energy - it has in itself a restless stream of life.

The Kharkov Region

The biggest towns of Kharkov region are Chuguev, Kupjansk, Lozova, Izyum, Volchansk and Balakleja. On nature-climatic conditions the terrain of region can be divided into two zones: forest-steppe in the central, boreal both western areas and steppe-austral in the eastern areas.The climate is moderate. Mid-annual temperature: + 21C, in winter -7 degrees Celcius. The level of a rainfall is mid-annually - 540 mm.

In the north and north-east the Kharkov region adjoins on the Belgorod range of the Russian Federation, in the east with Lugansk, in the south-east with Donetsk, in a south-west with Dnepropetrovsk and in the west and north-west - with the Poltava and Sumy regions of Ukraine.

The terrain of region compounds 5,2 % of the terrain of all Ukraine. The terrain has railways and motorways connections to Donbass, Crimea, Caucasus, ports of the Black, The Azov and The Baltic seas.

The Kharkov region is located on a watershed of the main rivers Don and Dnepr. On its terrain proceed more than 1000 kilometers in length all in all 156 rivers. The largest are - Severskij Donets (length of 380 kms), Orel' (length of 200 kms) and Oskol (length of 177 kms). Severskij Donets is considered to be one of the most beautiful rivers in Ukraine.

The coasts of Severski Donets are very picturesque by the big river. The river in Gajdar and Korobovyh areas is especially beautiful. Here the infrequent combination of an austral-steppe of the deep river with thick woods and the extensive meadows of a low left bank has been saved. Above the river are The Cossack tower and The Gorodishchenskaja mountains from which the wonderful view to the river opens. Below Izyum Severski Donets has its largest inflows.

One of the most famous people born in Kharkov Region is the world famous painter Ilya Repin. He was born in Chuguev.

Here is a list of some other famous people born in Ukraine: Sergei Prokofiev (composer) (Krasne, Donetsk region), Isaac Stern (Violinist) (Kremenets, Ternopil region), Isaac Babel (writer) (Odessa), Mikhail Bulgakov (writer) (Kiev), Joseph Conrad (writer) (Berdychiv, Zhytornyr Region), Nikolai Gogol (writer) (Velyki Sorochyntsi, Poltava Region), Anna Akhmatova (poet) (Odessa), Taras Shevchenko (poet) (Moryntsi, Kiev Region), Leonid Brezhnev (soviet leader) (Dniprodzerzhynsk, Dnipropetrovsk Region) and last but not least: Milla Jovovich (model, actor) (Kiev).