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About Dnipropetrovsk

The first century of the new era was marked with inhabitation of the Dnieper River banks by Slavic tribes. The rocks of Monastyrskiy Island remember well the first time Slavs floated down the Dnieper River to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. On this island the Monastery was founded by Byzantine monks in the IX century (the island received its name after the Monastery). It existed until 1240 when it was destroyed by Tatars. The Dnieper River has for many centuries served as a border between East and West and its banks have served as arena of struggle between the Slavs and the Asian nomads. This situation continued for many centuries until the XV century when there appeared a new force - the free people - Cossacks - Zaporiz'ki Kazaky, who defended the land from Turkish, Tatarian, Polish and Russian invaders.

History of the city itself dates back in the middle of the 16th century. The town was founded in 1776 by Russian Prince Potemkin by order of Catherine II, Empress of the Russian Empire. First it was called Yekaterinoslav (which means “Catherine’s glory”), then it was renamed in Sicheslav, and finally got its present name (Dnipropetrovsk) in 1926.

Dnipropetrovsk has been the major center of steel industry since the beginning of the 20th century. It has also dominated in the machine building and aero-space building industry of the state since the 1950s.

Dnipropetrovsk today
Dnipropetrovsk is Ukraine's third largest city with 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-central part of the country, to the south of Kiev on the Dnieper River. Dnipropetrovsk is also the administrative centre of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Dnipropetrovsk is also a major centre of high-technology industries, education, machine-building, metallurgy and trade. A vital industrial center of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk was one of the key centers of the nuclear, arms, and space industries of Ukraine. In particular, it is home of Yuzhmash, a major space and ballistic missile designer and manufacturer.

Transportation
The city is served by the Dnipropetrovsk International Airport and is connected to other European cities with daily flights. The airport offers regular flights to all the cities of Europe and Asia. Passenger trains connect Dnipropetrovsk with main cities of Ukraine, Eastern Europe and of course all cities of the former Soviet Union. The network of urban transport is highly developed. It includes subway, trams, trolleybuses, bus routes, suburb railway.

Climate
The climate is temperate, continental. It’s usually very warm in summer (average daily temperature in July is 24 to 27 °C, (76 to 80 °F), and cold in winter (average day temperature in January is −3 to +4 °C (24 to 39 °F).The best time for visiting the city is late spring - second part of April and May (nice nature and fresh air), and early in autumn: September, October (beauty of yellow town's parks). Long periods of rain are normal in autumn. Other times are mainly dry with a few showers.

Culture
Citizens of Dnipropetrovsk are proud of their unique cultural background. The city is rich in universities, theaters, libraries, numerous educational and scientific establishments, museums, and exhibition halls. Among the Higher education establishments the most famous are the National University, the University of Medicine, the University of Building and Engineering, the Academy of Design and Architecture and many others.

The variety of theaters, museums, parks, restaurants exceed any expectation of the most sophisticated visitor. The Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Russian Drama theatre, Ukrainian Drama Theatre, The Theatre of young spectator, Circus are waiting for visitors all year round. Historical Museum and the Museum of Art are open every day. Also you will enjoy your rest after a hard day in Shevchenko Park and Globy Park, two grand parks of Dnipropetrovsk.
The city also contains a Ukrainian Premier League football club FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Shopping and souvenirs
Karl Marx Avenue is the trade heart of the city. There are a lot of different shops, big and small, where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs. Also you can visit city art market, which is situated in the open air. Among the biggest shopping centers are: Central Department Store (TSUM), Detskij Mir store, Grand Plaza shopping centre, Metro shopping mall and many others.