Sightseeing In Kharkiv

Svobody (Freedom) Square
City's main square is the largest square in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe. This is the venue of festivals, concerts, fairs, rallies, meetings, and other public events.

The central part of square's circumference is occupied by the State Industry Building or Derzhprom. This is one of city's unique architectural and historic sights. It was built in 1925-1928 to become the first high-rise building in the country. The Derzhprom consists of a group of blocks connected by passages running on different levels. The following figures signify the scope of the structure: total site area occupies 11,000 square meters and the facade length is 300 meters. An eight-story building of the Hotel Kharkiv also faces the Svobody Square.

The square's architectural ensemble is completed by the building of the Oblast Council of People's Deputies erected in 1954 on site of the old one destroyed by Nazis during the war. The building was designed by architects V.Orekhov and V.Kostenko. The building was designed by architects S.Serafimov, S.Kravets, and M.Feldher. The construction work was headed by prominent civil engineer and academician of architecture, P.Rottert.

To the left of the Derzhprom is the building of the Kharkiv National University named after V.Karazin, one of the oldest and largest higher education institutions founded in 1805. The University building has about 2,500 lecture rooms and laboratories.

A monument to the University founder V.Karazin is located nearby on the side of the Shevchenko Gardens. The monument was unveiled in 1906, designed by sculptor I.M.Andreoletti and architect A.I.Beketov.

T. Shevchenko Gardens
The Shevchenko Gardens is the oldest green area in the city center. It was planted as far back as 1804. The gardens central path is a beautiful chestnut-tree alley leading from the Taras Shevchenko Monument to the University building. The gardens area of 25 hectares has over 15,000 trees and bushes of more than 100 varieties. It also has gigantic oaks, which are over 200 years old. One of these grows close to the monument to the great Kobzar (Bard). The gardens are being expanded and improved every year. After the war, their western slope was reconstructed with a water cascade and stairs leading down to the Klochkovska Street. A color and music fountain is located in the center of the gardens. At the far end of the Shevchenko Gardens, there is a Movie and Concert Hall Ukrayina for 1,850 seats, known for its excellent acoustics. The originally shaped building merges well with the gardens green environment. It was designed by architects V.Vasilyev, Yu.Plaksiyev, V.Reusov, and L.Fridhan, and engineer A. Biletsky. The Movie and Concert Hall Ukrayina was inaugurated in August 1963.

On the grounds of the T.Shevchenko Gardens there is an astronomical observatory of the Kharkiv National University founded in 1808. Scientists study solar processes, observe planets of the Solar system and satellites. Study of the moon occupies an important place in the research program. For many years, the observatory was headed by prominent scholar Academician N.P.Barabashov. In recent years, his name is more often associated with the Metro station named after this prominent scientist and Ukraine's largest Barabashov Market. So, the T.Shevchenko Gardens provide an opportunity to recall who really was Academician Barabashov.

Kharkiv Zoo
Not far from the Concert Hall there is the main entrance to the Zoo. The Kharkiv Zoo was founded in 1895 and has already celebrated its centenary. It now has about five thousand animals representing 340 species of mammals, reptiles, amphibia, birds, and fishes from all continents. Of a great interest is the aquarium with exotic fishes of 80 species. The Zoo occupies the area of 22 hectares. As it is located in the wonderful gardens in city center, it is always populous with about 1 million visitors annually.
Kharkiv Zoo photo gallery

Memorial Complex
A stately Glory Memorial was unveiled in the Forest Park in 1977. It immortalizes the undying exploits of the Soviet people fighting the Nazism.

At this city's northern boundary, the Hitlerites executed tens of thousands of Soviet war prisoners, partisans, members of underground resistance, and patriots who had not submitted to the enemy. Three memorial steles with lowered cast metal flags tell the story of Kharkivites' contribution in the Soviet people's battle with the hateful enemy.

The Kharkivites displayed unprecedented courage and heroism in battles with the nazis. 230 of our compatriots were given the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands have been awarded with orders and medals.

Inscription on one of the steles reminds about those, whom the present and subsequent generation owe their lives: 186,306 Soviet soldiers died in the battles of Kharkiv.

A majestic stele at the center of the Memorial tells about the struggle, suffering, and joy of victory. A symbolic figure of Motherland stands nearby in mournful silence. The Eternal Flame burns at the foot of the sculpture. Gray granite bears gold lettering: "Heroes never die. They become immortal and stay forever in our memories, in our achievements, in great deeds of future generations. The progeny owe life to them”

Shevchenko Monument
Taras Shevchenko came from serf peasants and was deeply linked with the people by the ardent word of a poet, by a sharp pencil of an artist expressed their thoughts and feelings, defended their interests. T.Shevchenko's works were loved by the people of different nationalities who inhabited our country. His main poetry collection book was titled "Kobzar". It means "the folk singer of ukrainian ballads". Very many kobzars were singing for many centuries about hard life of people of Ukraine and expressed their dreams about liberty. This book became the favorite one for all Ukrainians and the poet was named Kobzar after it. Now our Kobzar has been translated into dozens of foreign languages.

The autocratic government of tsarist Russia made everything possible to erase T.Shevchenko's name from people's memory, suppressed all attempts to immortalize in sculpture the image of the poet of genius. In 1860 the tsar personally prohibited the disposing of Shevchenko's bas-relief at the monument "Russia's Millennium" to famous Russian sculptor M.O.Mikeshin. Tsarist satraps frustrated the subscription organized through the whole of Russia to raise funds for erecting a monument to the poet in 1891. In spite of that, several first sculpture portraits of T.Shevchenko were created at the end of his life and soon after his death. Among those that we have extinct today is a sculpture portrait of Taras Grigoryevich created by M.S.Pimenov when Shevchenko was sitting to him. A classical representation of the poet - naked bust positioned on a rectangular basis - was created in 1862 by a well known Russian sculptor F.F.Kamensky. Between 60's and 70's the Ukrainian sculptor P.P.Zabila created marble and bronze busts of T.G.Shevchenko.

The first monument in the country, the bust in marble, to the great Kobzar was set up illegally in 1899 in Kharkov. It was situated in the garden near the house of Alchevskaya, who was the famous progressive benefactress, the founder of female Sunday school for adults. Its author was the kharkivite, a prominent Russian sculptor, professor of the St-Petersburg Academy of Arts V.A.Beklemishev. The students often gathered at this monument, poets-beginners recited their poetry here full of faith in the bright future of the people. In 1901 on the eve of the 40-th anniversary since T.Shevchenko's death the bust was removed by the "imperial instructions": the government was afraid of people's riot.

After the October revolution motioned by Lenin the Soviet government issued the decree about monuments. In accordance with this decree there had to be erected monuments to well known revolutionaries, scientists and people of arts, among which was the Ukrainian poet, democratic revolutionary T. G. Shevchenko.

In 1918, a monument to the Kobzar by the Latvian sculptor Y.Tilberg was set up in Petrograd. The plinth bears the inscription "To the great Ukrainian serf poet Taras Grigoryevich Shevchenko - 1814 - 1861. The Great Russian Nation - 1918". At the same time the well known Russian sculptor S. M. Volnukhin (who had been the winner of the competition for the best monument to be erected in Kiev which was forbidden by the Tsarist government) created a monument to T.G.Shevchenko in Moscow. A bust monument to the poet (by B.M.Kratko) was unveiled in 1919 in Kiev. During the next twenty years monuments to T.G.Shevchenko by F.P.Balavensky, I.P.Kavaleridze, B.M.Kratko, and other sculptors were erected in many cities of the country.

One of them - magnificent and unique - beautified the Kharkov City. Its authors are the People's Artist of the USSR, Honoured Art Worker of Ukraine, Member of the Academy of arts of the USSR sculptor M.G.Manizer (1891 - 1966) and Honoured Art Worker of Belorus, Doctor of Architecture I.G.Langbard (1882-1951).

The Uspensky Cathedral
The Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral is situated at the central part of the University Hill. It is one of city's wonderful architectural monuments built in 1771-1777 in the style of Russian Baroque. To commemorate victory of Russian troops over Napoleon, architect Ye.Vasilyev designed a new bell tower built in 1821-1844. The gold-domed bell tower attracts attention with its simplicity, stateliness, and austere forms. This is the highest building in Kharkiv rising 89.5 meters tall. The bell tower has a chiming clock, whose melodious signal is heard hourly over the city.

An organ has been installed in the cathedral and now it is also known as an organ music hall, hosting prominent Kharkiv and guest performers of chamber and organ music. Thanks to its good acoustics, the organ music hall is a popular concert venue for classical music performers and folklore groups.

Pokrovsky Cathedral
The Pokrovsky (Protection of the Virgin) Cathedral is the oldest city building. It was built in 1689. The Pokrovsky Cathdral is located close to the Constitution Square and is a valuable monument of the Ukrainian architecture of the second half of the 17th century. This is a typical Ukrainian three-domed church. Its exterior decorations have some elements of Russian architecture testifying to links between the Russian and Ukrainian cultures.

The cathedral was severely damaged in the years of the Second World war. The restoration of the cathedral began in early 1990s and then it has been returned to the Kharkiv Church Eparchy. Now it is an acting orthodox temple.