Sightseeing in Kharkov - what to see. Complete travel guide

The city was founded in the beginning of the 17th century. At that time here was built a powerful fortress aimed at protecting Russian land from the raids of the Tatars. Starting from the late 18th century Kharkov has been known as a major shopping district, a university center and a city with great cultural and historical heritage. Nowadays you can learn more about the history and the glorious past of this city in numerous museums, monuments and buildings.

Start the exploration of the city from its main street – Sumskaya Street. Here you will see beautiful houses built in the 18th - 19th centuries. The street is stretched between two large squares. Constitution Square is the location of Historical Museum that exhibits all important and valuable pre-revolution artifacts. Opposite to the museum you will see Shevchenko Theatre. The theater is surrounded by Poetry Park - one of the most romantic places in the city. Dzerzhinsky Square is present in the list of the three largest squares in the world. Despite its huge size the square is always quiet and cozy. This is a great place to forget about stressful and noisy city life. The square has become a popular music concerts venue. Here are often conducted numerous festivals, and weekends is the time for fairs, on which you can buy numerous interesting accessories and handicrafts.

Not far from Sumskaya Street is located another sight, the botanical garden, which is a truly beautiful corner of wilderness formed around a pure stream. The choice of plants and flowers here is simply amazing; many species have been imported from exotic countries and have adapted wonderfully to the local climate. The botanic garden is also the start of a ropeway. Use the funicular to get to another beautiful place – Gorky Park. This is the best place for families with children, as you will find here several entertainment centers. Guests are welcome to play paintball, ride on the miniature railway or have a picnic. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In Kharkiv, there are a lot of beautiful religious monuments. One of the most impressive is St. Peter and St. Paul Church. It was built in 1866. Today, many tourists easily recognize this church due to its pinnacle and black dome. The old church is one of the few temples in the city that was not almost damaged during the Second World War. It was constantly open even in wartime. In 1996, the church was completely reconstructed and then served as a church school.

The religious monument of the later period is the Annunciation Cathedral built at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite the fact that the age of the cathedral is only a hundred years, it is a luxurious example of the Byzantium style. The building is distinguished by a fascinating design of its dome, facade and interior.

In Kharkiv, there is a unique art museum. Its collection was started over 200 years ago, in 1805. Over the years of its existence, the museum collection has been expanded significantly. This building has been housing the collection since 1912. It is presented in 25 halls and divided on the basis of time periods. The visitors of the museum have an opportunity to see unique masterpieces of European and Russian artists. The age of some paintings is over 300 years.

When walking along Kharkiv, you can admire a lot of beautiful fountains. One of the most unusual fountains is the Mirror Stream. It was constructed in 1947 after the victory in the Second World War. This fascinating fountain is a complex of the fountain itself and the beautiful pavilion. In 2007, it was completely reconstructed and now is furnished with beautiful marble. In the evening, it is illuminated with over 130 spotlights.

When walking along Sumska Street, you should definitely drop in the shopping mall called Platinum Plaza. There is the original Garden of Sculptures where you can take a lot of spectacular pictures. The initiator of its opening is collector Alexander Feldman. He presented several sculptures from his private collection for decorating the patio. Today, you can see even masterpieces of famous Israeli sculptor Frank Meisler here.