Ukraine: Kharkiv
Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine. Packed with old buildings, open squares, soaring colorful onion-some cathedrals, and monuments – it almost felt like Moscow. Founded in 1654, the city rapidly grew into a major trading center in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv was the capital of Soviet Ukraine from 1919 to 1934, before it was moved to Kiev. During the USSR period, the city was the major industrial hub with a lot of heavy industry – soviet Antonov planes were built here, most of the hydro and nuclear power turbines assembled here, and this was also the capital of the Soviet tank production until 1980. Today the city is packed with attractions – several cathedrals (Assumption and Intercession), main thoroughfare of Sumska Street with centuries-old buildings, beautiful park with a huge Shevchenko Soviet-style statue, Soviet-built Derzhprom building (which was the tallest and biggest building in Europe in 1920s), the University, the iconic Mirror Stream fountain (the city’s symbol), and much more. The city is very clean and packed with green parks.
