ABOUT KHARKIV





 

Kharkiv is a city situated in the north-eastern part of Ukraine. It is the second largest city after Kiev and the first capital of the country. It is still referred to like this by its habitants who are proud of their city.

Kharkiv is an industrial city. There are many factories and plants there. In this respect a flow of people head to Kharkov in search of jobs and career growth.

It is also a city of fun and entertainment. One can never be bored either in the daytine or at night. Cinemas, cafes, restaurants, disco clubs get alive when darkness goes down. Among the most popular entertainment establishments it is possible to name Misto, Bolero and restaurant of traditional Ukrainian cuisine-Sloboda. Nevertheless Kharkov has preserved all historical monuments and architecture.

Kharkiv was the first capital of Soviet Ukraine, now the administrative center of the Kharkiv Oblast (province), as well as the administrative centre of the surrounding Kharkivskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city is located in the northeast of the country. As of 2006, its population is 1,461,300.
Kharkiv 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 world famous giants like the Morozov Design Bureau and the Malyshev Tank Factory, leaders in tank production since the 1930s; Hartron (aerospace and nuclear electronics); and the Turboatom turbines producer.
There is an underground rapid-transit system (metro) with about 35 km (22 mi) of track and 28 stations. A well-known landmark of Kharkiv is the Freedom Square (Ploshchad Svobody),which is currently the third largest city square in Europe.

Sumskaya is the longest street, lined up with shops and fashinable boutiques. Pushkinskays Street is the oldest one and is considered to be the home of the first Kharkov habitants.

The life is always in full swing here and never slows down even if it seems like this. Parks and recreational zones are the most favourite destinations for students and young people, coming from all over Ukraine to get education.

They say it is a city of students, it is a city of youth, energy and restless stream of life to be more corect.

Kharkiv's Freedom Square with the Derzhprom building.

Geography and Climate
Kharkiv is located in the northeastern region of Ukraine. /  / 49.91667; 36.31667Historically, Kharkiv lies in the Sloboda Ukraine region in which it is considered the main city. The city rests at the confluence of the Kharkiv, Lopan, and Udy rivers, where they flow into the Northern Donets watershed.
Kharkiv's climate is moderate continental: cold and snowy winters, and hot summers. The seasonal average temperatures are not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer: -6.9 °C (20 °F) in January, and 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) in July. The average rainfall totals 513 mm (20 in) per year, with the most in June and July.

History
Archeological evidence discovered in the area of present-day Kharkiv indicates that a local population has existed in that area since the 2nd millennium BC. Cultural artifacts date back to the Bronze Age, as well as those of later Scythian and Sarmatian settlers. There is also evidence that the Chernyakhov culture flourished in the area from the 2nd to the 6th century.
Founded in the middle of 17th century, the city has had a university since 1805. During the early years of the Soviet Union, Bolsheviks established Kharkiv as the capital of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic (from 1917-1934) after going into opposition to the Ukrainian Peoples Republic in Kiev.

Vintage view of Kharkiv in the 1890s.
In the early 1930s, the Ukrainian famine (Holodomor) drove many people off the land into the cities, to Kharkiv in particular, in search of food. Some of them died and were secretly buried in one of the city's cemeteries. During April and May 1940 about 3,800 Polish prisoners of Starobelsk camp were murdered in the Kharkiv NKVD building, later buried in Pyatykhatky forest.

23 August Memorial
It was the third largest scientific-industrial center in the former USSR (after Moscow and Leningrad).

Transportation
Kharkiv's railway station building "Pivdenny vokzal" (South railway station).
The city of Kharkiv is one of the largest transportation centers in Ukraine, which is connected to numerous cities of the world by air, rail and road traffic. The city has many transportation methods, including: public transport, taxis, railways, and air traffic.

Local Transport
Being an important transportation center of Ukraine, Kharkiv itself contains many different transportation methods. Kharkiv's Metro is the city's rapid transit system, operating since 1975, it includes three different lines with 28 stations in total.The Kharkiv buses carry about 12 million passengers annually, trolleybuses, tramways and marshrutkas (private minibuses).
Railways
The first railway connection of Kharkiv was opened in 1869. The first train to arrive in Kharkiv came from the north on 22 May 1869, and on 6 June 1869, traffic was opened on the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov line. A new railway station was built in 1952.
Various railway transportation methods available in the city are the: Railway trains, and regional electric trains.
Air Travel
Kharkiv is served by an international airport which used to have about 200 flights a day, almost all of them being passenger flights. The Kharkiv Osnova International Airport was only recently granted international status. The airport itself is not big and is situated within the city boundaries, south from the city centre. Flights to Kiev and Moscow are available on a daily basis. There are regular flights to Vienna and Istanbul, and several other destinations. Charter flights are also available.