Kharkiv
A large university city in northeastern Ukraine, laid out around an enormous square and the constructivist Derzhprom.
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Kharkiv grew as an industrial and university city and was the Ukrainian capital in the 1920s, which is when its defining building went up: Derzhprom, finished in 1928, a group of reinforced concrete blocks linked by bridges on Freedom Square, one of the first high-rise office complexes in Europe and a landmark of constructivism. The square itself is among the largest in Europe. A dozen universities give the centre its character.
What you actually see
- Derzhprom - the 1928 constructivist complex of linked concrete blocks.
- Freedom Square - one of the largest squares in Europe, with the university on it.
- The Annunciation cathedral - a striped brick cathedral of the 1880s.
- The university quarter - the institutions the city's life runs on.
When to go
May to September is the most comfortable. The city is at its liveliest in term time. Winters are cold and grey.
Honest expectations
The city is spread out and the sights are far apart; the metro is the practical way around. Museum opening is unreliable and should be checked. Much of the centre is workaday Soviet fabric.
Nearby
Sharivka Palace is west, and Parkhomivka is southwest.
What to pack for Kharkiv
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.