Poltava

Poltava was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century around a circular square with a column at its centre and eight neoclassical buildings radiating from it, one of the most complete Empire-style ensembles in Ukraine. Ivan Kotliarevsky, who wrote the first work of modern Ukrainian literature here, has a house museum and a monument. The city is also associated with halushky, and a monument to the dumpling stands near the centre, a bronze bowl on a plinth that visitors photograph and locals largely ignore.

What you actually see

• The round square - a circular Empire-style ensemble with a central column.
• The Kotliarevsky house - the writer's home, run as a museum.
• The halushky monument - a bronze bowl of dumplings, a city landmark.
• The Assumption cathedral - the rebuilt cathedral on the old town hill.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season. Museums close on Mondays. Chestnuts and lilac make late spring the prettiest.

Honest expectations

The city is workaday outside the historic core. Museums are dated and labelled in Ukrainian. The dumpling monument is a novelty rather than a sight.

Nearby

Opishnia is west, and Dykanka is northwest.