The East of Ukraine

THE LARGEST CITIES          PLACES OF INTEREST

Eastern Ukraine is an urban economically developed region of the country due to coal and iron ore mining industries. Donbas is a historically made area of Donetsk region where large coal mines are concentrated. Eastern region of Ukraine is an industrial agglomeration with well-developed infrastructure.  

Eastern Ukraine includes such regions as Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia.

The largest cities

Kharkiv is not a tourist city, but every year thousands of tourists arrive in a noisy megalopolis. The city presents interest for those who like historic values and for those who prefer extreme kinds of rest. Kharkiv is the first capital of Ukraine; it is the second large city of the country, an industrial giant with a lot of business offices and various companies. Machine building, metal working, chemical and light industries are developed in Kharkiv. More than a million and half people live in the city. Kharkiv is a scientific center of Ukraine

Donetsk today is a large industrial, cultural and hospitable center of Eastern Ukraine. Not only various businesses are represented here, there are many monuments of culture which show both historic past and modern times. Donbas-Arena which can accommodate 50 thousand sport fans is a real masterpiece of sport-architectural art. The population of a sport-cultural megalopolis is about a million people.  

 Luhansk can be characterized in different ways. Presently it is not only a developed area of Eastern Ukraine; it is also a scientific and cultural center of the region. So, numerous guests of the city can visit many places of recreation: lots of museums, shopping and night clubs are at their disposal.

Dnipropetrovsk is a business center of Ukraine, as there are many banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges, financial centers and other agencies. Dnipropetrovsk has peculiar aspects of a modern megalopolis, life being very active here.

Zaporizhia, founded in 1770, is a very famous city in the history of Ukraine. At present Zaporizhia is a large industrial, scientific and cultural center. Numerous companies represent machine-building, metallurgical, chemical and food industries in the city. Zaporizhia of today is rich in cultural monuments. So the city is worth sightseeing. 

Poltava, a glorious city with the population of 300 thousand residents, played a very important role in the history of Ukraine. Many famous people came from Poltava. Visitors can go sightseeing and admire historical museums and a place of a legendary Poltava battle. Also, they can stroll quiet old streets and enjoy friendly atmosphere.

Places of interest

• Uspenskyi Cathedral

It is situated in the downtown of Kharkiv, on the bank of the river Lopan. This is one of the ancient and most beautiful Orthodox churches in Ukraine. The Cathedral is very interesting historically and architecturally.

• Donbas-Arena

 The stadium for fifty thousand people was built in a very interesting style in Donetsk. It is a real masterpiece of architectural art.

• Monastyrskyi Island

The island, situated in Dnipropetrovsk, has an interesting history. A special feature of the island is its connection with the right bank of the Dnipro: visitors will use a cableway to admire a fascinating panorama. Nowadays, this is a favorite recreation spot both for residents and guests of the city.

• National reserve Khortytsia

This is a historic-cultural and natural monument. The peculiarity of Khortytsia consists in its rare combination of various natural complexes – floodland forests and meadows, true and petrophytic steppes, rocky detached granite, gullies, mountainous groves, hanging swamps, lake areas. No similar ecosystem exists in Ukraine; here steppe and petrophytic communities and floodland forests are integrated. 

• Salt mine in Donetsk region

There is a great opportunity to see a salt mine in the city of Soledar, Donetsk region. A sanatorium under the ground is available for everyone. It takes 2 hours from Donetsk and 20 minutes from Artemivsk to get to the city. Soledar is located at the distance of 699 km (railway) and 755 km (highways, E-40) from Kyiv.

It has been established that salt reserves in “Artemsil” deposits (which is one of the best in Europe) are big enough for another 2 thousand years. Also, there is a church in one of the used salt galleries of the city. The city has a museum of the history of salt mining in Donbas area; at the entrance the visitors can see a figure of the first salt miner with a pick and a torch in his hands made of salt monolith. Another attraction of the city is the only preserve in Ukraine where blue and silver spruces are grown.