Attractions of Kharkiv district

The Liubotyn Museum of Local Lore was founded in the city of Liubotyn in the Kharkiv region in 1993 on the initiative of local historians. The museum is located in the premises of the central city library.

The museum's collections include over 8,000 exhibits, including a large numismatic collection, icons from the late 19th century, antique clothing, household items and tools from the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

The Museum of Local Self-Government of the Kharkiv Region was opened in Kharkiv in 2015 on the occasion of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the 150th anniversary of the introduction of Zemstvos - the first elected local self-government bodies in the Slobozhanshchyna.

The museum is located in the city center, in the premises of the Derzhprom Building (5th entrance). Is a subdivision of the Kharkiv Historical Museum is named after Mykola Sumtsov.

The museum's exposition tells about the historical past of self-government since its inception, about the spread of the regimental-hundred system, about the formation of zemstvo self-government and the introduction of the position of mayor. Original documents, reproduced clothing of officials of different eras, original weapons are presented.

The square in the center of Kharkiv at the intersection of Hryhoriya Skovorody, Zhon Myronosyts and Darvina streets near the metro station named after the architect Beketov is called  Maidan Arkhitektoriv.

In 2009, the square was completely reconstructed and turned into a kind of sculpture park. Sidewalks were laid, lawns were laid, and benches were installed. In the center of the square is a romantic Monument to Lovers, created based on a sketch that won the city's student competition.

Around the monument are the "Seven Wonders of Kharkiv" - white marble models of the city's best architectural buildings: Derzhprom, Assumption Cathedral, Taras Shevchenko monument, Annunciation Cathedral, "Mirror Stream" rotunda, "House with Spire", Intercession Cathedral.

The Maidan Konstytutsii arose at the same time as the Kharkiv Fortress and until the 19th century was called the Yarmarkova (Fair) Square (since 1659, the annual Assumption Fair was held here, which by the middle of the 19th century had become one of the largest in the country).

In winter, the square was a favorite place for sledding. Over time, the square was named Mykolaivska in honor of the church of the same name, which was located on it.

In the 19th century, the first brick buildings appeared on the square. In particular, the Noble Gathering, near which stood two cannons that were once armed with the Kharkiv fortress (not preserved). Opposite, according to the project of the architect Oleksiy Beketov, the following bank buildings were built: St. Petersburg International (building 22; now the Central branch of the Savings Bank), Volga-Kamsky (building 24; now the Puppet Theater), Moscow Merchant (building 26; now the House of Technology) and Zemelny (building 28 ; currently a motor vehicle technical school).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the building of the square was supplemented by the Metropol hotel, the multi-apartment residential building of the insurance company "Russia" (building 1/17; now the Labor Palace), the building of the Azov-Donskoy Bank (building 14; now "Ukrbiznesbank") and others.

In 1919, Mykolaiv Square was named after Moisei Tevelev, a member of the Kharkiv underground regional committee of the CP(b)U. In Soviet times, the stock exchange building and the Mykolaiv Church were demolished to make way for a tram line.

During the Second World War, many buildings were destroyed. After the liberation of the city, the people of Kharkiv restored the Maidan, including the Beckett houses. For a long time, the square had the name of the revolutionary Tevelev, then - Soviet Ukraine. Since 1996 - Maidan Konstytutsii.

In 2012, the Monument to the Independence of Ukraine was opened in the center of the Maidan Konstytutsii, created by Kharkiv sculptors Oleksandr Ridnyi and Hanna Ivanova.

On March 2, 2022, during the battles for Kharkiv during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Maidan Konstytutsii in Kharkiv was fired upon by the Russian army. The Palace of Labor was severely damaged. Buildings adjacent to it were damaged, in particular, an adjacent residential building, the building of the Kharkiv City Council, and others.

Pavlivskyi Maidan emerged in 1660-1662, when a fortification (outpost) was built here, adjacent to the Kharkiv Fortress.

After some time, the center of the fortification became a large shopping area called Narodna. At the corner of the square and Universitetska Street in the second half of the 18th century, there was a post office (now on this site is a post office building), next to which a stone verst pillar with inscriptions indicating the distances from Kharkiv to Moscow and neighboring provincial cities was installed. Decrees were read near the pillar and public punishments were carried out, so the square was also called Lobna.

In the middle of the 19th century, the square was called Pavlivska in honor of the merchant Pavlov, who opened the first store with fixed prices for goods. Later, the large building of the insurance company "Russia" (1910-1915, architect Mykola Verovkin) and the City Merchant Bank (1913, architects Mykola Vasylyev and Oleksandr Rzhepishevsky) were built, on the two upper floors of which the Astoria hotel was located.

During the Second World War, the building was destroyed, but then restored in its original form.

On the night of August 27, 2022, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Russians launched a missile attack on Pavlivskyi Maidan in Kharkiv. The historical building of 1912 was damaged, the windows and doors of the building were blown out by the blast wave.

The current Serhiivskyi Maidan below the Universitsky Hill, along the former embankment, was formed at the beginning of the 18th century as a shopping area with benches and taverns, where auctions were held 4 times a week.

It was called the Basarna Square or the Lopansky Bazaar. In the 19th century, a wooden covered market was built at the Lopansky Bazaar. In 1835, all the houses burned down during a great fire. In the middle of the 19th century, the construction of stone commercial buildings began, in particular, Serhiivskyi row, named after the Kharkiv governor (the square was called Serhiivskyi). In 1868, stone stairs were built instead of wooden ones, which were located in the place of the current ones.

In 1875, the construction of Novo-Serhiivskyi row was completed, in which the city museum soon opened. In 1890, a two-story Mykolaivskyi row was built on the site of the burned-out Serhiivskyi row according to the project of the architect Alfred Spiegel. In 1898, stone shops were built on the banks of Lopan according to the project of the academician of architecture Oleksiy Beketov. The "Grand Hotel" was located in the southern part of the square.

In 1932, the square was renamed Proletarska. After the Second World War, the square was reconstructed. Trees have been planted along the banks of Lopan, and a square with flower beds and lawns has been laid out. The Universitsky Hill and its slopes were arranged, and new stairs were built.

In 2016, the historical name of the square was returned - Serhiivskyi Maidan.

Maidan Svobody in Kharkiv is the central square of the city. It is among the twenty largest areas in the world.

According to legend, at the time of its construction it was the largest square in Europe (11.9 hectares), although in reality Chess Square in Bordeaux had a similar area (12 hectares), and Kuybyshev Square in Samara with adjacent squares was even larger (17.4 hectares ).

Maidan Svobody was built in 1926-1928 as the new administrative center of Kharkiv, which was then the capital of Ukraine. Initially, it bore the name of the revolutionary Dzerzhynskyi, who was engaged in construction (it is believed that he was the initiator of the clearing of chaotic buildings in the historical center of Kharkiv).

Since 1995, the square has had its current name - Maidan Svobody. Political actions, fairs, festivals and concerts often take place here.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 1, 2022, Maidan Svobody was attacked by Russian Kalibr missiles. One of them hit the historic building of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, injuring twenty people and killing ten. All the windows were broken and significantly damaged, and in some places the ceilings were completely destroyed. According to preliminary estimates by experts, the building cannot be restored.

The private manor-museum of Slobozhansk life "Ukrainian House" in the village of Nyzhnia Ozeriana was created by the Yelahin family in a restored 300-year-old village house in Mazanka with an authentic interior.

The exhibition presents a variety of rural household items: spindles, chests, stags, cauldrons, pots. Lots of towels and embroidered bedspreads.

Theatrical tours are conducted.

The Kharkiv Maritime Museum illuminates the history of seafaring in models.

The exposition visually tells about how wooden ships were built and launched, how warships of the 17th century were arranged, how tools were used on an old sailing ship, how gold was extracted from sunken galleons.

The exposition presents beautifully executed models of ships created over the course of dozens of years. You can also see navigation devices, facsimile maps, engravings, documents (partly from the archives of the Royal Society of Great Britain), written by brave travelers themselves.

Kharkiv Stadium "Metalist" is the home arena of the football club of the same name. Opened after reconstruction in 2009 for the Euro-2012 championship. Accommodates more than 35,000 spectators.

The history of the stadium began in 1925, when the leadership of the city of Kharkiv, which at that time had the status of the capital, decided to use the wasteland near the city center for the stadium, and a year later it was already opened as the main sports arena of Ukraine.

In 1950, the stadium had to be rebuilt after the Second World War. It was not subject to serious reconstruction until 2009. Currently, the "Metalist" stadium in Kharkiv is one of the most modern in Ukraine and has one of the best lawns. It was nicknamed "The Spider" for its characteristic metal supports that resemble spider legs.

Excursions are held, during which you can visit the stadium bowl, premises for football players, official representatives of the teams and the media, visit the children's football academy of FC "Metalist", buy souvenirs in the football paraphernalia shop. Excursions are conducted upon request for groups of at least 10 people. The duration of the tour is 60 minutes.

The Museum of History Kharkiv Metro is housed in several halls of the Kharkiv Metro Public Administration building.

On the stands of the metro museum, the history of the construction, formation and development of the enterprise is displayed, various exhibits are presented, which in one way or another belong to the long-term activity of the Kharkiv metro, and the company's awards and commemorative gifts are exhibited.

In particular, you can see models of trains that carry passengers every day, a mock-up of an electrical depot, a jackhammer with which metro builders used the first meters of the Kholodnohirsk-Zavodska Line tunnels, samples of metro workers' uniforms from different periods, a nobleman's lantern, and more.

The Museum of the History of Metrology operates at the National Scientific Center "Institute of Metrology", which dates back to the first verification booth in Ukraine for the verification and branding of trade measures and weights, which was opened in Kharkiv in 1901 by Dmytro Mendelyeyev.

The museum's exposition presents samples of ancient measuring instruments, including standards: a unique working mass standard - a gilded weight weighing 1 kg, which headed the verification scheme of mass measuring instruments in Ukraine from the first months of the verification booth's operation (from 1901 to 1939); a Riefler pendulum clock with an accuracy of 0.01 seconds per day, which was used in the time and frequency service from 1925 to 1941; a linear measure of length - a meter, which was used in metrological practice until 1973.

The samples of metrological equipment presented in the museum were created in different years. Since 1993, the institute has created and approved by the State Standard of Ukraine 47 state primary standards (out of 57 available in Ukraine) and 15 secondary standards. In addition to standards that exist in a single copy, the institute develops and produces measuring equipment intended for mass use.

Many of the devices presented in the museum were exhibited at domestic and international exhibitions.

The National Museum of Military History of Slobozhanshchyna was opened in Solonytsivka in 1965 as the National Memorial Complex "Marshal Konev Height". In 2003, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Kharkiv from the German fascist invaders, a complete reconstruction was carried out. In January 2025, during the decommunization of Ukraine, the name was changed from "National Memorial Complex "Marshal Konev Height" to "National Museum of Military History of Slobozhanshchyna".

In 1943, the headquarters of the Steppe Front commander was located here, from where Marshal Konev gave the order for the night assault on Kharkiv, and the next day the city was liberated. About half a million soldiers died in the battle, but this operation initiated the liberation of all of Ukraine.

The complex includes a 17.5-meter-high stele, an exhibition of military equipment, a chapel in honor of John the Warrior, and a museum complex.

The exposition of the National Museum of Military History of Slobozhanshchyna presents artifacts from the times of Soviet and German occupation, models of equipment, tanks and steam locomotives, tools, archival photographs, documents, postcards, books, Ukrainian clothing and towels, uniforms of soldiers of the Soviet, Polish and Nazi armies, weapons of different countries, shells, bombs, bullets, medals and badges, miniatures of rooms with old furniture, maps, paintings and portraits, sailors' uniforms, sea mines, boats, fragments of aircraft shells and equipment, part of the decoration of the Reichstag building, exhibits dedicated to the Holocaust and camps, prisoners' uniforms and clothing.

A separate hall of the museum is devoted to exhibits of the Afghan War: paintings, weapons, military uniforms and clothing of local residents.

There is also a large exhibition dedicated to the modern Russian-Ukrainian war, the defense of Donetsk airport. The halls display uniforms, weapons, shell fragments, medals and awards, models of modern military equipment and flags.

The rotunda of the "Mirror Stream" fountain in Victory Square opposite the Opera House is considered a hallmark of the Kharkiv.

It was built in 1947 according to the project of the architect Viktor Korzh in honor of the Victory in the Second World War.

Until 1930, the Myronosytska Church (1701) was located on this site, then a wasteland and a trolleybus park. According to legend, the decision to create a square with a fountain was made by the city authorities after Mykyta Khrushchev, who visited Kharkiv, was dissatisfied with the view from the window of the regional committee.

At first, the gazebo-fountain was called "Glass stream". In 2007, for the 60th anniversary of the "Mirror Stream", its reconstruction was carried out. The next reconstruction took place in the fall of 2019.

The monument to Father Fedir, a character in the novel "Twelve Chairs" (1928) by Ilya Ilf and Yevhen Petrov, is installed on the 1st platform of the South Railway Station in Kharkiv.

The monument serves as an illustration of an episode of the novel in which Father Fedir writes a letter to his wife to the county town of N from the Kharkiv railway station, as well as a reminder of how Father Fedir was seen on the Donetsk railway: "He fled along the platform with a kettle of boiling water..".

Father Fedir is depicted in the image embodied by the Soviet film actor Mykhaylo Puhovkin in the screen adaptation of "12 Chairs" directed by Leonid Hayday (1971).

On the pedestal is a quote from his letter to his wife: "Kharkiv is a bustling city, the center of the Ukrainian Republic. After the province, it seems as if he has gone abroad."