Information about Dnepropetrovsk (Dnipropetrovsk), Ukraine
The city of Dnipropetrovsk (Ukr.) or Dnepropetrovsk (Rus.) is
situated on the Dnieper River (Dnepr or Dnipro) in East-Central
Ukraine, and has a population of, ~ 1.1 million. Large and beautiful,
it is the main city of East-Central Ukraine.
The old fortress settlement has existed since the middle of the
16th century. The new town was founded in 1776 by the Russian Prince,
Potemkin by order of Catherine II, Empress of the Russian Empire
and was called Yekaterinoslav (Ekaterinoslav) from 1776 to 1926.
During 1918 the town’s name was Sicheslav (The Glory for Sich’/Fortress
of Cossacks).
Climate and weather
The city is very warm in summer (average daily temperature in July
is +25-27 C) and cold in the winter (aver. day temp. is -3-4 C).
Best time for visiting is in the late spring - the second part of
April and May (nice nature and fresh air), and early in autumn:
September and October (beauty of town's yellow parks). Long periods
of rain are normal in autumn. Other times are mainly dry with a
few showers or storms in the summer time.
weather:
Dnipropetrovsk has been the major center of the steel industry from
the beginning of the 20th century until the present. It has also
dominated in the spacebuilding industry since the 1950s.
Today, the city is the major trade, finance and industrial center
of Eastern and Central Ukraine and third city in the country by
population. There are 11 universities, academies and institutes
in Dnipropetrovsk. Look the brief city guide here.
Construction of the Metro (underground, subway) was completed in
late 1995. An International airport offers direct lines to and from
Wien (Austria), Frankfurt on Maine (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey),
Tel Aviv (Israel), Moscow (Russia) etc..
Points of interest
The central streets of the city were renamed during the Soviet
time in honor of the outstanding revolutionaries. (And it is interesting,
the largest of them is in honor of German figures.) So the central
street of the city has the name of Karl Marx. It is a very beautiful,
wide and long parkway, which stretches east to west through the
central part of the city. It was founded in the XVIII century and
parts of its buildings are the actual decoration of the city. In
the nucleus of the city is Zhovtneva square, on which is the majestic
Cathedral that was founded by order of Katherine II (Russian empress)
in 1776.
On the square, there are some remarkable buildings: the Museum
of History, Diorama "Battle for the Dnieper River (Second World
War)", and also the beautiful park in which you can rest in
the hot summer. Walking down the hill to the Dnieper River, you
will arrive in the large Taras Shevchenko Park (which is on the
right bank of the river) and on Monastyrskiy Island. This island
is one of the most interesting places in the city. In the IX century,
the Byzantian monks based a monastery here. It was destroyed by
Mongol-Tatars in the XIII century.
The compact "old town" does not exist in Dnipropetrovsk
anymore. Many historic buildings and churches were destroyed in
the Second World War and in Stalin's communist times in the 1930s.
(You can see pictures of the old city of the 19th century Yekaterinoslav
here).
However all of Central Avenue, some street-blocks on the main hill
(the Nagornaya part) between Pushkina Prospekt and Embankment, and
sections near Globy and Shevchenka parks have been untouched for
150 years. An evening walk through those parts of the city is very
pleasurable...
The Dnieper River is a wonderful creation of nature that keeps
the climate mild and the air fresh. You can see it from many points
in Dnepropetrovsk. From any hill (there are 7 in the city) you will
find a beautiful view of the river, islands, parks, outskirts, river
banks and hills.
There was no need to build huge skyscrapers in the city in Soviet
times. Powerful industries preferred to construct offices close
to their main factories away from the centre of town. In the last
ten years of independence the price of land in Ukraine has grown
considerably. All the new office buildings are being built in the
same architectural style as the old buildings....
Shopping
The Karl Marx Prospekt is the main trade artery of the city. There
are plenty of shops and cafes of different sizes and for different
income levels. The abundance of trade points can be observed also
in several streets and squares contiguous to the Karl Marx Prospekt
in the area around the Central Department Store (TSUM) - the biggest
market place in the city.
To buy souvenirs, the best site is Exhibition on the boulevard across
from TSUM. Large supermarkets are located far from the central part
of the city; mostly in residential areas.
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