A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine New country, new city, new traditions. What is the best way to experience them? - Certainly by seeing it with your own eyes. It is always better to see something once than to hear it many times, but a combination of seeing and hearing is even more interesting. A guide can take you to the most interesting sights and give you details you would never be able to learn from books. It is your choice, either tour by car or a take a walk, as each type has its advantages. By car you can get to more distant areas of the city that also deserve being seen; though with the walking tour, you are immersed into the life of the city and its inhabitants. If you want to learn more about the culture, the Museum of Fine Arts, Historical Museum of the Museum of Natural History, to name a few, welcome you. You also can visit our Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Children's Railroad, Theater of Opera and Ballet, puppet theater, etc. and again, a skillful guide and interpreter is always ready to assist. The virtual tour that follows can only give a hint of the beauty of the city, but the reality of it you need to discover for yourself and we will be happy to assist you in that. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine National University The history of education, not only in Kharkiv but also in the Eastern part of Ukraine, goes as far back as 1805 when the first university was opened in Kharkiv. The present Kharkiv National University is situated on Liberty Square, the largest in Europe and fourth largest in the world (11.6 ha), designed in the 1920's. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Monument to T.Shevchenko The Monument is one of the symbols of Kharkiv as much as Taras Shevchenko himself, who was a legendary painter and poet. Erected in 1936, the monument and 16 sculptures around it which tell the history of Ukraine, still astonish lookers. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Crystal Spring Fountain Though the fountain was built just a few dozen years ago, it still attracts many people. Situated on the main street of the city, it has become a favorite place for people to meet, and many newlyweds enjoy having their pictures taken with the fountain in the background. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Theater Park in Autumn Though Kharkiv is a large industrial center (many branches of industry are represented here, e.g. A tractor and heavy engineering plant, an aircraft manufacturing plant, light industry, etc), it is very green. Here you can find plenty of fresh air, shadowy alleys and picturesque nooks. And the colors of changing seasons make the city even more beautiful. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Sumskaya Street Sumskaya Street appeared together with the city. Initially it was just a road, and later houses were built there. That is why along the street you can find fine samples of intricate and unique mansions of the 18th and 19th centuries next to regularly and stingily decorated houses of the 20th century. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Constitution Square Sumskaya street joins the new part of Kharkiv with its 19th century counterpart. The architectural ensemble surprises one with its monumentalness and elegance. The gems of the Street are the four buildings, initially designed as banks. Stucco molding, as well as baroque and renaissance details makes them even more appealing and assuring in their reliability and trustworthiness. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Sumskaya Street Again Kharkiv traditions are rich and deep. The philosopher Skovoroda, the painter Repin, the producer Les Kurbas, the architect Beketov and the writer Kvitka-Osnovianenko all lived and worked here. Those who are interested in culture can buy a ticket for any of the six theaters, the regional philharmonic society, concerts at the Kharkiv Organ and Chamber Music Hall, the circus, or visit any of thirty- three museums. At your disposal are about 1,000 libraries including the Korolenko State Scientific Library which is world famous with over 6.5 million volumes. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Intercession of the Holy Virgin Cathedral at the Monastery of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin The first stone building in Kharkiv was built at the end of the 17th century. And though the building suffered much through WWII and the Soviet times, it still astonishes lookers with the complexity in its simplicity. The style of the church is the so called three-framed wooden Ukrainian church, but the main peculiarity is the fact that it has two floors. In 1726, a male vocational monastery school with the 'Collegium', the first higher educational establishment on the 'left-bank' of Ukraine was opened here. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine St.Ozeriansky Temple at the Monastery of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin In the beginning of the 1920's the monastery and the churches were closed, and museums and other irrelevant organizations were located there, thus no care was taken of the premises and they started to gradually deterioate. In the 1950's an attempt was made to restore the territory, but complete restoration was finished only after the territory and buildings were given back to the church in the 1990's. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Annunciation Cathedral The current main cathedral of the city was built in 1901. It can admit up to 4,000 people and it is the largest church at present in the city. The peculiarity of the church is the combination of Russian-Byzantine style (the main part) and Gothic style (the bell tower). Such novelty caused many debates in its time. During the Soviet regime of total prohibition of religion, it was the only church which continued functioning. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Railway Station The region has long occupied a key position in Ukraine as well as in the old Soviet Union. It is the machine builder of the nation, famous for turbines, tractors and power equipment. Its aircraft, machine tool, electronic, chemical, agricultural and light industries are the engines of the regional economy. In terms of industrial production, the region ranks fifth in the country. More than 600 plants and factories are concentrated here. Besides, it encompasses 4.75 million acres of arable land. As to the R&D sector, more than half of R&D facilities in the country are located here. Kharkiv scientists were the first in Europe to split the atom and created the world?s most powerful radio telescope. Local scientists have achieved world recognition in physics, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, biology and electronics. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Monument to Those in Love Being the second largest city in Ukraine in population, it is the largest student city. Over 200,000 students are enrolled in nearly 30 universities and institutes, and up to 40 vocational, trade and technical schools. Besides all that, the citizens of Kharkiv are great sports fans. They have made important contributions to the national Olympic teams with several medal winners and European champions. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Rev. Sergey Radonezhsky Cathedral When Ukraine became an independent country a decade ago, its citizens experienced a reawakening of religious activity. Here in the region, we have built two dozen new churches, thirty more are under construction, and another twenty-three temples and churches are being restored. Although the majority here adheres to the Ukrainian Orthodox or Russian Orthodox faiths, one can find that virtually all religious persuasions are represented here. In total, Kharkiv harbors six theological institutes, five monasteries, four missions, two fraternal orders, two theological seminaries, 435 religious communities and 27 other religious denominations, including six spiritual centers. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine First University and Dormition Cathedral The main part of the cathedral was built in the late 18th century. The interior design of the Cathedral reflects features of the transitional period from Baroque to Classicism. After the construction was completed, a decision was made to build a bell tower (1819 to 1840) in honor of the victory over Napoleon (1812). Almost until the end of the 20th century, it was the tallest building in the city (89.9 m). After the revolution of 1917 the church and the bell tower were used for various purposes different from religion, which almost ruined the ensemble, but in 1973 the reconstruction was started and in 1986 a chamber of music and the organ hall were opened here. UnderstandU.biz, Inc. tours@UnderstandU.biz

A Virtual Tour of Kharkiv, Ukraine Thank you for visiting our website. We hope you enjoyed this presentation and look forward to working with you for all of your translation, interpretation and tour needs. Some Information on Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine Along the eastern edge of Ukraine is the beautiful Oblast of Kharkiv, located 500 kilometers (310.7 miles) east of Kyiv and approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) southwest of Moscow, Russia. The capital of Kharkiv Oblast is the city of Kharkiv. In Ukraine, the capital of the Oblast has the same name as the Oblast itself. The population of the city of Kharkiv is approximately 1.3 mln people. The area of the Oblast is 31,400 square kilometers or 12,123 square miles, making it comparable in size to the countries of Albania or Belgium, or to the American states Vermont or Maryland. The Oblast has a population of approximately 2.9 mln people and is mainly an agricultural and industrial state. Founded in 1654, the City of Kharkiv went through many transformations: from a military fortress, which protected the Southern points of the Russian Empire, to a major trade center; from 1917 through 1934 it was the first capital of the Ukrainian Republic in the former USSR, and now Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine after Kyiv, as well as a leading industrial, educational, cultural and scientific hub of Ukraine. Translation Services; translation@UnderstandU.biz Interpretaion Services; interpretation@UnderstandU.biz Tour Information; tours@UnderstandU.biz Telephone; +380.679.02.80.36