Ukraine’s second largest city (pop. 1.4 million), in the northeast just over six hours from Kiyiv, was founded in 1654, but many of its landmarks are of more recent vintage, with exceptions such as the Orthodox Dormition Cathedral (built in 1688 and added to in subsequent centuries, such as an early-19th-century belltower that’s still the city’s highest structure at 295 feet). Others include the candy-striped, neo-Byzantine Annunciation Cathedral (finished in 1888), and Derzhprom (at 207 feet tall the first modern skyscraper built in the Soviet Union, in 1928).
Today Kharkiv is a major cultural as well as industrial center, with more than ten theaters; various art galleries and cultural spaces; and some 20 museums. Notable examples include the Kharkiv Historical Museum, founded in 1900 and dedicated to Ukrainian history, culture, and ethnicities; and a pair of museums at Kharkiv National University, one devoted to natural history and the other to archaeology. Yet another, quirkier one of particular note is the 24-year-old Museum of Sexual Cultures, the first of its kind in Eastern Europe.
Read more in my post Ukraine Tourism and the War - Plus a Look at its Aweome Allures for Visitors.
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