About the city and region
Dnipropetrovsk city is located in the middle flow of the Dnipro river in the central part of Ukraine. The population of the city is 1040 mln of people. The centre of the Dnipropetrovsk agglomeration has more than 1.3 mln of people. The city is the largest center of Prydnistrovya, one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine.
The city was founded in 1776 by the prince Grigory Potemkin according to the order of Ekaterina II and was called Ekaterinoslav (it had this name from 1776 till 1926). In 1918 the city had the name of Sichislav in honor of the Kazatska Sich. In 1926 the city became Dnipropetrovsk.
From the beginning of XX century and till toady the city is one of the most important centers of metallurgic industry and car craft. Starting from the 50's it is a center of airspace racket craft. The city is the main trading and industry center of the Eastern Ukraine.
There are 11 state Universities and several private ones. From 1995 metro is acting in the city.
The main facts from the life of the city:
The population of the city is 1 033 000 people.
The year of city foundation - 1776
Geographical coordinates of location - 48 28' of Northern latitude, 35o 3' of Western longitude
The area of the city - 405 km2
The longitude of the city from North to South - 22 km
The longitude of the city from the West to East - 33 km
More than 2200 streets
More than 94 000 buildings
188 m - the heights point of the city - the tip of the hill
Places of interest
The central Dnipropetrovsk streets changed their titles during the Soviet time in honor of the famous revolutionaries. So the main street of the city has the name of famous Karl Marx. It is a very picturesque, wide and green parkway that spreads East to West through the Central part of the city. It was erected in the 18-th century and parts of its buildings are the strong decoration of the city. In the heart of the city is Zhovtneva Square, on which is the majestic cathedral that was created by require of Katherine II (Russian empress) in 1787 year.
There are some brilliant buildings on the square: Museum of History, Diorama "Battle for the Dnieper River (Second World War)", and also the beautiful green park in which one can have a pleasant rest in the hot summer.
Walking down the hill to the Dnieper River, one can reach 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 exciting and intriguing places in the city. In the 9-th century, the Byzantian monks founded a monastery here. It has been crashed by Mongol-Tatars in the XIII century.
The compact "old town" does not exist in Dnipropetrovsk any more. Many historic buildings and cathedrals were destroyed in the Second World War and in Stalin's communist times.
The Dnieper River is a terrific creation of nature that keeps the climate mild and the air fresh. You can see it from many spots in Dnepropetrovsk. From any hill you will find a great view of the river, islands, shadowy parks, outskirts, river banks and hills.
There was no need to create tremendous skyscrapers in the city in the Soviet times.