Kharkiv, Ukraine

🇺🇦 Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine. Located in the north-east of the country, it is the largest city of the historic Slobozhanshchyna region. Kharkiv is the administrative centre of Kharkiv Oblast and of the surrounding Kharkiv Raion. It hosts the administration of Kharkiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Kharkiv is a major cultural, scientific, educational, transport and industrial centre of Ukraine, with numerous museums, theatres and libraries, including the Annunciation and Dormition Cathedrals, the Derzhprom building in Freedom Square, and the National University of Kharkiv.

Industry plays a significant role in Kharkiv's economy, specialised primarily in machinery and electronics. There are hundreds of industrial facilities throughout the city, including the Morozov Design Bureau and the Malyshev Tank Factory (leaders in world tank production from the 1930s to the 1980s); Khartron (aerospace, nuclear power plants and automation electronics); Turboatom (turbines for hydro-, thermal- and nuclear-power plants); and Antonov (the multipurpose aircraft manufacturing plant). The International Economic Forum: Innovations. Investments. Kharkiv Innitiatives! is held in Kharkiv every year.

International Economic Forum In 2015, the International Economic Forum: Innovations. Investments. Kharkiv Innitiatives! was attended by the diplomatic corps representatives from 17 world countries, working in Ukraine together with top-management of trans-national corporations and investment funds; plus Ukrainian People's Deputies; plus Ukrainian Central government officials, who determine the national economic development strategy; plus local government managers, who perform practical steps in implementing that strategy; plus managers of technical assistance to Ukraine; plus business and NGO's representatives; plus media people.

The key topics of the plenary sessions and panel discussions of the International Economic Forum: Innovations. Investments. Kharkiv Innitiatives! are the implementation of Strategy for Sustainable Development "Ukraine – 2020", the results achieved and plan of further actions to reform the local government and territorial organisation of power in Ukraine, export promotion and attraction of investments in Ukraine, new opportunities for public-private partnerships, practical steps to create "electronic government", issues of energy conservation and development of oil and gas industry in the Kharkiv Region, creating an effective system of production and processing of agricultural products, investment projects that will receive funding from the State Fund for Regional Development, development of international integration, preparation for privatisation of state enterprises.

The international industrial exhibitions are usually conducted at the Radmir Expohall exhibition centre in Kharkiv.

During the Soviet era, Kharkiv was the capital of industrial production in Ukraine and the third largest centre of industry and commerce in the USSR. In the early 2000s, the industry started to adapt to market economy needs. Now there are more than 380 industrial enterprises concentrated in the city, which have a total number of 150,000 employees. The enterprises form machine-building, electro-technology, instrument-making, and energy conglomerates.

State-owned industrial giants, such as Turboatom and Elektrotyazhmash occupy 17% of the heavy power equipment construction (e.g., turbines) market world-wide. Multipurpose aircraft are produced by the Antonov aircraft manufacturing plant. The Malyshev factory produces not only armoured fighting vehicles, but also harvesters. Khartron is the leading designer of space and commercial control systems in Ukraine and the former CIS.

As of April 2018, there were 25,000 specialists in IT industry of the Kharkiv region, 76% of them were related to computer programming. Thus, Kharkiv accounts for 14% of all IT specialists in Ukraine and makes the second largest IT location in the country, right after the capital Kyiv.

Also, the number of active IT companies in the region to be 445, five of them employing more than 601 people. Besides, there are 22 large companies with the workers' number ranging from 201 to 600. More than half of IT-companies located in the Kharkiv region fall into "extra small" category with less than 20 persons engaged. The list is compiled with 43 medium (81-200 employers) and 105 small companies (21-80).

Due to the comparably narrow market for IT services in Ukraine, the majority of Kharkiv companies are export-oriented with more than 95% of total sales generated overseas in 2017. Overall, the estimated revenue of Kharkiv IT companies will more than double from $800 million in 2018 to $1.85 billion by 2025. The major markets are North America (65%) and Europe (25%).

Kharkiv is also the headquarters of one of the largest Ukrainian banks, UkrSibbank, which has been part of the BNP Paribas group since December 2005.

There are many large modern shopping malls in Kharkiv. There are a large number of markets: Barabashovo market is the largest market in Ukraine and one of the largest markets in Europe. Other markets include, Blagoveshinskiy market., Konniy "horse" market, Sumskoi market, and Raiskiy book market.

Education: University The Vasyl N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is the most prestigious reputable classic university, which was founded due to the efforts by Vasily Karazin in Kharkiv in 1804–1805. On 29 January [O.S. 17 January] 1805, the Decree on the Opening of the Imperial University in Kharkiv came into force.

The Roentgen Institute opened in 1931. It was a specialist cancer treatment facility with 87 research workers, 20 professors, and specialist medical staff. The facilities included chemical, physiology, and bacteriology experimental treatment laboratories. It produced x-ray apparatus for the whole country.

The city has 13 national universities and numerous professional, technical and private higher education institutions, offering its students a wide range of disciplines. These universities include Kharkiv National University (12,000 students), National Technical University "KhPI" (20,000 students), Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics (12,000 students), Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Kharkiv National Aerospace University "KhAI", Kharkiv National University of Economics, Kharkiv National University of Pharmacy, and Kharkiv National Medical University.

More than 17,000 faculty and research staff are employed in the institutions of higher education in Kharkiv.

Scientific research The city has a high concentration of research institutions, which are independent or loosely connected with the universities. Among them are three national science centres: Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute of Meteorology, Institute for Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine and 20 national research institutions of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, such as the B Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering, Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine, State Scientific Institution "Institute for Single Crystals", Usikov Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics (IRE), Institute of Radio Astronomy (IRA), and others. A total number of 26,000 scientists are working in research and development.

A number of world-renowned scientific schools appeared in Kharkiv, such as the theoretical physics school and the mathematical school.

There is the Kharkiv Scientists House in the city, which was built by A. N. Beketov, architect in Kharkiv in 1900. All the scientists like to meet and discuss various scientific topics at the Kharkiv Scientists House in Kharkiv.

Public libraries In addition to the libraries affiliated with the various universities and research institutions, the Kharkiv State Scientific V. Korolenko-library is a major research library.

Secondary schools Kharkiv has 212 (secondary education) schools, including 10 lyceums and 20 gymnasiums.

Education centers There is the educational "Landau Center", which is named after L.D. Landau, Nobel laureate in Kharkiv.

Culture Kharkiv is one of the main cultural centres in Ukraine. It is home to 20 museums, over 10 theatres and a number of art galleries. Large music and cinema festivals are hosted in Kharkiv almost every year.

Theatres The Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after N. V. Lysenko is the biggest theatre in Kharkiv.

In 2017 the Kharkiv Ukrainian Drama Theatre named after T. G. Shevchenko was especially popular among theater audiences more prone to speak Ukrainian in daily life.

The Kharkiv Academic Drama Theatre was recently renovated, and it is quite popular among locals. Until October 2023 this theater was named after Russian poet Alexander Pushkin; the derussification of Ukraine campaign of that area led to its renaming that also meant the removal of (the word) "Russian" from the name.

The Kharkiv Theatre of the Young Spectator (now the Theatre for Children and Youth) is one of the oldest theatres for children.

The Kharkiv Puppet Theatre (The Kharkiv State Academic Puppet Theatre named after VA Afanasyev) is the first puppet theatre in the territory of Kharkiv. It was created in 1935.

The Kharkiv Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy is a theatre founded on 1 November 1929 in Kharkiv.

Literature In the 1930s Kharkiv was referred to as a Literary Klondike. It was the centre for the work of literary figures such as: Les Kurbas, Mykola Kulish, Mykola Khvylovy, Mykola Zerov, Valerian Pidmohylny, Pavlo Filipovych, Marko Voronny, Oleksa Slisarenko. Over 100 of these writers were repressed during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. This tragic event in Ukrainian history is called the "Executed Renaissance" (Rozstrilene vidrodzhennia). Today, a literary museum located on Frunze Street marks their work and achievements.

Today, Kharkiv is often referred to as the "capital city" of Ukrainian science fiction and fantasy. It is home to a number of popular writers, such as H. L. Oldie, Alexander Zorich, Andrey Dashkov, Yuri Nikitin and Andrey Valentinov; most of them write in Russian and are popular in both Russia and Ukraine. The annual science fiction convention "Star Bridge" (Звёздный мост) has been held in Kharkiv since 1999.

Culture: Music There is the Kharkiv Philharmonic Society in the city. The leading group active in the Philharmonic is the Academic Symphony Orchestra. It has 100 musicians of a high professional level, many of whom are prize-winners in international and national competitions.

There is the Organ Music Hall in the city. The Organ Music Hall is situated at the Assumption Cathedral presently. The Rieger–Kloss organ was installed in the building of the Organ Music Hall back in 1986. The new Organ Music Hall will be opened at the extensively renovated building of Kharkiv Philharmonic Society in Kharkiv in November 2016.

The Kharkiv Conservatory is in the city.

The Kharkiv National University of Arts named after I.P. Kotlyarevsky is situated in the city.

Kharkiv sponsors the prestigious Hnat Khotkevych International Music Competition of Performers of Ukrainian Folk Instruments, which takes place every three years. Since 1997 four tri-annual competitions have taken place. The 2010 competition was cancelled by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture two days before its opening.

The music festival: "Kharkiv - City of Kind Hopes" is conducted in Kharkiv.

From Kharkiv comes also black metal band Drudkh.

Films From 1907 to 2008, at least 86 feature films were shot in the city's territory and its region. The most famous is Fragment of an Empire (1929). Arriving in Leningrad, the main character, in addition to the usual pre-revolutionary buildings, sees the Derzhprom - a symbol of a new era.

Film festivals The Kharkiv Lilacs international film festival is very popular among movie stars, makers and producers in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and North America.

The annual festival is usually conducted in May.

There is a special alley with metal hand prints by popular movies actors at Shevchenko park in Kharkiv.

Visual arts Kharkiv has been a home for many famous painters, including Ilya Repin, Zinaida Serebryakova, Henryk Siemiradzki, and Vasyl Yermilov. There are many modern arts galleries in the city: the Yermilov Centre, Lilacs Gallery, the Kharkiv Art Museum, the Kharkiv Municipal Gallery, the AC Gallery, Palladium Gallery, the Semiradsky Gallery, AVEK Gallery, and Arts of Slobozhanshyna Gallery among others.

Culture: Museums There are around 147 museums in the Kharkiv's region. Museums in the city include: • The M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum • The Kharkiv Art Museum • The Natural History Museum at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University was founded in Kharkiv on 2 April 1807. The museum is visited by 40000 visitors every year. • The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University History Museum was established in Kharkiv in 1972. • The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Archeology Museum was founded in Kharkiv on 20 March 1998. • The National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnical Institute" Museum was created in Kharkiv on 29 December 1972. • The National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute" Museum was founded on 29 May 1992. • The "National University of Pharmacy" Museum was founded in Kharkiv on 15 September 2010. • The Kharkiv Maritime Museum - a museum dedicated to the history of shipbuilding and navigation. • The Kharkiv Puppet Museum is the oldest museum of dolls in Ukraine. • Memorial museum-apartment of the family Grizodubov. • Club-Museum of Claudia Shulzhenko. • The Museum of "First Aid". • The Museum of Urban Transport. • The Museum of Sexual Cultures.

Landmarks The city is famous for its churches as well as Art Nouveau and constructivist architecture: • Dormition Cathedral, built in 17th century in Baroque style and rebuilt in 18th and 19th centuries • Pokrovskyi Monastery, built in 18th century in Baroque style • Annunciation Cathedral, built in 1887-1901 in Neo-Byzantine style • Kharkiv Ukrainian Drama Theatre, built in 1841 • Kharkiv Puppet Theatre, former Volga-Kama Commercial Bank, built in 1907 in Art Nouveau style • Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, built in 1912 in Art Nouveau style • Choral Synagogue, built in 1909-1913 • Central Market Hall, built 1912-1914 • Derzhprom building, built in 1925-1928 in constructivist style • Freedom Square • Railway Pochtamt (post office), built 1927-29 in constructivist style • Palace of Culture of Railway Workers, built 1928-31 in constructivist style • Kharkiv railway station, rebuilt in socialist-realist style in 1952 • Kharkiv Opera, built in 1970-1990 in brutalist style

Other attractions include: Taras Shevchenko Monument, Mirror Stream, Historical Museum, T. Shevchenko Gardens, Zoo, Children's narrow-gauge railroad, World War I Tank Mk V, Memorial Complex, and many more.

After the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea the monument to Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny in Sevastopol was removed and handed over to Kharkiv.

Parks Kharkiv contains numerous parks and gardens such as the Central Park, Shevchenko park, Hydro park, Strelka park, Sarzhyn Yar and Feldman ecopark. The Central Park is a common place for recreation activities among visitors and local people. The Shevchenko park is situated in close proximity to the V.N. Karazin National University. It is also a common place for recreation activities among the students, professors, locals and foreigners.

The Ecopark is situated at circle highway around Kharkiv. It attracts kids, parents, students, professors, locals and foreigners to undertake recreation activities. Sarzhyn Yar is a natural ravine three minutes walk from "Botanichniy Sad" station. It is an old girder that now - is a modern park zone more than 12 km length. There is also a mineral water source with cupel and a sporting court.

Language The majority spoken language in Kharkiv (especially until 2022) was Russian, mainly due to the many influxes of Russian settlers and colonizers during the times of the Soviet Union, but also due to many years of russification. Even after Ukraine regained its independence, Russian was still used predominantly by ethnic Russians and Ukrainians alike, although after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia many of the city’s residents are attempting to transition to Ukrainian permanently.

Media There are a large number of broadcast and internet TV channels, AM/FM/PM/internet radio-stations, and paper/internet newspapers in Kharkiv. Some are listed below.

Media: Print • Slobidskyi Krai • Vremya • Vecherniy Kharkov • Segodnya • Vesti • Kharkovskie Izvestiya; Magazines • Guberniya

Media: Television • "7 kanal" channel • "А/ТВК" channel • "Simon" channel • "ATN Kharkiv" channel • "UA: Kharkiv" channel

Media: Radio • Promin • Ukrainske Radio • Radio Kharkiv • Kharkiv Oblastne Radio • Russkoe Radio Ukraina • Shanson • Retro FM

Online news • The Kharkiv Times • Kharkiv Observer

Transport The city of Kharkiv is one of the largest transportation centres in Ukraine, which is connected to numerous other cities of the world by air, rail and road traffic. There are about 250 thousand cars in the city. Kharkiv is one out of four Ukrainian cities with a subway system.

Local transport Being an important transportation centre of Ukraine, many different means of transportation are available in Kharkiv. Kharkiv's Metro is the city's rapid transit system operating since 1975. It includes three different lines with 30 stations in total. The Kharkiv buses carry about 12 million passengers annually. Trolleybuses, trams (which celebrated its 100-year anniversary of service in 2006), and marshrutkas (private minibuses) are also important means of transportation in the city.

Transport: Rail The first railway connection of Kharkiv was opened in 1869. The first train to arrive in Kharkiv came from the north on 22 May 1869, and on 6 June 1869, traffic was opened on the Kursk–Kharkiv–Azov line. Kharkiv's passenger railway station was reconstructed and expanded in 1901, to be later destroyed in the Second World War. A new Kharkiv railway station was built in 1952.

Kharkiv is connected with all main cities in Ukraine and abroad by regular railway services. Regional trains known as elektrychkas connect Kharkiv with nearby towns and villages.

Transport: Air Kharkiv is served by Kharkiv International Airport. Charter flights are also available. The former largest carrier of the Kharkiv Airport — Aeromost-Kharkiv — is not serving any regular destinations as of 2007. The Kharkiv North Airport is a factory airfield and was a major production facility for Antonov aircraft company.

Sport Kharkiv International Marathon The Kharkiv International Marathon is considered as a prime international sportive event, attracting many thousands of professional sportsmen, young people, students, professors, locals and tourists to travel to Kharkiv and to participate in the international event.

Football (soccer) The most popular sport is football. The city has several football clubs playing in the Ukrainian national competitions. The most successful is FC Dynamo Kharkiv that won eight national titles back in the 1920s–1930s. • FC Metalist Kharkiv, which plays at the Metalist Stadium • FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, which plays at the Metalist Stadium • FC Helios Kharkiv, a defunct club, which played at the Helios Arena • FC Kharkiv, a defunct club, which played at the Dynamo Stadium • FC Arsenal Kharkiv, which played at the Arsenal-Spartak Stadium (participates in regional competitions) • FC Shakhtar Donetsk also play at the Metalist Stadium since 2017, due to the war in Donbas

There is also a female football club WFC Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv, which represented Ukraine in the European competitions and constantly is the main contender for the national title.

Metalist Stadium hosted three group matches at UEFA Euro 2012.

Other sports Kharkiv also had some ice hockey clubs, MHC Dynamo Kharkiv, Vityaz Kharkiv, Yunost Kharkiv, HC Kharkiv, who competed in the Ukrainian Hockey Championship.

Avangard Budy is a bandy club from Kharkiv, which won the Ukrainian championship in 2013.

There are a men's volleyball teams, Lokomotyv Kharkiv and Yurydychna Akademiya Kharkiv, which performed in Ukraine and in European competitions.

RC Olymp is the city's rugby union club. They provide many players for the national team.

Tennis is also a popular sport in Kharkiv. There are many professional tennis courts in the city. Elina Svitolina is a tennis player from Kharkiv.

There is a golf club in Kharkiv.

Horseriding as a sport is also popular among locals. There are large stables and horse riding facilities at Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv.

There is a growing interest in cycling among locals. There is a large bicycles producer, Kharkiv Bicycle Plant within the city. Presently, the modern bicycle highway is under construction at the "Leso park" (Лісопарк) district in Kharkiv.