Dnipropetrovsk: the Heart of Ukraine

No matter what your destination in Ukraine, you'll probably pass by this city. Located at the Dnipro river, this third largest Ukrainian city sits at the meeting points of the two halfs of the country. Geographically closer to the East, politically it has always been closer to the capital Kyiv. This contrast has become a local trademark.
The city, founded in the midst of Cossack settlements, later to become the third capital of the Russian Empire, never really reached the status it desired and turned into an ordinary provincial city. In the second half of the 19th century it became an industrial giant, and has started to change its face again in the 21st .
Multi-faceted, full of different sights, a closed city during Soviet times and now again open to foreigners… Its names have changed: Kodak, Katerynoslav, Sicheslav, Dnipropetrovsk. Let us call it by the name the locals use – simply 'Dnipro'. Come and explore Dnipro together with 'Open It! Ukraine'.

A quiet before...

 5.30 a.m. Walking the deserted streets, with birdsong the only sound for the first few minutes, I am amazed at how fresh Dnipropetrovsk can look. A car passing by on Komsomolskaya hardly breaks the spell, and the few people hurrying past, oblivious to the beauty of the morning belong to a different city, pre-echoes of busier times ahead. I turn into Globa Park and have the entire wide thoroughfare in front of me without a living soul >>>

The Insignificant Subway

"It's the shortest in the world!" – that is a jokey comment you'll definitely hear in Dnipro when the local subway is mentioned. Large crowds of people moving in all directions is what big city subways are supposed to be all about. Make an exception for Dnipro here. Opened in 1995, this "fastest means of transport in a city" hasn't yet become an integral part of the city's infrastructure. Its six stations connect the central train station to a formerly important part of Dnipro – the industrial district >>>

Rush Hour in Dnipropetrovsk

8 a.m. The "Ready. Set. G!" of the working day in Dnipropetrovsk. A former Soviet industrial powerhouse, the city has changed into something of a business center of independent Ukraine. It places third by population, but the pace of life here can only be compared to Kyiv, the capital spoiled with numerous company headquarters.
Like everywhere in the world, the city center turns into a "down town" where old houses, built in Russian and Soviet times >>>

The New City Harbinger

When the first two skyscrapers appeared on Dzerzhinsky street (named after Felix Dzerzhinksy, head of the Bolshevik secret police, responsible for the death of tens of thousands of people suspected of being counterrevolutionaries), it was immediately clear to everyone that Dnipro's face was changing. Looking completely out of place among the smaller Soviet houses at the beginning, they now confidently signal the shape of this Ukrainian financial centertext >>>

The New Stadiums: Not Only for the Euro 2012

If there is any idea in modern Ukraine, common to all Ukrainians, that can unite everybody regardless of their political beliefs, than this is certainly football – or the Euro 2012 championship to be more precise. For our former Soviet country, our young nation, this event is something special, a unique chance to make an impression on the world. Still, it is clear that without a huge amount of preparatory work it is impossible to even think about inviting thousands of tourists >>>

Dnipro Shopping Experience

There is no one shopping experience in Dnipro. Worlds lie between the those shops still hanging on to Soviet tradition, and the ones that try to offer modern service, between regular shoppers and the nouveau riche >>>

The Nameless Island

"Let's meet on Komsomolsky Island." "You mean Monastyrsky Island!" "Whatever." - The end of communism brought about a lot of name changes, and some still haven't taken with everybody. With old and young alike, there is a fair chance that Monastyrsky Island will be referred to by its Soviet name - Komsomolsky Island, after the communist youth organization. Just like with Lenin Square and Karl Marx Avenue, people in Dnipro seem to feel little urge to distance themselves >>>

City Parks: A Breathing Space for Thousands

5 p.m. At the end of the hustle and bustle of the working day, the evening's relaxation starts here in the city's parks. Globa Park (named after a famous cossack) and Shevchenko Park (honoring the Ukrainian poet) are the main centers of the city for relaxing. Sharply different, they give you the chance to see two sides of the city. Shevchenko Park, situated at the top of the hill at the right bank of the Dnipro, affords a majestic view on the river >>>

A Source of Pride

What a difference three years can make. When I first went for a walk at the side of the Dnipro, the riverside promenade failed to do one thing most of all: to be an invitation to promenade. The railings and footpath were in bad repair, and the occasional Soviet monument was at odds with the couple of capitalist Ukrainian themed restaurants that were seemingly the only places to go to. Sure, there were people walking, but they were only there because it was the only >>>

Last Train to Dnipro

2.30 a.m. The streets on my way to the train station are deserted. The facades of the houses I pass show hardly any lit windows. As I pass the closed kiosks in front of the station, I almost expect it to be closed as well. The automatic doors part, however, dispelling this momentary feeling. Inside the groups of people waiting are fewer than usual, and I can't see anybody with luggage waiting to go anywhere, but it is obvious that another train is going to come in >>>