Poltava and places of interest

Poltava is a small, but marvelous and ecologically clean Ukrainian town. Poltava is a regional center that is situated on the left bank of the river Vorskla which is the tributary of the Dnieper, the longest river of Ukraine dividing this country into 2 parts: the Left bank and the Right bank Ukraine. This town is located in the Left bank Ukraine. The population of Poltava enumerates 314 900 citizens. There's a certain percent of foreigners (Arabs, Africans, Koreans, Chinese) coming here to study medicine and economy. As for the lingual situation, Russian is predominantly spoken than Ukrainian. It's conditioned by the fact that the left bank Ukraine had been a belonging territory of Russia for more than 2 centuries. In those days Ukrainian was forbidden.

Poltava was first mentioned in the annals of Ipatiev (1173) under the name Ltava. This town has a great history that discovers a thorny way it went along to become so wonderful. Numerous wars (the Great liberation war, the Second World War) posed a grave obstacle to the further development of the town turning it sometimes into a field of ruins, however the town restored its beauty on a regular basis. The historic document of the year 1641 claimed that Poltava became an urban center. The spotlight of the history of this town is a glorious battle between the troops of Peter I (the Russian tsar) and those of the Swedish king Charles XII and his Ukrainian ally, hetman Mazepa that took place 290 years ago. Over 4000 Poltavites joined the army of Peter I to fight against the Swedish. The grand event ended in the victory of Russians. That battle defined the historic evolution of Ukraine. Subsequently, Poltava began to thrive. The architectural art was being implemented in magnificent edifices. Thus, Poltava got the honor of being called "little Petersburgh". Yet, during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) everything was brought to null. Restoring the town took a lot of time. In the year 2001 Poltava celebrated the 1100th anniversary of its foundation.

Poltava is a gorgeous cultural center. There are so many sights which remind of the glorious history of the town. One can find magnificent monuments, beautiful churches, interesting museums, theatres, cinemas etc. The symbol of Poltava is the Monument of Glory, situated down town. It was erected on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Poltava battle. The edifice isn't high, it has a cylindrical form and a gilded eagle on top. It is surrounded by a splendid "Corps garden" (Korpusny Sad). Another symbolical site is the White Arbor (Belaya Altanka). This is an original building showing the columns that stand semi-round and support the top, resembling a horseshoe. What a fabulous view of the town can be enjoyed from this very spot! There are a great deal of monuments adorning various parks and squares. Except the monument of Glory it's worth to mention monuments to Ivan Kotlyarevsky (the famous Ukrainian writer), Nikolai Gogol (the outstanding Russian writer), Peter I, Lenin, Ostrogradsky (the prominent mathematician), the Unknown soldiers, Marshal Biryusov and what not.

The religious life of Poltava is sustained due to a number of churches, cathedrals, chapels. Here belong the Assumption Cathedral, the Cross-exulting Monastery, St. Savior's Church, The Temple of Faith, Hope and Love and others.

Both Poltava's natives and visitors are provided with excellent opportunities to cultural and spiritual enrichment owing to a range of museums, theatres, cinemas. The museums of Poltava are welcoming those who are eager to unfold the pages of the town's glorious past. The most remarkable of them are the Museum of Local lore (designed in baroque style), the Art Museum, the Poltava Battle Museum, the Art Gallery, the Kotlyarevsky museum-homestead, the Korolenko memorial museum, the Panas Myrny literary museum etc.People can spend their spare time in a reasonable way by attending such theatres and cinemas as the Gogol theatre, the Kotlyarevsky cinema, the cinema "Kolos", the Philharmonic House. Quite recently (2 years ago) there appeared the Palace of Leisure and Culture "Lystopad" where the renowned Ukrainian, Russian and even foreign singers give their concerts. There are also plenty of entertainment places - cafes, disco bars, restaurants, night clubs, sport complexes etc. Speaking about amusement sites we can't help mentioning the underground town "Zlato misto". It is a posh entertainment and trading complex that includes a few shops, a luncheonette, a disco bar "Eneida". Zlato misto can be recognized from the outside by the two large glass domes. One of them is prolonged and serves as a cover of the underground passage on the either side of which we can find small shops, under the other one - round and medium tall - there situated the disco bar " Eneida". When it comes to restaurants, one can enjoy tasty dishes at those of Ukrainian cuisine ("Khutorok"), Georgian ("Mimino"), Italian ("Palazzo"), Chinese ("Mars"). The most luxurious restaurants are " Ivanova Hora"( Ivan's hill), situated in the vicinity of the White Arbor and the Kotlyarevsky's homestead-museum, and "Kashtanova Aleya" ("The Chestnut Alley") that is next to "Lystopad".

Poltava is also a students' town. Here one can find several higher learning establishments, for example, the State Teacher-training University, the Ukrainian Medical Stomatological Academy, The University of consumers’ goods cooperation, the State Agricultural Academy, the Institute of Economy and Law, the Yaroslav Mudry National Academy, the National Technical University. There are also a multitude of institutions of secondary special training: vocational and technical schools, colleges, lyceums.

Poltava is a town of abundant greenery. We can afford a wonderful opportunity to marvel at the beauty of parks, squares, gardens. If you are willing to have a stroll, you are offered a wide choice of parks: Victory park, Corps garden, Sunny park, Students' park etc.

Poltava is considered to be the spiritual capital of Ukraine. It gave the world so many famous names: Ivan Kotlyarevsky, Vladimir Korolenko, Panas Myrny, Nikolai Gogol (writers), Katerina Bilokur (an artist), Mykola Lysenko (a musician). These people replenished a galaxy of the world culture luminaries.

Tourists are always welcome to Poltava to discover its genuine splendor and feast their eyes upon it. They can stay at the comfortable hotels such as "Gallery", "Palazzo"(4 star hotels), "Ukraine", "Kiev". All of them are characterized by high class service and living conditions.

Poltava region

 

 

The emblem of the Russian period