Okay, I have to share this with you guys. It's too strange to pass up!
This picture was circulating a while ago on the internet-
Um, yeah. That's no joke.
Last summer we were out for a nice long walk.
Hoping to find the "Ukraine" shopping mall, we were walking and walking and walking, mainly in the wrong direction. (I always think that briefly glancing at a map once [at home, on Google] is good enough... and then it always leads to a time-consuming misadventure. Anyone else guilty of this?) After passing the church, we found our exhausted selves at Tractor-Builders Avenue, contemplating a left turn or a right turn. We randomly picked left, which was a fortunate guess as Tractor-Builders Avenue to the right leads to a long stretch of not much. It was a beautiful day that day. We continued on, past an empty ice skating rink, past balloon vendors and excited kids in Park Peremogy, past this wild-looking monument in the same park-
And lo and behold-
there it was. The Kharkov Palace of Children and Youth Creativity.
Perhaps someone with a better command of Ukrainian can leave a comment below about the history of this building and what exactly the tower is used for. Astronomy? Weird backdrop for photos?
In front of the place is also a bust of Mikhail Lomonsov, a Russian mathematician/poet/scientist who lived long, long ago. A plaque at the bottom of the statue reads From the people of Ukraine to the great son of Russia.
So there you have it. Sure, you could come to town and get a picture in front of Kharkov's Eiffel Tower or the giant TurboAtom factory propeller or the local Motherland statue... or you could stumble around enough until you found the Palace of Children and Youth Creativity and get a rather unique photo op ; )
This picture was circulating a while ago on the internet-
 |
| Whaaat? |
Um, yeah. That's no joke.
Last summer we were out for a nice long walk.
 |
| The Матроны Московской church, under construction along the Saltivs'ke Highway. What it will look like after completion. |
Hoping to find the "Ukraine" shopping mall, we were walking and walking and walking, mainly in the wrong direction. (I always think that briefly glancing at a map once [at home, on Google] is good enough... and then it always leads to a time-consuming misadventure. Anyone else guilty of this?) After passing the church, we found our exhausted selves at Tractor-Builders Avenue, contemplating a left turn or a right turn. We randomly picked left, which was a fortunate guess as Tractor-Builders Avenue to the right leads to a long stretch of not much. It was a beautiful day that day. We continued on, past an empty ice skating rink, past balloon vendors and excited kids in Park Peremogy, past this wild-looking monument in the same park-
 |
| L to R: Chernobyl, WWII, Afghanistan (Afghan War) |
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| Chernobyl has no end date : ( |
And lo and behold-
there it was. The Kharkov Palace of Children and Youth Creativity.
Perhaps someone with a better command of Ukrainian can leave a comment below about the history of this building and what exactly the tower is used for. Astronomy? Weird backdrop for photos?
In front of the place is also a bust of Mikhail Lomonsov, a Russian mathematician/poet/scientist who lived long, long ago. A plaque at the bottom of the statue reads From the people of Ukraine to the great son of Russia.
 |
| That's Park Peremogy in the distance. |
So there you have it. Sure, you could come to town and get a picture in front of Kharkov's Eiffel Tower or the giant TurboAtom factory propeller or the local Motherland statue... or you could stumble around enough until you found the Palace of Children and Youth Creativity and get a rather unique photo op ; )
That IS such a strange tower! I never saw that first picture online but it is priceless that you found the proof.
ReplyDeleteI too go on misadventures around the city. Sometimes me and my husband just wander around not knowing where we want to go. And we always feel disappointed. I guess it helps when you discover something you hadn't seen before.
Here's to more adventures that lead to unique discoveries!
Thanks for coming by, Jessica : ) You guys are in NY, right? That seems like such an overwhelming state to explore, so many things going on there!
DeleteYes, happy adventuring to both of us!!
I am really sorry about the whole Eastern Ukraine and Kharkiv in particular... It seems to me that this region is stuck in far 1980s...
ReplyDeleteIt is what it is and people appreciate it for that reason. The world may think "Oh, Ukraine. It's all Ukraine" but it's not really that homogeneous at all, there are such vast differences within the country in terms of architecture, language, and so on. But Kharkiv is my favorite so far : ) I wouldn't say the city is stuck in the past but I'd say at times the city may look to the past instead of the future. It makes the city a very unique place.
Delete"Katherine got +1000 XP for using 'Advanced Diplomacy' skill." :)
DeleteRoman! Сколько лет, сколько зим! Welcome back to the blog comments : )
DeleteThank you for all your great posts on Kharkiv. We followed both your walking tours and been to see other places you have listed. A quick question if you don't mind? We are trying to locate the Kharkov Palace of Children and Youth Creativity but can't find it anywhere. Are you able to point us in the right direction? Thanks again for all the helpful stuff!
ReplyDeletePrivet Mark! Sorry for taking so long to respond to your question... and again, HOW COOL that you guys are in Kharkiv!!!!! Ура!
DeleteThe Palace's address is: Traktorobudivnykiv Ave, 55, Kharkiv, Харківська, Ukraine, 61153. You should be able to pull it up on Google maps via the address or by searching for харьковский дворец детского и юношеского творчества. It's between Moskovski District and Fruzenski Distract.
We took some super awkward route to get to it- I think it was Ploshcha Povstannia metro stop + crazy walk up Saltivskaya Highway. Only recommended if you enjoy long awkward walks along roads. :) I'm really excited to hear about your time in Kharkiv!
Thanks and we managed to get there without any issues - the building's main structure is an unfortunate shape for a Children's Palace! For your own interest, we got there by taking the metro to Akademika Barabashova and then Trolley bus #24 to Traktorobudivnykiv Ave station, from where it was a five minute walk to the building. We could also have taken Marshrutka 10e to Peremohy Park (outside the palace)
Deleteor Marshrutka 281e to Traktorobudivnykiv Ave stop. We use a brilliant Ukraine transport app called Eway - it is so helpful if you aren't already aware of it. We also had the bonus of finding Vietnamese noodles (pho) in the market after our visit!!
Sounds like you guys had a great day, especially if it was the Vietnamese place in Barabashova market. :) Thanks for the update!
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