Nikolaev City

Nikolaev is located in the southern part of Ukraine, about 600 km (375 miles) south-east of Kiev, 150 km (90 miles) from Odessa and 80 km (50 miles) from the Black Sea on the estuary of Southern Bug and Ingul rivers. It is one of the ten largest cities in Ukraine. Its population is 518,400, including people of different nationalities, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, but also Jewish, Bulgarians, Koreans, Germans, Polish.

The city was founded in 1789 by the Order Of Count Potyomkin of Tavria as a shipbuilding center to become the major shipbuilding base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Since then, the craft and the skill of shipbuilders and engineers have grown constantly from generation to generation. Nikolaev is also a part of a unique nature and complex climate made up by the South Ukraine steppe and the warm Black Sea.

On its wharfs the largest ships of the former USSR were built. In the time of imperial Russia Nikolaev was the headquarters of the Commander-in-chief of the Black Sea fleet. The names of great naval commanders, writers, poets and artists are connected to Nikolaev. The city is built on territory of ancient antiquity with an unmapped network of catacombs, of an antiquity much older than the famous Odessa Catacombs, near the ancient Greek city-state Ol'viya. Nikolaev has remarkable parks and reserves. The largest zoo has a variety of fauna and is third in size in the territory of the former USSR .

The highest part of the South Bug river is named "Ukrainian Switzerland" because of a beautiful landscape with fast rivers, thresholds and covered rocks as in kazak's legends. The well known artist V.V. Vereshagin lived and worked in Nikolaev.

Presently a lot of the artist's famous paintings are kept here in Nikolaev in a museum that bears his name. In an observatory constructed in 1821 is a unique collection of devices for the observation of celestial bodies. Having come to visit us, you will acquaint yourself with a land rich in history and culture which still keeps some secrets.

The highest part of the river South Bug was named “Ukrainian Switzerland” because beautiful landscape with fast rivers, thresholds and the rocks covered kazak's legends.

Known artist of V.V. Vereshagin lived and worked in Nikolaev. Now a lot of his famous pictures are kept here in artist museum that has his name. In observatory constructed in 1821 is a unique collection of devices for observation of celestial bodies.

Sights and things to do include the Nikolaev Theater of Ukrainian Drama and Musical Comedy (founded in 1959), the Museum of Arts with the paintings by local artistst such as Aivazovski, Bogaievski and Yablonska. Furthermore Nikolaev has some monuments built in the style of classicism: best known are the Museum of Shipbuilding and the Church of Nicholas.

Nikolaev Zoo is a place you must visit. Nikolaev Zoo was founded by Nikolaev city mayor Nikolai Pavlovich Leontovich. As he himself wrote in the report to the Nikolaev District Executive Committee in 1923, the zoo, named then Aquarium, was founded on 26 April 1901.Since 1988 there exists Museum of the Zoo History in the territory of the Zoo. Materials for Museum had been accumulated as far back as the beginning of eighties. In Museum one can see documents, photos, things belonging to Leontovich and Nichikov, written recollections of their relatives and collaborators, collection of sculls and stuffed animals and birds that used to live in the Zoo and also collection of eggs, schemes, maps and guide books of our and those of other zoos. It’s the only museum of the kind in Ukraine. Museum is very important for the Zoo because it preserves the experience and the memory about former generations of the Zoo workers.