Monday, May 7, 2007

Dnepropetrovsk

Dnipropetrovsk (Dnepropetrovsk) is situated on the Dnieper River (Dnepr or Dnipro) in East-Central Ukraine. Population 1.1 million. Large and beautiful, it is the main city of East-Central Ukraine.

The old fortress settlement has existed since the middle of the 16th century. The new town was founded in 1776 by the Russian Prince, Potemkin by order of Catherine II, Empress of the Russian Empire and was called Yekaterinoslav (Ekaterinoslav) from 1776 to 1926. During 1918 the town’s name was Sicheslav (The Glory for Sich’/Fortress of Cossacks).

The city is very warm in summer (average daily temperature in July is +25-27 C) and cold in the winter (aver. day temp. is -3-4 C). Best time for visiting is in the late spring - the second part of April and May (nice nature and fresh air), and early in autumn: September and October (beauty of town's yellow parks). Long periods of rain are normal in autumn. Other times are mainly dry with a few showers or storms in the summer time.
Dnipropetrovsk has been the major center of the steel industry from the beginning of the 20th century until the present. It has also dominated in the spacebuilding industry since the 1950s.

Today, the city is the major trade, finance and industrial center of Eastern and Central Ukraine and third city in the country by population. There are 11 universities, academies and institutes in Dnipropetrovsk. Look the brief city guide here.