“Kiev in Miniature” is located in a picturesque place on the banks of the Dnieper River in Hidropark in Kiev. This mini city has diverse collection of buildings constructed in 1:33 scale. The park shows the most famous architectural landmarks of present Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.

The park was opened on June 23, 2006. The total area is about 2 hectares. It took nearly four years to make all 48 models presented in the park. At this time the population of mini Kiev is 700 inhabitants and it is growing every day. Photos by vaita

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Chernivtsi is a city in south-western Ukraine, 40 km north of the border with Romania, the administrative center of Chernivtsi region. The city is the historic center of Bukovina and, along with Lviv is the cultural center of western Ukraine.

Over the centuries, Chernivtsi formed as a city with a unique multi-style architecture and rich cultural heritage. It is one of the few cities in Ukraine, which is rightly considered the jewel of architecture. Photos by horoshiyblog

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Kopachi is an abandoned village, located about 4 km from Chernobyl nuclear power plant on the right bank of the Pripyat River, in Ivankovsky district of Kiev region. It was a booming village in 1980s. April 26, 1986, after the accident at the station, the village was badly contaminated.

The village, located in the 10-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl exclusion, was eliminated by complete destruction; the remains of it were covered with earth. At the moment the territory is not inhabited.

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Tags: abandoned · Chernobyl · Kiev oblast · Pripyat city

Bakhchisaray Khan’s Palace, the former residence of the Crimean Khans, is a historical and cultural monument of world importance, the world’s only example of the Crimean Tatar palace architecture. The palace is part of Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Reserve located in Bakhchisaray town, Crimea.

Entry to the museum is free, but you need a guided tour to get inside the palace. The territory of the palace complex is 4.3 hectares. The architectural style of the palace continues the tradition of Ottoman architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. Photos by Alexander Lipilin

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During your visit to the Crimea, you can go in the foothills or mountains, swim in the sea, but it is not so easy to find a place that is below sea level. Let’s look at one of the lowest points of the Crimea (-14 meters below sea level).

Kadykovsky abandoned quarry, rusty-orange pile rising high among the surrounding hills, is located in the outskirts of Sevastopol. The quarry is called by the name of the area – Kadykovka.

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Tags: abandoned · Crimea Republic · Sevastopol city

On the first anniversary of the death of Steve Jobs, a monument to him was installed in Odessa. More precisely, it is a sculpture dedicated not so much to Steve Jobs himself but to his brainchild, the company Apple. Two-meter hand was made from scrap metal by local craftsman Cyril Maksimenko.

The author used numerous gears, screws, bearings and other small parts of bicycles, motorcycles, and cars. The whole process took almost a year. This is the first monument to Steve Jobs and Apple in the CIS (former USSR countries). Photos by Vitaliy Milevich

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Boryspil International Airport is the largest airport in Ukraine. The airport is located 18.5 km east of the entrance to Kyiv, in Boryspil city. The airport serves about 60% of international air transportation in Ukraine.

The airport has several terminals: one of the main terminals is terminal “F” (international flights, mainly charter and low cost airlines), which was opened recently, in late 2010. Photos by Oleg Stelmakh

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Zakarpattia (Transcarpathian) region is located in the south-western slopes and foothills of the Eastern Carpathians, and also includes the Carpathian lowland. In the south the region borders on Romania, in the south-west – Hungary, in the west – Slovakia and in the north-west – Poland.

Thus, the region is a kind of Ukrainian “window to Europe.” About 80% of the area are the Carpathian Mountains. Transcarpathian region is Ukrainian key tourist area of national importance. It is also one of the centers of winter sports in Ukraine. Photos by l_z_foto

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Tags: landscapes · Zakarpattia oblast

Crimea was one of the most famous resorts in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union since the 18th century. Today Crimea remains a favorite resort of Ukrainians and Russians because of its warm sea, clean air and bright sun.

Other reasons why Crimea is popular include hot springs, mineral waters and the mud baths of Saky. A series of invasions has made the art, architecture and other parts of culture of Crimea what it is today. Photos by Sergey Anashkevitch

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Kiev (Ukrainian spelling Kyiv) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine (population 2.8 million). It is the sixth largest city in Europe after Moscow, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin and Madrid. The length of the city from north to south – 50 km, from west to east – 56 km.

During its long history, Kiev was the capital of Polans (East Slavic tribe), Kievan Rus, Kiev Principality, the Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. And since 1991 it is the capital of independent Ukraine. Photos by Oleg Stelmakh

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