Odesa, a large Ukrainian city on the Black Sea coast, is often called “The Pearl of the South”. But it is known not only for its beautiful architecture. Odesa has an incredible system of catacombs stretching even beyond the city limits.

Most of the catacombs are former quarries, in which shell stone was mined for the construction of Odessa. Mining was done chaotically and as a result a huge underground maze appeared.

underground Odesa

Tags: abandoned · Odessa city

Zhovkva, founded in 1369, is a picturesque town with a population of about 13 thousand people located in the north of Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. The distance to Lviv is 25 kilometers, to the Ukrainian-Polish border – 35 kilometers.

In 1994, the central part of Zhovkva received the status of a historical and architectural reserve. In total, there are more than 50 monuments of world, national and regional significance in this town. Zhovkva on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the center of Zhovkva

Tags: Lviv oblast

As the capital city of Ukraine, Kyiv needs no introduction. However, the assumptions about this rich and diverse city that have sprung up across the West since the mid-twentieth century do need revising. Kyiv is a surprisingly multi-faceted city; new developments rub shoulders with historical sites and, amongst them all, you’ll find the coolest of the cool hangouts in 2021’s hippest places.

explore Kyiv

Tags: Kiev city

Chernihiv is a city located about 140 km from Kyiv in the north of Ukraine, the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast, the northernmost regional center of Ukraine.

The history of this city is more than 1,300 years old. In the past, it was the center of the Chernigov Principality – one of the largest and most powerful state formations in Rus in the 11th-13th centuries. Today, Chernihiv is a popular tourist destination rich in preserved architectural monuments of different eras. Photos by: Igor Golovach.

Catherine’s Church (1715) – an architectural monument of national importance, a great example of Ukrainian baroque.

spring in Chernihiv

Tags: Chernigov oblast · Chernihiv city

Today, Pripyat is an abandoned city located 3 km from the closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 153 km north of Kyiv.

However, just over 30 years ago, it was a rapidly developing city with about 47,500 residents. Pripyat on Google Maps. Photos from: pripyat-city.ru

Pripyat before the accident

Tags: Kiev oblast · Pripyat city

Khmilnyk is a town with a population of about 27 thousand people located in the north-west of Vinnytsia Oblast, about 63 km from Vinnytsia.

The most interesting architectural monument of the town is the Palace of Count Konstantin Ksido (1911-1915) built by the architect Ivan Fomin on the foundations of the Lithuanian castle of the 16th century. Khmilnyk on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

very unusual palace

Tags: Vinnitsa oblast

Dobromyl, first mentioned in 1374, is a town with a population of about 4,300 people located in the south-west of Lviv Oblast.

The Town Hall of Dobromyl built in the style of classicism with renaissance elements in the central part of the town is an architectural monument of national importance. Dobromyl on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque monument of architecture

Tags: Lviv oblast

Ostroh, first mentioned in 1100, is a town with a population of about 15 thousand people located in the south of Rivne Oblast. The main attraction of the town is its old castle located on the top of the hill.

In the 14th-16th centuries, this was the ancestral nest of the Ostrogski family – one of the greatest Polish-Ruthenian families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Ostroh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the Ostroh Castle

Tags: fortress · Rivne oblast

Kharkiv, founded in 1654, is a large city located in the north-east of Ukraine. Together with nearby towns and districts, it forms the Kharkiv agglomeration with a population of more than 2 million people.

From December 19, 1919 to June 24, 1934, Kharkiv was the first capital of Soviet Ukraine. That’s why this city is also called “the first capital”. Today, it is a very important scientific, cultural, industrial, and transportation center of Ukraine.

Tags: Kharkov city

May 25, 2019, in Kyiv, a new pedestrian-bicycle bridge connecting the People’s Friendship Arch and Saint Volodymyr Hill was officially opened.

The bridge offers impressive views of the center of the Ukrainian capital and the Dnieper River. The length of this bridge made of concrete, iron and glass is 212 meters, the width ranges from 6 meters in regular zones to 14 meters in observation zones. Photos by Aleksandr Goncharov for Apostrophe.

new sight of Kyiv

Tags: Kiev city