Khreshchatyk is the main street of Ukraine’s capital city Kiev. On holidays the street becomes pedestrian only.

The main event of New Year 2012 in Kiev will be a traditional New Year’s Eve at the Independence Square with concerts and celebrations. The celebrating will begin at approximately 8:00 pm on December 31 and end far after midnight on January 1.

The party will be thematic. The city authorities invite people to celebrate New Year in Euro 2012 style. The scene on the main square of Kiev will be in a form of huge football goal and giant ball.

Tags: Kiev city · New Year

Ukrainian Carpathians Mountains are the part of Carpathian mountain range, located mainly in western Ukraine on the territory of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia and Chernovtsy oblasts.

The length of Ukrainian Carpathians from San River to the sources of Suchava River is 280 km, width – 100 km. The total area is more than 24 thousand square km. The absolute height of the mountain range varies from 120-400 m in the foothills up to 1500-2000 m along the main ridge.

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Tags: Chernovtsy oblast · Ivano-Frankivsk oblast · Lviv oblast · Zakarpattia oblast

At the end of 1950 according to a special decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR it was decided to create special bases to store nuclear weapons. The main objectives were to assemble and store nuclear devices, replace the weapons with expiring warranty period, test electronic and mechanical components, and give nuclear weapons to the army for combat use.

One of such bases called Feodosia-13 was built in Kiziltashskaya Valley (near Sudak and Feodosia cities in the Crimea).

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Tags: abandoned · Crimea Republic · Feodosia city

Akkerman fortress located in Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy city (Odessa oblast) is a historic and architectural monument of the 13th-15th centuries. It is one of the most preserved fortresses on the territory of Ukraine. Also Akkerman fortress is the largest fortification in the country.

All the buildings of the fortress are surrounded by fortress walls, the length of which reaches 2.5 km. The initial number of towers was 34, 12 of which were hollow, battle towers. The rest towers were bastions and half bastions. They were later turned into artillery platforms. Photos by Alexander Lipilin.

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Tags: Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi city · fortress · Odessa oblast

On Saturday, December 3, the opening ceremony of the Mosque Ar-Rahma took place in Kiev. It is the first mosque built in the capital city of Ukraine. The mosque is designed for 3,000 people; its area is 3200 square meters; the height of the minaret is 27 meters.

The mosque was constructed in the historic part of the city, on the top of Schekavitsa Mountain. In total, about 2 million Muslims are living in Ukraine, and 60,000 – in Kiev. The mosque was named Ar-Rahma meaning “Mercy”. Address: Kiev, Lukyanovskaya Str., 46.

Tags: Kiev city · mosque

National sports complex “Olimpiyskiy” (“Olympic”) is a multipurpose sports facility in Kiev, Ukraine. The stadium is the main sports arena in Ukraine and one of the largest stadiums in Europe.

The stadium is located in the center of the city, on the slopes of Cherepanovaya Mount. Address: Kiev, Krasnoarmeyskaya Str., 55 (Pechersky District). The nearest subway stations are “Olympic” and “Palace of Sports”.

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Tags: Euro 2012 · Kiev city

The house #17/2 located on Shelkovichnaya Street in Kiev is a former mansion of a famous merchant and philanthropist Semen Semenovich Mogilevtsev built in 1901 by the talented architect Vladimir Nikolaevich Nikolaev. Kievites named it “The Chocolate House” for the characteristic color and rich decoration of the facades.

The mansion is a two-storey building with a large basement and an attic over an extension. The plan of the house is typical for rich mansions of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The main facade, facing Shelkovichnaya and Pilip Orlik streets, is decorated in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The appearance of the building is preserved almost in its original form. Photos by macwrangler.

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Tags: Kiev city

Not far from the Ukrainian regional center Rivne there is a town known as Klevan. The main attraction of it is one of the most romantic places in the world called “The Tunnel of Love”. During the warm months of the year the trees planted next to each other form a fairy green tunnel along one kilometer long section of the railway.

The tunnel is very popular among lovers who like to make a wish and kiss there. If the love is sincere, then the wish will come true. Stunningly beautiful place! Photos by Oleg Gordienko.

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Tags: Rivne city · Rivne oblast

Neo-gothic style Roman Catholic Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built in Fastiv in 1903-1911. Today, this architectural monument of national importance is the main sight of the city. The church was constructed at the expense of representatives of the Polish gentry.

The author of the design was architect W. Dombrowski. Main feature of the church is the asymmetry of its western facade. The asymmetric structure of the facade of the building is explained by the influence of art nouveau style.

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Tags: church · Fastiv city

With the upcoming EURO 2012 Ukraine’s promotional campaign has started recently with the presentation of advertising video clip “Switch on Ukraine”. The video will be broadcast by major European TV channels.

But not all the people in Ukraine like it. There are a lot of doubts was it worth to spend about 500,000 USD to make it. That’s why several unofficial promo videos of Ukraine made almost for free only on the enthusiasm of the photographers have appeared. The following promo time-lapse is about Ukrainian capital city – Kyiv. The author is Yaroslav Yarko.

Tags: Euro 2012 · Kiev city · time-lapse