As a rule, in Dnipro, the tourists get introduced to the river embankment, Menorah center, Monastyrsky Island and the like – all well-known sightseeing attractions. But, de facto, there are locations that are no less amazing, but even out of the local residents very few know about them.
There was once a river flowing right through the center of Dnipro city – people called it Polovitsa, with its confluent river called Zhabokryach. This river ran through the territory of the current Yekaterinoslavsky Boulevard. In the XIX, Polovitsa got cofined in the sewer pipeline. The entrance to it can be seen within Yuzhny Drive, just past Ekaterinoslavsky Boulevard. By the way, the project on lengthening the boulevard, planned to be set in motion by Dneprovsky businessman Vadim Ermolaev, suggests a small stream that will remind of Polovitsa.
When people bring up the old mansions in Dnipro, they usually recall the notorious pre-revolutionary buildings – so-called ekaterininkas – which are dated back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, as it turns out, on Efremov Street 8, 10, you may be able to see the oldest surviving stone houses of the city. They were built in the XVIII century.
For almost 12 years, a Ukrainian writer, engineer, translator and one of co-founders of the Oles Honchar Dnipro National University Ivan Truba lived in Yekaterinoslav. On today`s Kavaleriyskaya str. 22, the elite of the Ukrainian nation have once been forgathering – Mark Kropyvnytsky, Ilya Repin, Vladimir Korolenko. Nowadays, the residence of Mr. Truba has been already lost, but near the site you can find the apartment building of 1912, built in the Ukrainian Art Nouveau style – Truba himself had designed a number of buildings in this style. As often happens, due to the negligent attitude of residents, a mere name is all what`s left of Ukrainian Art Nouveau, but architecture connoisseurs can try to decipher the authentic look of the building.
You can project yourselves into the era of the Cossacks on Krepostnaya Street, 108. There, the Kodatskaya Palanka Voyska Zaporozhskoho was stationed. However, alongside with the fortress, the merchants` rows, churches, and cemeteries were there too. Naturally, practically nothing has survived since then, but an unusual development of the Cossack fortress has remained.
And in the industrial area located on Nigoyan Avenue 58, you can easily plunge into the Soviet era. The giant factories, both operating and abandoned, look really impressive. In addition, you`ll have various communications and the railway – tons of steelwork – as well as a rather romantic bridge to admire these views.