This city is famous primarily for its huge and delicious watermelons. In addition, it is an important port on the Dnieper River. Where is Kherson located? When was it founded and what is interesting about this city?
Kherson city on a map of Ukraine
This settlement is not too big, but not small. Almost 300 thousand people live in it today. Where is Kherson located?
The city is located in southern Ukraine, on the banks of the largest European river Dnieper. It is the administrative center of the homonymous region, as well as an important river and sea port of its country.
The city got its beautiful name from the most famous Crimean colony - Khersones. And the ancient Greek word "Chersonesos" can be translated as "peninsula."
Ukrainian Kherson has six foreign twin cities, among which the capital of Norway, Oslo.
Kherson: a brief historical background
At the place where Kherson is today, people lived in pre-Christian times. This is evidenced by archaeological excavations conducted here. In particular, in the territory of one of the city parks, a Scythian burial was found dating back to the sixth century BC by scientists.
The cause of Kherson was the Russian-Turkish war. Catherine II ordered the construction of a powerful fortress in the Black Sea region in order to protect herself from future Turkish attacks. So in 1778 a new city appeared on the map of the Russian Empire - Kherson. One of its founders can be considered Prince Potemkin (who rests here), but the cousin of Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Abramovich Hannibal, led the process of building the Kherson stronghold .
In the period from 1917 to 1920, power in Kherson changed more than ten times! After the end of World War II, the city turns into a powerful industrial and agricultural center of the Ukrainian SSR. At the end of the 50s, over 150 thousand people already lived in it.
Today in Kherson there are about a hundred different enterprises. Among them are a trading port, shipbuilding and combine plants, a cotton and shoe factory, a factory of reinforced concrete structures and others.
The main attractions of Kherson
A fairly large number of ancient buildings have been preserved in the historical center of the city. The most interesting of them are the gates of the Kherson fortress of the 18th century, the Arsenal, the building of the Black Sea Hospital, the city hall, the Church of the Heart of Jesus, the Chabad synagogue and others.
An important historical and architectural monument of Kherson is the Spassky Cathedral - the oldest building in the city, erected back in 1786. A single-domed church, decorated in the style of classicism, is built of local building material - sandstone. Many famous people are buried in this cathedral. Among them are Grigory Potemkin, Major General Ivan Sinelnikov, Moldavian Prince Rossetti Emanuel and others.
Tourists may also be interested in the central city cemetery of Kherson. The oldest burial on it dates back to 1790. Well, in the vicinity of the city you can see the miracle of engineering technology - Adzhigolsky lighthouse. It consists of steel shears and has a hyperboloid design. The author of the highest lighthouse in Ukraine (65 meters) is the outstanding engineer-architect Vladimir Shukhov.
Thus, in Kherson there is something for the tourist to see. After all, tasty, juicy and sun-drenched watermelons - why not come to this wonderful southern city?
Finally...
Many interesting places, villages and cities are hidden in the country of Ukraine. Kherson is one of those. The city was founded in 1778 and named after the ancient colony of Khersones, located in the Crimea.
Now you know where Kherson is, familiar with its history and the main tourist attractions.