Industrial Zaporizhya offers some cool tourist attractions
When you observe the landscape of Zaporizhya through the windows of a passing train, it is absolutely beautiful. Wide corn fields under the clear blue sky, lakes grown with reeds, surrounded by willowing trees and the roaring Dnipro river making its way through the grim rocks; smoking factory chimneys towering around the city in a dense circle, grey manufacture buildings, Soviet-style apartment houses, and small huts on the edges of ravines – these are the typical images of Zaporizhya you can catch at first glance.
Zaporizhya is not considered a big destination spot but it can be a great place for a short weekend trip. Catch a train Kyiv–Zaporizhya and in eight hours you are there.
When you arrive you’ll see a small train station. This is where the main avenue of the city begins – Prospect Lenina. By the way, there are still lots of monuments in the city dedicated to socialist leaders, like the Lenin one at the Dniprogas electro station or the one to Dzerzhinsky on Peremohy Square. Many citizens fought for the demolishment of the monuments, yet they still stand in place. Now they are bright attractions to my foreign friends – where else will they ever see the high granite Lenin, stretching his hand into a communist future, surrounded by factory buildings and field workers? Besides, lots of people visiting Ukraine and Zaporizhzhya are really interested in the reminders of the Soviet past.
From the railway station you can take a taxi (a trip to the farthest parts of the city costs up to Hr 50), a bus or a tram that will take you to the needed direction. If you are going to continue your journey on a bus, there is a bus station right near the railway station.
In most cases you will be taken to your destination through Prospect Lenina, since it lies in the middle of the city and forms its central part. The main avenue is a beloved promenade for residents and along it you’ll find the most expensive eateries, fashion stores, theaters, cinemas, concert halls, and parks.
Among the must-see sites is a beautiful white building with a group of statues on the top – Magara Theater, located on the way from the bus station, opposite the huge central market. On the ground floor of the theater is an art-cafe called Partyfon that hosts various guest musicians. But you would be better to leave it for the evening and for breakfast drop by the recently opened cafe-patisserie O’Cacao, which is located a few minutes away. If you have a sweet tooth you can also visit such cafes as Delice and Del’ice. The latter, serves various coffee drinks, ice cream, and desserts and offers a decent sushi menu for affordable prices. If you want to go strictly for Japanese food, I would recommend Banzai restaurant located in the Intourist hotel. There, in addition to tasty food, you will get authentic atmosphere. For the night the only thing left after visiting Banzai is to go down to the first floor and dance at Crowbar. This night club looks a bit pretentious but is actually the best one in the city along with Sova beach club.
If you want to do some shopping, right near Del’ice city cafe there are stores offering everything from CDs to shoes. Yet the main collection of stores you’ll find a little bit farther away, near Ukraina shopping center and along the avenue up to Shevchenko Boulevard and Port Lenina.
Boulevard Shevchenko, located near two towering buildings at night shining with colorful lights is a common place for summer walks. The Clocks of Lovers at the beginning of it is a regular meeting point for youth. Go down to the end of the boulevard and you will see the hidden model of an airplane.
Reaching the farthest end of the avenue you will find yourself at Port Lenina and Dniprogas electric station. It looks tremendously beautiful at night – blue lights are scattered all along the dam, glistening in the water of the river. Built according to the project of the architect Aleksandrov, it still keeps the traits of the Second World War – the missiles have left their marks on one of Dniprogas’s supporting columns.
The main attraction of city is of course Khortitsa Island lying in the middle of the Dnipro River and connected to the shores by the famous Preobrazhenskiy Bridge. If you venture into the Khortitsa natural reserve, you will come across the remnants of at least three pagan temples. Now the glades around them are embellished with stylized idols and are meeting points for “neo pagans.”
Clubs
Crowbar (135 Lenina, 223-0555)Mix (92 Lenina, 289-1939)
Music Hall (40 Let Sovetskoy Ukrainy, 233-5026)
Sova Club (Naberezhne Sshose, Orbita Lux, 220-2025)
Sahara (40 Let Pobedy, 271-6169)
Revoliutsiya (1 Inzhenerna, 57-1420)
Concert halls
DK Dneprospetsstal (1 Shevchenko, 34-5761)
DS Unist (60 Pobedy, 233-5081)
Glinki Concert Hall (183 Lenina, 236-4467)
Circus (41 Rekordna, 233-7160)
Theaters
Vie theater-laboratorium (Khortitsa Island, science town, 286-5300)
Magara Theater (41 Lenina, 764-4072)
Youth Theater (59 40 Let Sovetskoy Ukrainy, 224-2781)
Galleries and museums
Artzebs-gallery (24 Tsentralniy Boulevard, 224-6677)
Horkoho library (142 Lenina, art department, third floor, 787-5351)
Souz Fotohudozhnikov exposition hall (159 Lenina, 33-1183)
Souz Hudozhnikov exposition hall (3 Tsentralniy Boulevard, 233-3497)
Lenin modern art gallery (193 Lenina, 236-8844)
Museum of Zaporizhzhia cossacs (Khortitsa Island, 52-5188)
Region study museum (29 Chekistov, 764-1767)
Art museum (76B 40 Let Sovetskoy Ukrainy, 233-6193)
Weapons history museum (189 Lenina, 32-1555)
Museum of old automobile and war technics (8 Vyborhska, 8050-322-8275 (preliminary call needed)
Cafes and restaurants
Partyfon (47 Lenina, 222-1858)
O’Cacao (29 Dzerzhinskoho/ 27 Turgeneva, 224-2266)
Delice (6 Mayakovskoho, 289-9412)
Del’ice (92 Lenina, Palmira Plaza, 289-0842)
Fiesta (4 Shevchenko, 213-1393)
Shelest (16 Shevchenko, 222-1242)
Banzai (135 Lenina, Intourist hotel, 223-0900)
Billie Bons (12 Leonova, port Lenina, 283-0555)
Traktir u Kamina (43 Gorkogo, 764-6517)
Shops
Palmira Plaza ( 92 Lenina, 289-0847)
Stilissima (143 Lenina, 213-1759)
Intertop (212 Lenina, 222-1998)
