Dnipro

Dnipro (Ukrainian: Дніпро, also transliterated Dnepr from Russian: Днепр), until May 2016 known as Dnipropetrovsk (Ukrainian: Дніпропетро́вськ) or Dnepropetrovsk (Russian: Днепропетровск), is a major industrial city in Eastern Ukraine. It is named after the Dnieper River (known in Ukraine as the Dnipro River) than runs through it. You may find some interesting and useful information about Dnipro on unofficial website.

Understand
Dnipro is an industrial centre of Ukraine that was a hub for the Soviet military industry. As such, no foreigners were allowed to visit without official permission until the 1990s. As an industrial centre still, it suffers from heavy pollution issues, but is generally well maintained and provides an interesting insight into real working life in Ukraine. Like other Ukrainian cities, the choice of name has assumed political connotations since the Russian invasion of Ukraine; most Westerners use the official name "Dnipro", but Russian media and supporters of Russia still use the Soviet-era name "Dnepropetrovsk".

History
Immediately after its foundation Dnipro, or as it was then known Yekaterinoslav (Russian: Екатериносла́в, named after Catherine the Great), began to develop exclusively on the right bank of the Dnieper River. At first the city developed radially from the central point provided by the Transfiguration Cathedral. Neo-classical structures of brick and stone construction were preferred and the city began to take on the appearance of a typical European city of the era. Of these buildings many have been retained in the city's older Zhovtnevy Raion (district). Amongst the most important buildings of this era are the Transfiguration Cathedral, and a number of buildings in the area surrounding Dmytra Yavornytskoho Prospekt. Over the next few decades, until the October Revolution in 1917 the city did not change much in appearance and the predominant architectural style remained that of neo-classicism. Notable buildings built in the era preceding the Bolshevik's rise to power and the establishment of communist Ukraine and later its absorption into the Soviet Union, include the main building of the National Mining University, which was built in 1899–1901, the art-nouveau inspired building of the city's former Duma, the Dnipro National Historical Museum, and the Mechnikov Regional Hospital. Other buildings of the era that did not fit the typical architectural style of the time in Dnipro include, the Ukrainian-influenced Grand Hotel Ukraine, the Russian revivalist style railway station (since reconstructed), and the art-nouveau Astoriya building on Dmytra Yavornytskoho Prospekt.

Stalinist architecture (monumental Soviet classicism) dominates in the city centre. Once the Bolsheviks had taken power in Dnipro the city was gradually purged of tsarist-era monuments and monumental architecture was stripped of Imperial coats of arms and other non-socialist symbols. In 1917, a monument to Catherine the Great that stood in front of the Mining Institute was replaced with one of Russian academic Mikhail Lomonosov. Later, due to damage from the Second World War, a number of large buildings were reconstructed. The main railway station, for example, was stripped of its Russian-revival ornamentation and redesigned in the style of Stalinist social-realism, whilst the Grand Hotel Ukraine survived the war but was later simplified much in design, with its roof being reconstructed in a typical French mansard style as opposed to the ornamental Ukrainian baroque of the pre-war era. Other badly damaged buildings were, more often than not, demolished completely and replaced with new structures. This is one of the main reasons why much of Dnipro central avenue, Dmytra Yavornytskoho Prospekt, is designed in the style of Stalinist Social Realism. Many pre-revolution buildings were also reconstructed to suit new purposes. For example, the Emperor Nicholas II Commercial Institute in Dnipro was reconstructed to serve as the administrative centre for the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a function it fulfils to this day. Other buildings, such as the Potemkin Palace were given over to the proletariat, in this case as the students' union of the Dnipro National University. - Stalinist architecture blends with the post-modernism of Dnipro's 'Passage' shopping and entertainment centre.

After the 1950s, the industrialisation of Dnipro became even more profound, with the Southern (Yuzhne) Missile and Rocket factory being set up in the city. However, this was not the only development and many other factories, especially metallurgical and heavy-manufacturing plants, were set up in the city. At this point Dnipro became one of the most important manufacturing cities in the Soviet Union, producing many goods from small articles like screws and vacuum cleaners to aircraft engine pieces and ballistic missiles. As a result of all this industrialisation the city's inner suburbs became increasingly polluted and were gradually given over to large, unsightly industrial enterprises. At the same time the extensive development of the city's left bank and western suburbs as new residential areas began. The low-rise tenant houses of the Khrushchev era (Khrushchyovkas) gave way to the construction of high-rise prefabricated apartment blocks (similar to German Plattenbaus). In 1976 in line with the city's 1926 renaming a large monumental statue of Grigoriy Petrovsky was placed on the square in front of the city's station. To this day the city is characterised by its mix of architectural styles, with much of the city's centre consisting of pre-revolutionary buildings in a variety of styles, stalinist buildings and constructivist architecture, whilst residential districts are, more often than not, made up of aesthetically simple, technically outdated mid-rise and high-rise housing stock from the Soviet era. Despite this, the city does have a large number of 'private sectors' were the tradition of building and maintaining individual detached housing has continued to this day. Since the independence of Ukraine in 1991 and the economic development that followed, a number of large commercial and business centres have been built in the city's outskirts.

After the Euromaidan Revolution of 2014, the new post-Euromaidan government passed a de-communization law in 2015 that made the display of communist symbols illegal. Accordingly, the city was re-named to Dnipro to remove references to Grigoriy Petrovsky, who was a communist, and the statue of Grigoriy Petrovsky was demolished.

Geography
The city is built mainly upon the both banks of the Dnieper, at its confluence with the Samara River. The area the city is built on is mainly devoid of hills and other geographical features. Being mainly flat, the land is easy to use, which explains why the city has been able to grow to such a great extent over the past 200 years. Whilst most residential, commercial, and industrial districts of the city are along the less marshy south bank of the river, some residential, commercial, and industrial areas have developed on the previously less-hospitable northern bank. Subdivisions: Amur-Nyzhnodniprovskyi, Shevchenkivskyi Sobornyi, Industrialnyi, Tsentralnyi, Chechelivskyi, Novokodatskyi, Samarskyi.

Climate
During the summer, Dnipro is very warm (average day temperature in July is 24 to 28 °C (75 to 82 °F), even hot sometimes 32 to 36 °C (90 to 97 °F). Temperatures as high as 36 °C (97 °F) have been recorded in May. Winter is not so cold (average day temperature in January is −4 to 0 °C (25 to 32 °F) but when there is no snow and the wind blows hard, it feels extremely cold. A mix of snow and rain happens usually in December. The best time for visiting the city is in late spring — late April and May and early in autumn: September and October, when the city's trees turn yellow. Other times are mainly dry with a few showers.

By boat
There are reports about ferries that go down the Dnieper from Kyiv.

By public transport
Dnipro has a convenient public transport system:

Single ride tickets in buses cost 15 грн, in trams, trolleybuses and metro — 8 грн.
 * 92 bus routes
 * 11 tram routes
 * 20 trolleybus routes
 * 1 metro line

Schedules are available on the official website (in Ukrainian) and on the map.

You can also check information about public transport on EasyWay and Google Maps.

By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way of getting around the city. Some popular taxi companies include:



By scooter
Kick scooter is a funny way to shorten your time while getting around the city.



By car (rental)
It is possible to take car via car sharing company Getmancar.

Novomoskovsk
Novomoskovsk (Новомосковськ, Новомосковск), 27 km northeast from Dnipro, has these sights:

Eat
Borscht, cutlet po Kyiv, and cutlet po domashnyomu, olivier (mayonnaise salad) and plove for a good rice dish.

For a quick meal get a schwarma, there is a great place in the city center.

Drink
Though there are few quality drinking spots, some do exist. The best would be Reporter on Prospekt Dmytra Yavornytskoho - a couple blocks past the town square. The second would be Master Schmidt, which has some live music and is a bit more alternative (on Schmidt Street about 3 or 4 blocks up from Prospekt Dmytra Yavornytskoho). For more of a club scene there is Labyrinth and Berlin (inquire locally for the exact location). And if you choose to be really adventurous, you can attempt a Metro Party - getting off at each of the 5 metro stops and drinking a drink. Lastly, for more of a local scene you can simply have a drink on the street-- by the river which is a quite nice walk or just in the city center. This is the custom known as drinking "na lavochke".

Sleep
There are a nice amount of hotels around the city. It's also possible to rent an apartment.

Budget

 * Hotel Dinamo

Mid-range

 * Hotel Dnipropetrovsk. Along the embankment and close to the city center, address 33 Naberezhna. Rooms "economy-class" on the 6th floor in 1970ss style, and all furniture not maintained, looks very old and ugly.

Stay safe
Be wary of groups of drunken people roaming around. Be careful drinking on the street at night because although the number has decreased since the 1990s, Gopniks still exist in Dnipro. They are people that enjoy drinking and fighting and little else and will not hesitate to fight you.

Go next

 * Kamianske - a major industrial center near Dnipro.
 * Gulyaypole - the city during the Civil War, the former biggest village in Ukraine (by population) and the capital of Makhnovshchina.
 * Henichesk is a popular resort at Azov Sea
 * Nikopol
 * Mariupol, 200 km to the southeast, is a climatic and mud resort and part of the Pryazovia area.
 * Zaporizhzhia, 60 km to the southeast, is the center of Zaporizhzhia region, part of the Dnieper Ukraine area.