Kharkiv is Ukraine's second city and cultural capital — a place Ukrainians call the country's "first capital" because it served as the Soviet Ukrainian capital from 1919 to 1934. The city has a distinct character from Kyiv: younger in feel, heavily industrialised during the Soviet era, and home to a large concentration of universities that give it an intellectual energy and a permanently student-heavy street life.
Freedom Square (Maidan Svobody) is one of the largest city squares in Europe, ringed by monumental Constructivist and Stalinist architecture — above all the extraordinary Derzhprom building, the first major reinforced-concrete structure built in the Soviet Union. The Annunciation Cathedral with its golden domes provides an older counterpoint, and the enormous Barabashovo Market is a fascinating, slightly overwhelming place to explore. The Kharkiv Art Museum holds significant collections of Ukrainian avant-garde art from the 1920s, a period when Kharkiv was genuinely one of the creative centres of the Soviet world.
Note: Kharkiv has been severely affected by the conflict in Ukraine that began in 2022. Check current safety conditions before planning any travel.