Here It Is, Mykolaiv. Without Sweeteners or Adornments

I will say straight away that I liked Mykolaiv, but I will not sing its praises; I will describe my walk through the city on a sunny March day without embellishment.

The City Council

As the philosopher and wanderer Hryhorii Skovoroda expressed it: "Every town has its temper and its rights, and every head has a mind of its own."

The Inhul Bridge

Every city has its own traditions, particularities and atmosphere.

The confluence of the Inhul and the Southern Buh

I try to see the positive sides, but in Mykolaiv my journey began with a negative. The railway station, at which I arrived on the Dnipro — Odesa train, astonished me with its neglect. There are a few electrical sockets in the waiting hall, which is very good for a tourist for charging gadgets. However, it is impossible to get near them. As in no other city, all the seats for passengers awaiting the arrival of a train have been occupied by people of no fixed abode, towards whom the attitude is evidently lenient. But a railway station — and every city always begins with one — cannot be a shelter for the homeless!

Tsentralnyi Avenue

It was just gone five, and I could barely wait for dawn and the first trolleybus.

The Holy Simeon Cathedral. UOC-MP

Getting to know a city on public transport is not for me, but it was still rather dark and chilly. I rode along Myru and Tsentralnyi avenues, which are built up with high-rises from the period of the flourishing of shipbuilding in Mykolaiv.

The "Metalist" ship-repair yard

Here the workers of the largest shipbuilding yards received apartments; from the slipways of these yards came both warships and whaling vessels. In the Black Sea steppes, large-scale ships were launched onto the water. Unfortunately, 200 years after its founding, the city of shipbuilders has lost its former glory in this field.

The "Ekvator" plant

The Admiral Makarov University of Shipbuilding is a leading educational institution in Ukraine and trains specialists for shipbuilding, which gives hope for the revival and the demand for this field in the national economy.

The Admiral Makarov University of Shipbuilding

Mykolaiv is located on a peninsula and not on sea shores, but it does have a maritime trade port, connected to the Black Sea by the Dnipro-Buh Estuary. The frequently encountered anchors remind one of the shipbuilding theme.

An anchor by the Central Stadium

An anchor on Flotskyi Boulevard

Despite the early hour, by the stadium I saw several runners, which added to my vigour and good mood, and I too took to the starting positions.

The Central Stadium

The townspeople love football, and in honour of the first match, which took place in 1908 against an English team, a commemorative sign has been erected.

The commemorative sign in honour of the first football match in 1908

One of the city's symbols is Shukhov's ingenious engineering structure — the 32-metre water tower, put into operation in 1907.

The water tower of the engineer Shukhov

The historical and architectural heritage of Mykolaiv is very considerable.

A former merchant's house on Tsentralnyi Avenue

A former merchant's house on Tsentralnyi Avenue

A bank

There is a huge number of notable buildings in the city, and they all have individual designs.

The BTI

The fire service. On the facade a memorial plaque has been installed to the founder of the fire brigade, the fire chief M. M. Svizhynsky

Apartment buildings and merchant mansions were lavishly decorated with architectural elements.

The military enlistment office. On the facade a memorial plaque to T. H. Shevchenko has been installed

The inscription on the wall has remained since the times of World War II

Even though not all of them have the status of a monument, it is simply impossible not to pay attention to their outer beauty.

A building of 1912. The former V. I. Lenin Palace of Pioneers

A bank

Even these simple little houses hold the gaze.

A house of 1896

Mykolaiv is a very green city.

In order to examine the masterpieces of stone architecture, one needs to find a time when there are no leaves.

Unfortunately, the old stock is falling into decay and needs restoration.

It is wonderful that the entrance halls, canopies and arches over the gates, characteristic of southern cities, have been preserved.

In the mansions of the middle of the 19th century, decorated with pilasters and columns, young artists and sculptors now study.

The Art School. The House with Mercury

The House with Mercury

And how the facades are spoiled by the ubiquitous advertising and modern innovations, which distort the picture of the quiet city.

The streets are laid out parallel and perpendicular to one another, so that it is hard to get lost.

Sadova Street

In the historical centre, very famous people lived and worked at various times. This house was built in 1792—1794 at his own expense by the military and statesman, the founder of Odesa, Osyp Deribas.

The Deribas house

And in this one, the outstanding scholar, the founder of rocket aerodynamics, the blue-blooded aristocrat K. I. Konstantinov invented military rockets.

The house where Konstantinov worked

The balls in the House of Officers — and before the revolution, the Officers' Assembly — long ago fell silent.

In Mykolaiv I counted 9 museums. The Museum of Shipping and the Fleet is located in the former Residence of the Fleet Commander, built in the 19th century in the Classicist style.

The Museum of Shipping and the Fleet

By the entrance, as if on parade, stand celebrated naval commanders.

The monument to Admiral F. F. Bellingshausen

The monument to Admiral M. P. Lazarev

The monument to Admiral F. F. Ushakov

The monument to Admiral P. S. Nakhimov

The monument to Vice-Admiral P. O. Kornilov

The monument to Admiral G. I. Butakov

The local history museum is housed in the former naval barracks and is a repository of rare exhibits and antiquities, the collecting of which was begun by M. L. Faleev (1730—1792), the founder of the city and an associate of Grigory Potemkin.

The local history museum. The former naval barracks

The monument to M. L. Faleev — the founder of the city

A monument to the Prince of Tauris is erected by the Admiralty.

The Admiralty

The Admiralty

The Admiralty. The monument to Grigory Potemkin

In the city there are several churches of various denominations.

The Church of St Nicholas. 2005. UOC-MP

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God. UOC-MP. Founded in 1799

The Cathedral of the Kasperovska Icon of the Mother of God. 1908

The Church of St Joseph. 1896

The Church of St Joseph. 1896

A synagogue

A former synagogue. Later a House of Culture for medical workers

Now for the fly in the ointment. When I was photographing this building, a lady with a little dog literally pounced on me.

The little dog simply wagged its tail, while its mistress all but bit me for photographing private property without permission. I promised her that nothing threatened her, and that it would be better if she cleaned up the traces of her pet's presence on the lawn. In general, I came across many, very many stray four-legged creatures. And as for the traces... On Flotskyi Boulevard, which is a monument of landscape gardening art, the townspeople walk their pets and do not know that parks and flower beds are not meant to be a toilet for animals.

There are very many green and park zones in the city.

Flotskyi Boulevard. The chess club

Flotskyi Boulevard. A cannon

Flotskyi Boulevard. The rotunda. A bandstand for orchestras

In the Afghans' Park, on the alley of military glory, military hardware is displayed.

I wish that it should serve only as exhibits, and that our servicemen should return to their homes sooner.

The Afghans' Park

One of the favourite recreation spots of the people of Mykolaiv can be considered the Chestnut public garden, with a central sculpture of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron of seafarers and travellers.

The monument to St Nicholas

I sat down on a bench to orient myself by the map for the further excursion. Beside me sat men, conducting conversations on the topic of the day and cursing the authorities of all levels. All the while they were cracking sunflower seeds, covering the whole space within a two-metre radius abundantly with husks. A simple question — did they know what this is called — plunged the lovers of the oilseed crop into a stupor, as in the game "the sea is troubled — three, freeze in place, figure!" Continuing the theme of monuments, I can say that there are several dozen of them in the city.

The monument to the heroes of 1812

The monument to the heroes of the Olshansky landing party

The monument to Admiral S. O. Makarov

The monument to Hnat Shevchenko

The authors of the modern creations are the Mykolaiv sculptors Volodymyr and Yurii Makushyn. Alexander Sergeyevich is depicted as a dreamy, tall, handsome man, gazing at the watery expanses of the Inhul.

The monument to A. S. Pushkin

The surrounding fences and a transformer substation have been painted with scenes on the themes of the Pushkin oeuvre.

The Pushkin public garden

By the way, transformer electrical substations caught my eye very often.

A transformer substation

An ordinary radio on a post was broadcasting musical programmes.

A radio on a post

In the city there are 3 theatres. The Russian Drama Theatre was built in 1881.

The Russian Drama Theatre

The theatre company is at once considered the oldest collective in Ukraine and the most promising young cast.

The Russian Drama Theatre

The Russian Drama Theatre

The "Strilka" beach, where the Inhul flows into the Southern Buh, cannot be called deserted even in March.

For a population of half a million, this recreation spot needs further improvement.

The "Strilka" beach

I very much enjoyed the walk across the bridges. The pontoon pedestrian bridge connects two districts of the city and is intended for romantic strolls.

The pontoon pedestrian bridge

True, sometimes the pontoons sink into the water, and then one can make an extreme passage across the crossing.

The pontoon pedestrian bridge

The depth of the Inhul in this place reaches, in some spots, up to 18 metres. The Inhul drawbridge, 472 metres long without the approaches, plays an important role in the life of the townspeople.

The Inhul Bridge

Its railings are decorated with decorative inserts.

The Inhul Bridge

This is only half of what I saw in one day in Mykolaiv, and I am sure that there was even more of interest and instruction that I did not see.

The Inhul Bridge

For visitors it is important to know that there are two railway stations in the city, but only one serves passengers. I did not know this, but I became convinced that not all the people of Mykolaiv are aware of it. In the first case, to the question "By what transport can one get to the railway station?" two ladies indifferently waved their hands in the direction of the tram stop. Until then I had only heard similar stories about mythical cases in Western Ukraine, that supposedly there they do not answer questions in Russian. In the second case, I was advised to travel 2 stops by tram. I even thought — could I really have walked so far that the station turned out to be nearby? I saw the station locked with every bolt, an old building, but even now it looks much prettier than the working one.

The station building of Mykolaiv-Vantazhnyi

The station building of Mykolaiv-Vantazhnyi

There are not even any passenger platforms here. Fortunately, 20 minutes of time still remained before the arrival of the Odesa — Dnipro train, plus the train's stop at the station is 20 minutes, and I had enough time to move to another district of the city. Despite some non-positive moments, I am glad that I got acquainted with Mykolaiv.

Mykolaiv. The Inhul

Of course, I also came across friendly townspeople, smiling and welcoming. I wish everyone peace and goodness, and the city — revival and prosperity. I especially want to wish the dear girls, my fellow passengers on the tram, that they should always know that they are the most beautiful.

Mykolaiv schoolgirls