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The central streets of the city were renamed in Soviet time in honor of the outstanding revolutionaries. (And it is interesting, the largest of them in honor of German figures.) So the central street of the city has the name of Karl Marx. It is a very beautiful, wide and long parkway, which stretches east and west through the central part of the city. It was founded in the XVIII century and part of its buildings are the actual decoration of the city. In the nucleus of the city is Zhovtneva square, on which is the majestic Cathedral that was founded by order of Katherine II (Russian empress) in 1776. On the square there are some remarkable buildings: Historical Museum, Diorama "Battle for the Dnieper River (Second World War)", and also the beautiful park in which you can have a rest in the hot summer. Walking down the hill to the Dnieper River, you will arrive in the large Taras Shevchenko Park which is on the right bank of the river as well as on Monastyrskiy Island. This island is one of the most interesting places in the city. In the IX century the Byzantian monks based a monastery here. It was destroyed by Mongol-Tatars in the XIII century.
The compact "old town" does not exist in Dnepropetrovsk anymore. Many historic buildings and churches were destroyed in the Second World War and in Stalin's communist times in 1930s. (You can see pictures of the old city of 19th century Yekaterinoslav here). However all of Central Avenue, some street-blocks on the main hill (Nagornaya part), between Pushkin Prospect and Embankment, and sections near Globy and Shevchenko parks have been untouched for 150 years. An evening walk through those parts of the city is very pleasurable... The Dnieper River is a wonderful creation of nature that keeps the climate mild and the air fresh. You can see it from many points in Dnepropetrovsk. From any hill (there are 7 in the city) opens a beautiful view of the river, islands, parks, outskirts, river banks and hills.
There was no need to build huge skyscrapers in the city in Soviet times. Powerful industries preferred to construct offices close to their main factories out of the center of town. In the last ten years of independence the price of land in Ukraine has grown considerably. Any new office buildings are being built in the same architectural style as the old buildings...
Shopping
The Karl Marx prospect is the main trade artery of the city. Plenty of shops and cafes of different sizes and for different income. The abundance of trade points can be observed also in several streets and squares contiguous to the Karl Marx prospect in area the of Central Department Store (TSUM) -biggest market place in the city. To buy souvenirs, the best site is Exhibition on the boulevard near the TSUM. Large supermarkets are located far from the central part of the city mostly in residential areas.
Rest and holidays
The Globy Central Park, Shevchenko Park, embankment, river beaches and islands are the favorite places of most of the townspeople. During the summer there are a great number of cafes along the wide Dnieper River (1 km. width approx.) on main streets and in the parks.
Theatres
City Opera and Ballet Theatre, Russian and Ukrainian Drama theatres, some Youth theatres and Circus waiting for you all year round.
Museums and exhibitions
Some museums and exhibition halls are always open for you.The largest and most popular is the Historical Museum named for Dmitry Yavornitsky. The Museum of Art has quite a good collection of pictures of different styles and epoch.
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