Dnepropetrovsk

After I left Odessa, I headed east to Dnepropetrovsk, where my friend and fellow ASU Russian alumnus Derek lives with his wife Katya. Dnepropetrovsk is a city in eastern Ukraine. If you know anything about eastern Ukraine, you probably know that there are a lot of Russian speakers and factories. Both of these are quite accurate descriptions of Dnepropetrovsk. During the Soviet period, Dnepropetrovsk was a closed city, which meant that due to the strategic and military importance of its industries, it was closed to foreigners. I got a very thorough tour from Derek and Katya, which I'll attempt to reproduce for you through my pictures.

Dnepropetrovsk was originally named Yekaterinoslav in honor of Catherine the Great. The Bolsheviks put the kibosh on imperial names and renamed the city in 1926 after one of the most prominent Bolshevik revolutionaries from Ukraine, Grigory Petrovsky. Despite being an old Bolshevik, Petrovsky managed to avoid being purged in the Terror, and the city still bears his name.

Derek and Katya running to catch the tram to the industrial district.

We took the tram past the main factory district, which for some reason felt like a ride on the monorail though a dystopian Disneyland. I believe this factory makes pipes. I find industrial wastelands endlessly fascinating. It's like the ruins of ancient Rome.

The factory's Hall of Fame, with pictures of the very best workers. I wonder if we could get one of these in Mesa. Dad, get on it.

Keeping with our Soviet theme, this decaying building was at one time something of a workers' palace. Now it's falling down and nobody has the money to just tear it down. I wonder what's inside...

Lest you think it is all gloom and doom in Dnepro, there is a very nice island in the Dnepr River that was once called Komsomolskiy Island (after the communist youth league) and now is named Monastirskiy after the newly-built monastery. There is a even a nice sandy beach. Derek and I took a break from our tour to enjoy a cup of cold kvas (a fermented, carbonated beverage that tastes like liquid bread) on draft. Swimming is prohibited...so of course the beach is packed.

Playing chess in the park.

Derek lives in a part of town that used to be an independent village but was absorbed into the city as Dnepropetrovsk grew. I found the patchwork nature of the city quite charming.

No city in the former Soviet Union is complete without an odd circus building.

Me and my friends Винни Пух и Пятачок (Russian Winnie the Pooh and Piglet). Thanks, Dnepropetrovsk, for a great visit!