FROM THE CAPITAL TO THE CAPITAL. KHARKOV
I would like to speak about the first capital in superlatives. The largest station, the most unusual church, the oldest fire station, the largest square. In general, this list can be continued for a very long time. But what is there to say. As the saying goes, it's better to see once than hear a hundred times. Gotta go!
Oh dear. . .
To get from Kyiv to Kharkov is not a problem. All modes of transport to choose from. Except water. Geography has already let us down here. Formally, the fastest way is by plane. However, if you take into account the time to get to and from the airport, check-in and other small things, the gain will be very small. The train express in this sense looks preferable. An ordinary train is convenient for those who want to save a little. Come in the morning, do your business, come back in the evening. For travelers, the bus is more convenient. One of the best roads allows you to enjoy the trip. As far as it is possible in our country.
But how to find the right flight? Go to the ticket office of the bus station? Long, uncomfortable and a big waste of time. Moreover, flights depart from several points. Saves His Majesty the Internet. You can go to the website of a particular bus station or bus station and see the schedule. And then buy a ticket. But, in Kyiv there are about a dozen bus stations and bus stations. And sorting through them is a rather tedious task. In this situation, ticket aggregators will help.
Despite such a tricky name, everything is quite simple. One site contains offers from several stations and bus stations at once. The amount depends on the level of this same collector. Moreover, most do not have direct access to the sale of tickets. That is, they are intermediaries of intermediaries. Accordingly, lower reliability and higher price. There are very few who sell directly. Firstly, the old site http://bus. com. ua/ and the new one https://inbus. ua/.
The site https://inbus. ua/ has clear advantages. Features an advanced filter. That is, unreliable bus services remain behind the scenes. But, the main thing is reliability. After all, the company owner of the CoDrive website is a software developer for Ukrainian bus stations. And only CoDrive is provided with exclusive conditions from partner bus stations. As a result, bus tickets are sold with a guarantee of seat availability and boarding the bus. You can also buy tickets at the terminals. As they say, everything is for the convenience of passengers.
But the choice of a carrier company is a kind of lottery. There is a feeling that many owners have turned on the maximum savings mode. And often you need to pray to your gods so that this, so to speak, transport simply does not crumble along the way. But, as in this particular case, there are happy exceptions.
What's in your name
Seven and a half hours on the road allow you not only to have a good rest, but also to get acquainted with the history of the destination. Moreover, the presence of free or, rather, included in the ticket price, the Internet on the bus simply forces you to take action.
According to the official version, Kharkiv was founded in 1630. But, with a very original caveat. Solely based on written Russian official sources. Namely, a complaint about the devastation of Belgorod church lands by Kharkov Cherkasy.
So at the same time we get information about the inhabitants of that time. That is, one of the peoples of the Golden Horde, who massively migrated from the Caucasus Mountains to the region of the middle Dnieper. And subsequently seized the surrounding lands.
The Russian historian V. N. Tatishchev wrote about them interestingly: complaints by the Tatar governor were transferred to the Dnieper, and the city of Cherkasy was built. Then, having seen the Polish dissolute rule, they turned the whole of Little Russia into Cossacks, having elected a hetman or an Ottoman, they all called themselves Circassians. By the way, “Cossack” in translation from Turkic means a robber, a vagabond, an adventurer, an exile.
There are at least a dozen versions about the name of the city itself. Most historians and local historians believe that Kharkiv got its name from the river of the same name on which it stands. True, then the question arises, where did she get it from?
The legend that came from the far East is much more interesting. According to the Bulgarian chronicles between 430 and 440 years the city was built by the legendary leader of the Huns Attila. And named in honor of his beloved sister Kharka. This name of her in translation means Swan. Isn't it very similar to the history of the emergence of Kyiv? Confirmation of this version can also be found in Persian sources. Where Kharkha, along with Kiyava and Chernig, are mentioned as the most famous and largest cities of Russia.
Another legend says that in the 11th - early 13th century, the legendary capital of the land of the Polovtsian Sharukan or in another way Harukan, named after the Polovtsian (Kypchak) Khan Sh (X) Arukan, was located on the site of present-day Kharkov.
And from the moment the fortress was built on the site of the ancient Russian settlement in 1630, one can say the modern period of the history of Kharkov begins.
Have you been to Podil?
The bus arrives at the bus station with the original name "Privokzalnaya". Which is located near the northern terminal of the Kharkiv Passenger Station or, in another way, the South Station. In turn, it is located in the valley of the Lopan River. The area is still called the Kharkov hem. Why is that? Because it's below. Previously, the main city was located at the top, on the mountain. Today, the differences are almost imperceptible, but the memory remains.
In addition to the bus station, there are two more points of departure and arrival of buses in the station area. It is interesting that two areas are allocated for transport, located on both sides of the main Privokzalnaya, mostly pedestrian. The buildings of the Directorate of the Southern Railways and the Postal Service Center, together with the station itself, form a single architectural ensemble. And in the center there are musical fountains, benches and summer cafes. A kind of waiting room in the fresh air.
Why Southern? Because it is located on the way from Moscow to the sea. In fact, the laying of the railway served as a powerful impetus for the development of the city. Not everyone knows that in the Soviet Union there were two cities from which it was possible to leave by train almost throughout the country. These are Moscow and Kharkov. The importance of the transport hub is evidenced by the number of stations. In addition to the South, there are six more.
As the railway developed, the building of this station was rebuilt, modernized and expanded several times. Or re-erected after the destruction during the war. The last one that has come down to our time was built in 1952 in the Stalinist Empire style. The facade is decorated with ten massive columns made of white Inkerman stone. They support a portico, on both sides of which there are two towers. There is a clock on the South. In 1978 - 1982, the south wing and high-rise of the Express Hotel (16 floors, 54 rooms) were added. Restoration was carried out in 2003. And today the station still shines with its splendor.
The volume of the station is 80 thousand m³ , the height of the hall is 26 m, the height of the towers is 42 m, the diameter of the clock on the South Tower is 4.25 m. The total area of the station premises is 32.6 thousand square meters, platforms and tunnels - 33.1 thousand sq. m. The station square occupies an area of .6. 0 thousand sq. m. The entire territory of the station is 4.8 hectares. This is the largest railway station in the country and one of the largest in Europe.
And in the largest hall, the largest operating samovar in the country is installed. Its volume is 360 liters, weight is more than 300 kilograms, height is almost two meters. It is designed for 1.8 thousand cups. Part of the tea pavilion "At the samovar". Simply put, a small cafe.
On the first platform you can see a bronze monument to the hero of the novel "The Twelve Chairs" Father Fyodor. A quote from his letter to his wife is engraved on a marble pedestal: "Kharkov is a noisy city, the center of the Ukrainian Republic. After the province, it seems as if you have gone abroad. " It's just that this masterpiece is very difficult to see. The platform is reliably protected by metal bars and powerful turnstiles. It remains to tearfully ask the guards to let curious tourists through.
But in the Museum of History and Railway Engineering of the Southern Railway, tourists are very welcome. It is located next to the northern terminal. This is the best such museum in the country. A building and an open area for equipment were built especially for it. The latter, it should be said, is very unusual.
A large area is completely paved with tiles. And it seems that the cars and locomotives are standing right on the paving stones. But, no, it turns out that the rails are simply recessed under the level of the paving stones surrounding them. It is very convenient for visitors. And the exposition looks very representative.
South Station is one of the dominant features of the Kharkiv hem. But not the only one. You don't have to go far. Raisins are found literally around the corner.
(Ending follows)
