Kherson Favorites

Favorite thing: Kherson is a nice green city at the south of Ukraine that situated on two banks of the Dniper river’s downstream.

Fondest memory: The city of the river- and the sea - ports, Kherson is connected with 42 countries of the world. The cargo ships & the passenger ships sail along the Dniper-river from Kherson to Kiev, the local water lines serve the thousands of passengers monthly, especially in summer.

Favorite thing: Kherson was founded in 1778 by the decree of Ekaterina II with the aim to defend the south part of the Russian empire. The city was built at the mouth of the Dniper-river and it had to be the base for the creation of the Black sea fleet. The city was named in the honor of the old Greek colony Chersonese.

Fondest memory: The legend says that the grand duke Potjomkin discovered the old gate with the Greek inscription: "From here you must go to Visantija". Many years ago they called Russia the Visantija’s successor & Moscow was called the Third Rome, while the Tsargrad (Konstantinopol) was the Second Rome. It is interesting to know that during the Russian – Turkey wars the idea to revival Visantija rose among the politicians, they called it "the Greek project". The aim of that project was to deliberate Balkan countries from Osmans, the creation of the new state "Visantija", which would submit to the Russian throne. Kherson was the part of that project. Ekaterina II had to crown her grandson Konstantin on the Visantija throne. But the death of Ekaterina’s II favorite Potjomkin destroyed the ambitious intentions.

Favorite thing: Kherson is famous for the Local Lore Museum (founded in the XIX-th century) and the Museum of Fine Arts with its rich collection of Russian and Ukrainian painting of the last three centuries.

Fondest memory: Now Kherson population - about 400.000 inhabitants.

Favorite thing: The town was founded by Catherine the Great in 1778 as the cradle of the Russian Black Sea Navy. The history of the city of the XVIII century is closely connected with the names of Alexander Suvorov, Fyodor Ushakov, John Howard, Gngory Potyemkin.

Fondest memory: Due to its geographical position (23 miles from the Black Sea) Kherson has sea, river, oil and cereal ports. The industrial image of the city is realized in shipbuilding, textile and agricultural machinery.

Favorite thing: Between May 18 and May 20, 1944, the Crimea's entire Tatar population was herded up by Stalin's security forces, after being accused by Stalinist propaganda of siding with the Nazis. They were crammed into cargo trains and sent to Central Asia. Thousands perished during the long trip in overcrowded railcars without adequate food and water. At the time of the deportation, the Tatars were Soviet citizens and the Crimea was part of the Russian Soviet Republic. When they started coming back they were caught in a legal limbo since the Crimea had in the meantime become part of the Ukraine.

Fondest memory: By now an estimated 90 percent of Tatar returnees have been granted Ukrainian nationality.

Favorite thing: Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Fondest memory: The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising agaist the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths. Although independence was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

Favorite thing: It is located in the southern part of Ukraine in the Steppe Region, in the basin of the lower reaches of the Dnipro. Four state museums and numerous preserves have been opened for tourists.

Fondest memory: The territory of present day Khersonska Oblast was inhabited more than 20,000 years ago. In ancient and medieval times the Scythians, Sarmatians, Pechenegs and Polovtsi roamed these steppes. The Gilea Lower Dnipro Sands are a sacred place of the Scythians, one of the myths about Hercules is connected with this region. Thousands of burial mounds are scattered throughout the Kherson steppes. Kherson Oblast is a land of Cossack glory. The ruins of Cossack Sich settlements and the grave of Kostia Hordienko, the last of their commanders, can be found in the village of Kamenska Sich.

Favorite thing: Religions in Kherson :
- Ukrainian Orthodox,
- Moscow Patriarchate,
- Ukrainian Orthodox
- Kiev Patriarchate,
- Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox,
- Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate),
- Protestant,
- Jewish