Sumskaya Street

The Sumskaya Street (Sumy Street) emerged at the place where, in the 17th and 18th centuries, there was a road that connected the Kharkov fortress and the town of Sumy. When Kharkov became a province capital, the Sumskaya Street turned into its main thoroughfare.

Situated on the place of today's Victory Public Garden, before the revolution of 1917, was the stone Mironositskaya church (1783). The Victory Public Garden itself was founded in 1946. In 1947, a fountain called 'Mirror Stream' was built in the public garden according to design of the architect V.I.Korzh. The fountain came to be one of the popular places of interest in Kharkov.

In 1841, a stone building of the Drama Theatre was built (at 9, Sumskaya Street) according to the design of the architect A. A.Ton (nowadays, after repeated reconstruction, the theatre is called the Ukrainian Shevchenko Drama Theatre). Although its building has changed its architectural image many times during the previous 160 years, it has nevertheless preserved the recollection of the past, as the building has traits of Russian classicism, French renaissance, and even constructivism. Together with the Theatrical Public Garden and the building of State Bank, the Shevchenko Theatre gives a very specific architectural 'chord' to this part of the Sumskaya Street, while the 'finale' is provided by the Mirror Stream fountain, which has become a romantic symbol of Kharkov.

One of the most famous buildings of Kharkov is the rent-house of the Salamandra Insurance Company, which was built in 1914-1915 according to the design of the Petersburg architect N.N. Veryovkin. This was probably the first building fitted with lifts, rubbish chutes and other advanced (by the standards of the time) devices.

Across from the "Salamandra" building, one can still see the building that used to belong to the Mining Entrepreneurs Assembly of Southern Russia, which was a very influential industrial group early in the 20th century. Nowadays, the building belongs to the Radio Engineering College.

In 1803, on the initiative of the V.N. Karazin, the founder of the Kharkov University, the University Garden was established on the place originally occupied by a forest. The garden included a landscape (English) park, a botany garden and an observatory. In 1906, a monument dedicated to V.N. Karazin was erected in the centre on the garden. The University Garden, the oldest of Kharkov's parks, was later renamed Shevchenko Garden, as a monument dedicated to Shevchenko was erected here in 1935 (it was designed by the sculptor M.G.Maniser and the architect I.G. Langbard). This is one of the most beautiful parks in Kharkov and a traditional meeting point and place for rendezvous and promenades. On the territory of the garden, there is a Zoo (it was established in 1895). Not far from the Zoo, there is an astronomic observatory, which belongs to the University. Academician N.P. Barabashov used to work at the observatory. Situated in the Sumskaya Street is trie Kharkov Lysenko Opera and Ballet House which was built between 1970 and 1990 according to the design of a team of Kiev architects headed by S.M.Mirgorodskiy.

Located in the northern part of the street is the City's Gorkiy Culture and Recreation Park which was founded in 1895 and opened for visitors in 1907. This is the favourite place of recreation of the local inhabitants.