The first association with Dnipro is that it is an industrial city and also the center of our country’s space heritage. This is true, but there is another side to the city on the Dnipro River — beautiful parks, modern avenues and boulevards, and a great number of museums and theaters. It is a dynamic city that keeps up with the times. To understand it better, we recommend visiting the most interesting places.
TOP 7 Places Worth Visiting in Dnipro
1. Monastyrsky Island and Shevchenko Park
Monastyrsky Island is the historical heart of the city and its most mysterious and romantic landmark. There are legends about the island’s thousand-year history and powerful energy. The island can only be reached via the city’s only pedestrian bridge, which offers a stunning view of the Merefo-Khersonsky Bridge — a unique structure that was the first bridge in the world built of reinforced concrete. Moreover, it remains the largest arched bridge in Europe. At the foot of the monument stands the artificial waterfall “Revuchyi Rapid”, which was originally designed in connection with the grand monument to Taras Shevchenko located nearby. On Monastyrsky Island also stands the St. Nicholas Church, first built in 954 by Bishop Hryhorii with the help of monks and Samara fishermen in honor of Princess Olha’s salvation.
2. Transfiguration Cathedral
The Transfiguration Cathedral (Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Sobor) is the main temple of the Dnipro Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. On October 13, 1786, Catherine II officially approved the first general plan for the construction of Katerynoslav (the former name of Dnipro). The construction of the Transfiguration Cathedral began in 1787, but only after 48 years — in 1835 — was one of the most remarkable architectural monuments of the Russian Empire finally completed. The city center was designed on a large sloping hilltop near a bend of the Dnipro River. The architect envisioned a grand city square with the Transfiguration Cathedral and the main administrative and public buildings. The future cathedral was to become the architectural dominant of the new Katerynoslav. On the cathedral grounds lies the burial site of diocesan bishops and clergy.
3. Museum Complex
The Dnipro National Historical Museum named after Dmytro Iavornytskyi
In February 1849, in Katerynoslav, on the initiative of the director of the local gymnasium, Yakiv D. Hrakhov, and with the support of Governor Andrii Ya. Faber, the so-called Public Museum of the Katerynoslav Province was founded — the first museum in the region, which was located in the Potemkin Palace. The true revival of the Dnipro National Historical Museum took place in the 1970s–1980s. In 1975, the “Battle for the Dnipro” diorama was opened, and later new exhibitions were created along with two museums: “Literary Prydniprovya” and the Memorial House-Museum of Academician Dmytro Iavornytskyi, who served as the museum’s director for over 30 years since 1902.
Today, the museum’s collections hold 250,000 artifacts. Among them are archaeological monuments, relics of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, early printed books from the 16th–17th centuries, rare editions from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, religious collections, porcelain, clocks, furniture, weapons, and many other historical and cultural treasures. Зібрання нараховує більше 80 статуй. Колекція є найбільшою в Європі. Throughout its 150-year history, the museum has been and remains the only institution of its kind in the Dnipropetrovsk region — a center for preserving, studying, and promoting objects of national and global significance, as well as fostering historical awareness, national pride, respect for one’s history, and universal human values. Next to the museum is a unique collection of Polovtsian stone statues (babas), numbering over 80 figures — the largest such collection in Europe. These statues span a vast time period — from the 3rd millennium BC to the 13th century AD. The gem of the Dnipro collection is the Kernosivsky Idol, over 5,000 years old.
Diorama “Battle for the Dnipro”
In Dnipro, in 1975, a unique monument was opened to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Victory of the people in the Second World War of 1939–1945 — the Diorama “Battle for the Dnipro.” It is the largest diorama in Ukraine, the second largest in Europe (after the Belgorod diorama “Battle of Kursk”), and one of the largest in the world. This exhibition was created by masters of battle painting and represents a seamless canvas of 840 square meters, housed in a special building designed by architect V. A. Zuiev.
On the open square near the diorama building, on Soborna Square, there is a permanent outdoor exhibition of Soviet military equipment from the wartime period.
Museum “The Civil Feat of Dnipropetrovsk Region in the Events of the Anti-Terrorist Operation”
In January 2016, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Association of ATO Participants’ Organizations initiated the creation of a museum dedicated to the heroes of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). The main purpose of the exhibition is to honor Ukrainian soldiers who participated in the ATO in Eastern Ukraine, as well as volunteers and citizens who made a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities and who endured a sacrificial and heroic path in defending Ukrainian statehood. The core idea of the exhibition is: “To the fallen — remembrance! To the living — honor!”
4. Menorah Center
The Menorah Center, the largest multifunctional Jewish center in the world, opened its doors in 2012. This cultural and business center is a majestic building with seven towers, symbolizing the image of the temple menorah — the symbol of the State of Israel. The complex occupies an area of more than 50,000 square meters. In the evening, Menorah captivates with its amazing glow, as hundreds of lanterns light up on its roof. The walls of this enormous Jewish complex are clad with Jerusalem stone, which has no parallel. It was specially produced for the Menorah Center, after which the production of that particular line was dismantled. This stone cannot be replicated. The chief architect of the Menorah Center, A. Sorin, united the complex into a single synagogue, the “Golden Rose”, in the center of which is located the third largest memorial complex in the world — the museum “Memory of the Jewish People and the Holocaust in Ukraine”.
5. The Embankment
The embankment of the city of Dnipro is the longest embankment in Europe, stretching 23 kilometers. It consists of three consecutive sections: Zavodska, Sicheslavska, and Peremohy Embankment. In the times of Katerynoslav, the existence of the river itself could only be guessed; the entire area was filled with warehouses, cargo, and piles of trade timber, making the Dnipro invisible and used solely as a transport artery. The development of the embankment began in the 1950s. Walking along the embankment, you can see:
– The unique restaurant “Poplavok”
– Fountain “Sphere”
– Church of John the Baptist
– Swan Fountain
– “The Sphere of Wishes” and much more
6. One-Actor Theater “Kryk”
“Kryk” is a unique theater, the only one of its kind, where a single actor simultaneously serves as director, screenwriter, scenographer, artist, musical editor, makeup artist, and costume designer — all in one person. Mykhailo Vasylovych Melnyk, People’s Artist of Ukraine and laureate of many festivals, is the creator. All performances are incredibly emotionally intense, reaching through the audience. The same performances at “Kryk” have been staged for decades, and astonishingly, tickets are sold out a week in advance. The performances have no assigned seats — you simply arrive and sit in any free spot. For those who could not get a ticket but still want to attend, it is possible to queue an hour before the performance and sit on steps with a cushion.
7. Heroes’ Square
The square features the Alley of Heroes, which is the largest memorial complex in Ukraine dedicated to those who died during the Revolution of Dignity and to the heroes of the ATO. The memorial steles commemorate 503 heroes from the Dnipropetrovsk region who died fighting for the freedom and independence of Ukraine. In winter, a New Year electronic tree is installed in the square, accompanied by festive attractions and entertainment. The square also features an open-air rocket park, part of a museum complex dedicated to Ukraine’s contribution to the aerospace industry, opened in 2013. The exhibition includes life-size models of rockets produced over different years at the Southern Machine-Building Plant.
Since 2022, Dnipro City has been subjected to intense shelling by the Russian aggressor. Russian terrorist forces destroy civilian facilities, historical monuments, hospitals, schools, and kindergartens. But the city lives on…
Dnipro Tourist Information Center
Address: 1 Heroes of Maidan Square
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tic.dnipro/
e-mail: tic.dnipro@gmail.com
Phone: +380 67 602 60 90
