Hello, dear friends!

Today we are going to take a closer look at an amazing city - the capital of miner’s region, that is the center of the Donetsk region – Donetsk. The theme of our excursion is “Donetsk is the beginning of all routes”. My name is __________________. I am a representative of the Donetsk Institute of Tourist Business. The name of our driver is ________________, the mark of the bus is _____________, number____________.

Our excursion will last ______________hours. You will see the most prominent objects of the city. We’ll know about its past, present and future. The excursion will begin in Privokzalnaya square. There are only some sights of the city which we will see: the monument “Glory to Miner’s Labour”, the monument to “Your liberators, Donbass, ” the Donetsk Regional Museum, the Donetsk Academic Drama Theatre, the hotel complex “Victoria”, the five-star hotel “Donbass Palace”, the unique Park of forged figures, the shopping center “Donetsk-city”, the night-club “Chicago” and, of course, the sports complex “Olympiysky” and the stadium “Donbass Arena”.

The tour will come to the end in the Scherbakov Park of Culture and Recreation, which has been reconstructed recently, and its fountains have become the unique pearl of the city’s water necklace. Please do not stand up from your seats while driving, do not distract the driver, and ask me whenever necessary. We will leave the bus twice for visiting the most remarkable objects, and there will be on the way. You can buy souvenirs in the terminal of our route the Scherbakov Park, where the fan zone is situated. So, let’s start.

The Railway Station is the city’s gate and for Donetsk the railway is of great importance. The official date of the city foundation is 1869. At that time the Englishman John Hughes started to build “ironworks”, and the main products of the plant were rails for the railway. The building of the railway station is a monument of the architecture. It was constructed in 1951 according to the design of the architect I. Vorontsov. In 2003 the Museum of Donetsk Railway Development was opened here.

Donetsk arose and developed as an industrial city. The city is very young, it’s only 140 years. However, a lot of things have happened during that period. For example, the city’s name has been changed several times. The first city’s name was Yuzovka in the honor of John Hughes. Since 1924 it was called Stalino, in honor of strong metal, but not in the honor of the leader of ‘all times and nations’, as many people may think. And only in 1961 the city began to be called as Donetsk - in the honour of Donbass, the Donetsk coal field.

At the end of the 19 century for the plant building and work on it people arrived there from many countries. The city of those times was named New America or the New World. Today our city is characterized by huge variety of nationalities and nations of its one million population. The big variety of religious constructions is connected with this. In the city Orthodox temples prevail. We will see some of them. There is a synagogue, a mosque. Through the left windows of the bus after it passes under the railway bridge, you will see St Joseph’s Catholic church, and through the right windows - a Protestant temple.

Donetsk is beholden to the metal for its appearance; much is owed to mineral carbon for its development. Since the 1950s, when the mines, demolished during the occupation, were restored and new ones were built, it was the coal industry that formed the economy of the city and area. Waste banks are the integral part of the city landscape, which makes its special colouring. A ‘miner’ image has become the visit card of the city bringing coal to people. It is incarnated in the monument “Glory to miner’s labour” which you see in Shakhtyorskaya square. The monument was erected in 1967 on the project of the sculptor K. Rakityanskiy and the architect P. Vigdergauz.

By the way do you know, where the coal comes from? For many centuries from the coast of the Severskiy Donets to Priazovye the territory of present Donbass tropical woods extended. Died off plants falling in to the water were silted up and then turned into a thick layer of bottom sediment. During the orogeny epoch coal layers appeared under pressure from the vegetative rests. Later they became the main riches of the Donetsk region. The coal is a means of industry subsistence.

Totally there are more than 30 examples of monumental art, including the monuments to J. Hughes, the founder of the city, to writers T. Shevchenko, M. Gorkiy, A. Pushkin, our compatriots S. Bubka, A. Solovjanenko. You will surprise nobody by the monuments erected in the honour of the Great Patriotic War and V. Lenin, but there are also some, which you can find nowhere else, for example “Farewell to illness” which is a sculpture of a man breaking his crutches; the monument to hryvna, not to the Ukrainian currency (although there is such a monument in front of one bank), but to that, what our ancestors Scythians carried on a neck as a decoration.

The ensemble of Shakhtyorskaya square, as well as the one of the whole city, was formed in the 1960s. More than forty years have passed since then, and it is still changing now. The first example of the 21 century architecture is to the right of us. It is both business and shopping centre «Donetsk City». The Total area of premises of a complex is 40000 square metres. There is a big variety of shops, a supermarket " Varus", the Italian restaurant, some cafes, a bowling-centre, a slot machine arcade and, to be sure, a cinema " Multiplex" in four halls of which novelties of a film production are shown. Every hall is noted for a unique dé cor; they are different in level of comfort and their ticket price is also different. In the city it is also possible to watch any film in the cinema " Zvezdochka", the cinema named after T. Shevchenko, shopping centre " Zolotoye koltso", etc.

In Cheluskintsev Street the Donetsk regional museum of local lore, the Exhibition centre «Expo Donbass», the Palace of youth " Yunost", the monument to I. Kobzon and the stadium " Donbass-arena" are waiting on us.

The Donetsk regional museum of local lore was established in 1924. The museum exposition consists of four departments «Nature of Donbass», «History of Donetsk steppes development», «the Soviet period», «Modern Donbass» and theme exhibitions are constantly held in its halls. There is also a regional art museum in Donetsk, with picture collections of outstanding masters Ayvazovskiy, Shishkin, Kuindgy, etc.

The first stop will be for detailed familiarization of our main attraction, the stadium " Donbass arena", but in the beginning we will pay attention to the exhibition centre " Expo Donbass", it was constructed in the 1980s and represents the typical sample of architecture of that time " from glass and concrete".

In front of the exhibition centre there is a copy of Mertsalov’s palm tree in the glass case. The original of this palm tree in the end of the 19 century was forged by a talented smith, the worker of John Hughes’ factory Alexey Mertsalov. He molded a palm tree exactly replicating lines of a live plant from a one-piece rail. At that time welding had not been invented yet and the Palm tree received a Grand Prix, that is the first award at the International technical exhibition in Paris, several years before the same prize in the same place was received for the world known Eiffel Tower. Then the Palm tree was transported to Saint Petersburg - the capital of the Russian empire. In one hundred years already the Donetsk master S. Kasparuk molded a copy of the Palm tree which you see here. Alexey Mertsalov’s skill embodies a spirit of the Donetsk land and that is why the palm tree image was placed on the arms of Donetsk region. The motto " possibility is proved by business" characterizes the inhabitants of Donetsk as creative, original and hardworking people.

The monument to our countryman, the crooner Joseph Kobzon, is located near Mertsalov’s Palm tree at the Palace of youth «Yunost». The monument is the work of Russian sculptor A. Rukavishnikov and it was established in 2001, when Joseph Davydovich headed the fund «Zolotoy Skiff». Kobzon is represented in such a way that you have an impression he goes to a football match.

Football… For Donetsk it is the king of sports… And its history in the city begins with the rise of Yuzovka. It is universally recognized, that the native land of football is England. The businessman Hughes and his experts were Englishmen. Later local residents were involved in this game too.

In Yuzovka till 1917 there were some teams, and the combined team of city repeatedly played against teams of Rostov, Moscow, Kiev, Kharkov and Saint-Petersburg. The new turn of Donetsk football history began in 1936, when our region team «Stakhanovets» was created from the best football players. During the first season the representatives of the miner's capital proved to be a strong team.

After the war «Stakhanovets» became «Shakhter», received its traditional Guards orange-black colors and turned to the true guards of football. Now it is impossible to imagine Donetsk without the soccer team of European class, the owner of numerous cups of the USSR and Ukraine, the winner and the prizewinner of the national football championships.

Two orange strips between three black ones are colors of the Guards ribbon. Since Peter the First’s time it was received by the best military units, which showed their worth in the heat of battles. Then already, during Soviet time, the representatives of a peace trade – miners received these colors too. It's not for nothing that they were called «Labour Guards».

In days of the Soviet Union our club was the owner of the Cup of the USSR in 1961, 1962, 1980.

Since 1996 at first there begins a cup, and then «golden» era of «Shakhter». The Donetsk club has very devoted fans, envied by any club. Donetsk is assured the most important, greatest and brightest victories of «Shakhter» are still ahead.

We are in unique Football square, to the left there is the sports complex “Olympiysky”, and to the right – a new stadium «Donbass Arena».

The construction of the stadium «Locomotive», now «Olympiysky», began in 1955, and came completely to the end in 1970; it was calculated on 42 thousand seats. Since 1997 the stadium «Locomotive» has been reconstructed. The western tribunes were built, the football ground was reconstructed. Budget cost of reconstruction was estimated in 31 million hryvnas.

The last reconstruction ended in 2003. The stadium was renamed «Olympiysky». Presently the capacity of the stadium is 34 sectors, 25, 093 seats.

The new stadium has appeared in the city thanks to the football club. Intended for 50, 000 spectators, Donbass Arena is the first stadium in Eastern Europe designed and built according to the Elite-Class UEFA standards (5-Star Standard) with unprecedented security measures and the broadest hospitality. Project cost is 25 million dollars. 30 million more was allocated for creation of the park round the stadium. The construction was launched in 2004.The general contractor was a Turkish company ENKA Construction& Industry Co. The Stadium was completed and opened in 2009.

Donbass Arena was designed by ArupSport Company, which built the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester, England); Allianz Stadium (Munich, Germany); Montjuik (Barcelona, Spain); and Sydney Football Stadium (Sydney, Australia). An exceptional engineering solution – the soaring roof effect – makes the Stadium resemble an UFO. The oval shape and the glazed facade ensure a memorable outlook. The Stadium is located near RSC “Olympiysky” (Regional Sports Complex) creating an elegant architectural ensemble. The roof of the Stadium slopes from the north to the south matching the landscape and contributing to the natural lighting and airing of the pitch. The external lighting makes the Stadium shine like a diamond at night.

Donbass Arena hosts three restaurants, four bars for owners of season-cards, a lounge-bar, dozens of fast foods, sales outlets, the separate wing is taken for the fitness centre. A fan-café, a museum and FC Shakhtar brand shop are also located here. Corporate customers of Donbass Arena enjoy the opportunity to rent a corporate suite. On non-match days, the Stadium’s hospitality rooms are available for corporate events: meetings, presentations, press conferences and official receptions. Donbass Arena may host international conferences and exhibitions. Round stadium it is possible to park more than 3 thousand cars. " Donbass-arena" leads a sanguineous life every day.

The interior design accommodates all fans in a single bowl rather than in four separate stands. The first row of seats is located very close to the field, that creates excellent visibility. There are also 170 seats for disabled people and their escorts. The stadium features tours. The general concept of trips is as follows: introduction to the unique characteristics and features of the Arena, visiting premises where there are football players, the Museum of FC «Shakhtar» and finally - a visit to the club shop for corporate gifts. In addition to football matches different concerts and shows are held at the stadium. The equipment of the arena and acoustic system allows to receive not only Ukrainian artists but also foreign pop stars.

The events occurring on the field, are simultaneously broadcasted on 2 LED screens, the square of each is 100 m2. This is one of the largest in Europe.

And now a few words about the park around the stadium «Donbass-Arena».

The scope of work in the park is 24 hectares adjacent to the stadium area and 35 hectares of the city park area. Design project includes flower gardens, lawns, playgrounds, the location of trees and shrubs. A lot of trees brought from the best kennels of Europe are planted in the yard. Also, the design implies the existence of the fountains in the area of the pond, which is specially enlarged, and edit the coastlines, as well as the cascade of fountains on the western side of the stadium on Cheluskintsev street, where previously the main entrance to the park has been located.

Now I suggest your looking on the right. Now we are at a sort of upland that is why we have a unique opportunity to examine the outside of the entire hotel complex «Victoria».

An enterprise with foreign investments «Victoria» began its work in 2001. The hotel complex «Victoria» is composed of the hotel VICTORIA ****, a construction site as five-star hotel, grounds and infrastructure. The complex is located in the center of Donetsk, built near the stadium «Donbass Arena». The construction of the hotel complex «Victoria» Donetsk commenced in June 2001 and on the 28^th of August in 2003 it opened its doors to the first visitors. Multifunctional Complex combines a large variety of entertainment, recreational and sporting facilities. Among them: the hotel with comfortable rooms, fitness and tennis clubs, entertainment center, health and aesthetic Spa-center, restaurant «Victoria», as well as a network of bars and cafes. Rooms base VICTORIA **** – 38 rooms.

To the left of the hotel, in front of us there are covered tennis courts. At the place where we are standing now, there are some welcoming summer cafes in which it is so pleasant to meet friends after your everyday routine.

There is also a bowling centre in the building of the complex. Besides, you can take the opportunity of relaxing in the Turkish sauna Haman in the recreation centre.

Over the complex the memorial to the " Liberators of the Donbass" raises which was built in 1984. The complex represents the figures of the miner and the soldier with the banner in the form of a five-pointed star. The authors of the monument are the artist Porozhnjuk, architects Ksenevich and Kishkan, the sculptor Baldin, the engineer Rajgorodetsky.

Nearby you can enjoy Children's railway with the length of 2.1 km, which was opened in 1972.

Now we'll come back to the bus to continue our excursion. Along the Mira Avenue we are approaching the central street of the city. It's called Artem Street. And in front of us there is a monument to Artem. The six-meter bronze figure on a high granite pedestal personifies the prominent revolutionary Fedor Andreevich Sergeev. Sergeev was the Bolsheviks’ party member, in the revolution of 1917 he headed the revolutionary committee of the city Yuzovka. Sergeev was known under a secret pseudonym Artem, which he will always bear. One of the oldest cities of the Donetsk region the city Artemovsk was named after Artem. The monument was constructed in 1967 to the 50-anniversary of the Soviet state. The authors of the project are the sculptor V. Kostin, architects N. Jakovlev, N. Poddubny. The monument is situated on the borderline of Voroshilovsky and Kievsky region.

In general in Donetsk there are 9 regions, 7 of them bear the names of revolutionary figures: Budenovsky, Voroshilovsky, Kirovsky, Kalininsky, Kuibyshevsky, Leninsky, Petrovsky. Kievsky and Proletarian are neutral.

Here we are leaving the bus to admire a unique Park of forged figures located in the square near the building of Donetsk City Council. Here the masterpieces of forged art are displayed with no analogues anywhere in the world: the Arbour enamoured, the Bouquet of masters, Avenue of arches. Only here it is possible to ride a unique swing, to stand under the shod umbrella to see as time flows, to touch a horseshoe in the human-height size. It is possible to stand and think of a wish to your sign of the zodiac on the Avenue of Zodiac Signs or to help to find the money to purchase a samovar for the Mukha-Zokotukha.

The traditions of blacksmith's craft in Donetsk, as you remember, are deeply rooted. Official delegations of our city usually give the Mertsalov’s Palm Tree copies as a present to the representatives of twin cities. In response, the city of Bochum (Germany) presented a bell of a royal size, and Moscow – a copy of the " Tsar-cannon" (Tsar Pushka). There is such a custom: to throw coins in the crater of this four-ton giant to have money in the pocket every time you wish.

The original of this Cannon is situated in the Kremlin. It was created in the 17^th century and it was named " Tsar-cannon" because of its great size. The object reaches 4 meters long and weights several tons. The Tsar-cannon and the Tsar Bell have never been used for utility purposes. According to the laws of ballistics (the science about the gunnery rules) if the cannon had been ever loaded, it would have simply exploded. At the memorial board one can find the following information: where, when and by whom it was made. On the gun-carriage you can see a lion with an open mouth. There is such a legend: if the man is honest and has never lied, he can put his hand in the mouth of the lion safely, but if he is a cheater and is in habit of telling lies, the mouth will shut and bite the hand off.

The neighbor of the Cannon is the bronze bell, which was given to Donetsk by the citizens of Bochum (Germany). The bell was erected in 1997. At the side of the bell you can see two boards with following texts:

the first one says: “The joint-stock company Krupp Hoesch Stahl. The professional training department in Bochum”;

the second one: “The gift of the citizens of Bochum in honour of the tenth anniversary of partnership between Bochum and Donetsk. It was presented by Bochum ober-burgomaster Ernst Otto Stü ber on the 31 of august 1997.”

Behind the building of the City Council in the open air the Park of forged figures is situated, which we are going to visit now. The followers of Aleksey Mertsalov in 2001 created the Park of forged figures. Every year in the park the competitions take place, during which the smiths from all over the country in everybody’s presence create their masterpieces. These works of art are placed in the park. The first forged figure was a bunch of roses as a symbol of Donetsk. Among the first the sculptures “Inspiration”, “Time” and “The forged scales” appeared, there are swings for kids. The walls of the lovers pergola are decorated with forged flowers, each of them being a unique one and made by smiths from different regions of Ukraine. There are no benches in the pergola. The creators of the project believed that lovers should not wait for each other. On the top of the pergola, there is a small Cupid. He waits for new victims of love. So, lovers, don’t be late! From the two opposite sides of the pergola there are two clocks for the passers-by from both sides to see the time. One more wonderful part of the park is the Signs of the Zodiac Alley. Each of the zodiac signs has been made in its own manner. And now all of you can find your own sign and take a picture with it.

At the moment we are on the territory of the campus. Here we can see the oldest higher educational establishment of the city, which is over 80 years old, Donetsk National Technical University. It was founded in 1921 as a technical college. Nikita Khrushchev, Anatoliy Solovyanenko and many other famous people studied at the university. Apart from the university there are other universities in Donetsk such as Donetsk National University, Donetsk Medical University, Donetsk State University of economy and trade named after Tugan-Baranovskiy, Donetsk State University of management. All in all there are about 40 higher educational establishments the city and we have the right to call it a youth centre.

Donetsk Institute of Tourist Business is the first higher educational establishment in Eastern Ukraine, which trains specialists for the sphere of tourism. It was founded in 1992. It has the 4-th level of accreditation that is it trains both bachelors and masters. The president of the institute is A.V. Kuzmenko.

The institute has a very good base for training specialists. 80 per cent of its lecturers have scientific degrees and titles. The institute has 5 computer classes and a library. The main emphasis is made on the study of economic sciences, foreign languages and computer technologies. The students of the institute win prize places in subject Olympiads, contests and competitions.

During their studies at the institute the students not only master the theory but also consolidate their knowledge in practice. They have 6 types of practice, including the practice abroad. The department of relations with enterprises helps to find a job for graduates and probation places for students.

In addition to studies, student life includes rest and entertainment such as Miss and Mister DITB contest, parties in night clubs, walking tours, excursions and so on. The institute is situated in Universitetskaya Street.

Near the building of Donetsk National Technical University there is a monument to the founder of the city John James Hughes. As you can see, the monument has no pedestal. J.J. Hughes is represented in overalls with a hammer in his hand. The monument was set up in 2001. The author of the monument is A.M. Skorykh. And now we get on the bus again and continue our tour.

In front of us we can see the Holy Transfigurational Cathedral, which is an exact replica of the cathedral of the old Yuzovka. It was situated in the district of the modern Central Department Store and it was exploded in1929. With the aim to revive spirituality in Ukraine a decision was adopted to restore the cathedral in accordance with the old technical drawings, which was done in the late 1990-s. Metropolitan of Donetsk and Mariupol has his platform in the cathedral. In front of the cathedral we can see the statue of archangel Mikhail. It is a present from Kiev. Some time ago it was situated in Independence square in Kiev. Opposite the cathedral there is the Ukraine Hotel. On the right you can see secondary school №2, which is one of the oldest schools in the city.

The monument to T.G. Shevchenko is situated on the crossroads of two boulevards Shevchenko boulevard and Pushkin boulevard, which symbolizes the relationship of two languages and two countries. The monument represents the poet’s statue on the high cylindrical pedestal, on the top of which there is a bas-relief with the characters of the poet’s works. It was set up in 1955. The sculptor of the monument is M.K. Voronskiy, the architects are A.P. Oleynik and V.A. Sharapenko. Behind the monument there is the building of the Donetsk regional state administration. Between the monument and the building one can see forged stands with the world philosophers’ sayings.

On the right you can see the regional scientific library named after N.K. Krupskaya. As it is known, she was Lenin’s wife. Originally the project of the library belonged to the architect Gamza. It was in 1926. After the construction had been started it turned out that they did not have enough money to finish it. The working people of the city wrote a letter to N.K. Krupskaya, asking her to help them finish the construction. In 1937 the library was officially opened, but its construction had not been finished. Before the fascist occupation the library had not been evacuated that is why one part of the books was covered with water, another part was stolen. During the liberation the building of the library was destroyed because a bomb had hit it and it had been caught with fire. After the city had been liberated from the fascist Germans the activists began gathering the books from the houses and they restored the book fund which now exceeds 2 mln. books The building was completely renewed in 1950-s according to architect N.I. Porkhunov’s project. The building has a perimeter planning. The entrance is at the corner of the building and it is decorated with a portal with columns of a bit simplified Corinthian order. There is a dome above the portal.

We are now in Teatralnaya square and in front of you there is a so-called skiff corner. As you can see there is a replica of the gold pectoral, a replica of the skiff helmet and a figure of the skiff warrior. (The helmet was found during excavations of the skiff burial mound near Shakhtyorsk). On the helmet you can see two old men and four young men fighting with each other. This is an illustration to the myth which said that after the skiffs return from the Asian marches they were met with hostility by the descendants of their wives and slaves who had stayed at home. The helmet was made to the order of a rich skiff from Greece. Now it is kept in the museum of our capital.

Stone images were left to us by polovetses. In Turkic languages the stone image is pronounced as ‘baba’ and means a ‘strong, respected, hero-warrior’. Our ancestries had a custom to place stone figures of the deceased upland. They were considered idols, they were brought gifts and asked for protection. There are a lot of stone images in the museums of our region. They can also be seen in the preserves “Khomutovska Steppe” and Velykoanadol Forest.

There are five monuments in Teatralnaya Square: three architecture monuments, a monument of monumental art and a history monument.

Now you can see a monument to a prominent Ukrainian tenor Anatoliy Borisovich Solovyanenko. Solovyanenko was a student of Donetsk National Technical University, and later taught mathematics there. Only at quite a mature age (of about 30) he became an opera singer, sang his first parts inopera houses. In Italy he was awarded the order “Gold Star”, which is particularly honorable, as Italy is considered motherland of opera singing and many of world famous singers are Italians. The best Solovyanenko's role was the one of Duke of Mantuan from Giuseppe Verdi's opera " Rigoletto". No one has ever performed the part better than he did. That's why Solovyanenko was called “Duke of Mines”. He was engraved in this image by the sculptor A. Skoryh and the architect V. Vyazovskiy. The monument was established 31^st May, 2002. Thanks to Solovyanenko's deserts, Donetsk State Academic Russian Opera and Ballet Theatre, which we can see right in front of us, was named after him.

Donetsk State Academic Russian Opera and Ballet Theatre named after A.B. Solovyanenko was founded in 1932. During its long years of creative activity the company of the Theatre was highly praisedboth in Ukraine and abroad. Since 1989 opera and ballet troupes of the Theatre have been making successful tours to America, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Norway, Russia and other countries of the world.

The first season of the Theatre was opened with opera “Knyaz Igor” by A. Borodin, 1^st September, 1932, Lugansk. Nine years later the Theatre was transferred to Stalino by the decision of Ukrainian Soviet Government. The Theatre opened its first theatrical season in the new building with opera “Ivan Susanin” by M. Glinka already in April 1941. In the time of occupation some attempts to recover the activity of the Theatre were undertaken, the so-called “front opera” functioned. Vast concert activity was conducted in different units of the Army, military hospitals, among working people.

During liberation the banner in honor of the liberation of the city was set on this particular building, 7^th September, 1943.Nowadays this date is considered the Day of Liberation of Donbass.

The building itself is an architecture monument, just as the Library named after Krupskaya. The author of the project L. Kotovskiy used the same architectural techniques: the portal is decorated by a colonnade of the Corinthian order.

Talking about the Theatre one cannot but mention two wonderful ballet-dancers – Vadim Pisarev and Inna Dorofeeva.

People's Artist of Ukraine V. Pisarev is one of organizers and the supervisor of the International Festival “Stars of World Ballet” taking place in Donetsk. I. Dorofeeva is V. Pisarev's partner. She danced ballet parts on tours to the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Russia and other countries. In 1997 she was awarded the title of a People's Artist of Ukraine.

Opposite the Theatre there is another architecture monument of a similar style. It is a building of the Cinema-house named after T.G. Shevchenko, that was build in 1939 by the project of architect L.I. Teplitskiy. In the time of its construction it was the biggest two-hall cinema in Ukraine. The foyer was decorated with mosaic, and in the center there was established a monument to the Great Kobzar, on the pedestal of which the following words of “Zapovit” (“The Testament”) can be seen:

And in the great new family,

The family of the free,

With softly spoken, kindly word

Remember also me...

The Cinema was reconstructed several times. Today it is fitted with the most up-to-date equipment; also casino “The Third Rome”, night club “Chicago”, “Bikers' Bar” and many shops are situated in the building of the Cinema. Besides “Chicago”, such night clubs “NLO” (UFO), “Virus”, “Garage”, “Red Line” are very popular too.

Near the Cinema you can see another monument of architecture – the building of the scientific research institute Dongiproshakht (Donetsk State Institute of Mines Projecting).The institute was built in 1952 by the project of the architect Navrotskiy. A lot of mines, including the one named after Zasyadko were built by his projects.

To the right you can see a monument to colonel F.A. Grinkevich. Colonel Franz Andreevich Grinkevich, commander of a tank brigade, took part in liberation of Donbass. In 1943 he was fatally wounded. He was buried with military honors in the city he liberated – on this very spot. In the same year a battle-cruiser tank T-34 (contemporary) was established on his grave. The monument to F. Grinkevich was reconstructed in 1964. The grave is situated in the prewar center of the city. The original tank of F. Grinkevich is near the Museum of Regional Studies. There you can find other samples of military techniques.

The monument to general-lieutenant K.A. Gurov, which is another remarkable sight, is situated nearby. A willow, with its plait-like long twigs, leaned over the monument. It resembles those trees, grown in his home village that he left in 1919 at the age of 18, and became a volunteer-soldier of the Red Army. He started his military service as an ordinary cavalryman and during the period of twenty years he became a general-lieutenant. Stalingrad, battles near the Don-river, Donbass - are the main landmarks of his front-life during the period of the Great Patriotic war. Difficulties of a war conditions told on his health. He had got heart problems. As a result, his heart couldn’t bear hard tension. It happened on 15 September, 1943, in the village of Gusarki, Zaporozhye region, where there was a South-front headquarters. The general’s body was delivered to the town, which was liberated by him some days ago. K.A. Gurov was buried in the public garden near the Opera and Ballet Theatre. The monument bust to Kuzma Akimovich Gurov was constructed in 1954 on the project of the sculptors A. Belostotskiy and E. Fridman and the architect N. Ivanchenko.

The legendary 5-star Hotel “Donbass Palace”, which is a part of an architectural heritage of the Donetsk area, is before you. The building was constructed in 1938. The original project was worked-out by the architects N. Rechanikov and A. Shuvalova, but later it was re-worked out by N. Porhunov. During the World War II, the hotel was destroyed partly and then it was reconstructed in 1947-1949 period, but it wasn’t given an initial form. The domical part wasn’t restored.

During the period 1996-1999 the hotel as well as the restaurant were not in the operation at all. A part of premises were rented as offices. But 62 years later the authorities of the football club “Shakhtar” suggested the idea of destroying the existing building and then reconstructing the hotel in accordance with the initial project, including the dome, and in such a way they returned the cultural heritage to Donetsk and built a 5-star hotel, that became a standard and a pearl of Ukraine. All facilities of the hotel are available for the residents of the city as well as for our guests.

There are more than 30 hotels in the city, such as “Atlas”, “Eva”. “John Hughes”, “Prague”, ”Liverpool” etc.

And now, dear friends, we are in the heart of the city of Donetsk – Lenin Square. The Square complex was formed in 1950s. It got its name after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) who was the leader of the Bolshevik Party in 1917; the revolution turned over the whole world and divided it into 2 camps: socialist and capitalist. The monument was constructed in 1967 to honour the 50 anniversary of the October revolution. Its authors are the sculptor E. Kuntsevich and architects V. Ivanchenko and N. Ivanchenko. It’s possible to dispute about the role of Lenin and his personality in history, but it isn’t our topic today.

Opposite the monument there is a monumental building of the “Mine Industry Ministry”. In the Soviet Union all Ministries were located in the capital, i.e. in Moscow, but Donetsk was an exception, the Mine Industry Ministry was in here, it witnessed that Donbass played an important role in the economy of the whole country. Now, offices of different companies are situated here.

Nearby the building of Voroshilovsky District Council, constructed in 1928, is situated. It was the largest administrative building in Donbass. In 1950s-1960s at the back side of it there was a rail-way branch. Air flights were not comfortable and safe enough at that time, that’s why the top-state and party authorities used this rail-way to get to the Stalinsky Regional Party Committee, which was housed in this building. On the left there is the Central Post-Office, which is coeval with the previous one. In the Square we can also see the Philharmonic Society named after S. Prokofiev.

Now we face the building of the Donetsk Academic Ukrainian Theatre of Musical Drama. This is a real Melpomena temple, representing deservedly a theatrical art to Donbass residents and our guests. It is attracted by splendour of its architectural forms, by comfort and the technique perfection of a modern building. The Theatre biography began in 1927, when in Kharkov (the capital of Ukraine at that time) the Workers’ theatre was founded, the basic cast of which was formed with the actors of a legendary theatre “Berezil”. Famous producers of Ukraine Vasiliy Vasilko and Alexander Zagarov were the creators of the theatre. In 1933 the theatre moved to Donbass, where there was no professional permanent Ukrainian theatre. In its present building the theatre works since February 4, 1961. In recent decade the theatre reached its highest upsurge. Its creative achievements are confirmed by production indices. For the first time in the history of Independent Ukrainian State, in August 2001, the Donetsk Regional Ukrainian Musical-Drama Theatre was awarded a status of Academic, for the significant achievements in the development of the Ukrainian theatre art. In 2004 season, a complete overhaul of the building of the Donetsk Academic Ukrainian Musical-Drama Theatre and its territory was completed without any hindrance to the creative activity of the theatre company. During the reconstruction a unique theatre complex with the main stage, furnished with modern technical equipment, two minor stages for creative experiments, a stage in the foyer and a summer site were created.

To the right of the theatre you can see the restaurant ‘The Golden Lion’. There is a great deal of cafes and restaurants which offer the dishes of Ukrainian, Georgian, Russian, Italian, Japanese and other world-famous cuisines. For instance, you can see an original restaurant on the roof of the building called ‘The Seventh Sky’ opposite ‘The Golden Lion’. In the ‘Yo-moyo’ restaurant you can enjoy the original interior and the most delicious dishes of Russian and Ukrainian cuisines simultaneously with the sailing on the river Kalmius. The cafe ‘The Corsair’ will be admired by the fans of marine romance for there is a real anchor at the entrance and guests are welcomed by a sailor wearing the uniform of the fleet under Peter the Great. The restaurant ‘The Tequila Boom’ offers spicy Mexican cuisine and tequila, of course. And if you are missing the Soviet Union or just curious to see what your grandfather admires so much, you are to visit the restaurant ‘Svinya’ (‘The Pig’). Restaurants ‘Millennium’, ‘Peter’, ‘Khinkali’, ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Gusi-Lebedi’ on Pushkin Boulevard make a real paradise for gourmets. You have quite a number of cafes to choose from let alone their prices and menus. ‘Three Tolstyaka’ and ‘Chelentano’ are reasonably priced.

The fountain is the centre of the square. It was created by a whole group of constructors, electronic engineers and programmers. They made a fountain complex which is considered by the leading experts in fountain equipment to be unique in Eastern Europe in terms of application of such modern equipment and advanced technologies. It is worth mentioning that the schemes of managing the fountain and the software have been designed by our engineers. The enterprises of our city participated in producing the major parts of the fountain. It is equipped with the newest hydraulic and lighting equipment and software. The three rings of the fountain form shapes and figures of the singing and dancing fountain. The fountain managing system comprises the central computer and 288 microprocessors, managing the performance of 78 ratio valves and the degree of illumination of 210 underwater projectors. The deliberately chosen repertoire includes wonderful works of Bach, Tchaikovsky, Straus and Beethoven. It also includes the melodies and songs of modern popular singers.

Going round the building of Donetsk Academic Drama Theatre we are heading to Pushkin Boulevard.

The monument to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in the form of a bust on a high pedestal of red marble was placed in 1969. It was made by the sculptor N. Ginsburg and the architect Y. Tomilo. In 1970 Donetsk was considered by UNESCO the greenest industrial city in the world. They used to plant lots of flowers in the public alleys, squares and boulevards of Donetsk to feast the eyes of its residents and the guests of the city from May till October. Roses were especially popular, 180 sorts of them were grown. They say that the total number of roses was carefully calculated so that each resident of the city could have a flower. Donetsk used to be called a city of a million of roses. There was a period when they reduced the number of flowers planted but today the city justifies its name, it is still comfortable, tidy and green. Pushkin Boulevard only proves this statement.

In the end of the boulevard there is a bronze figure of a man in a pilot’s overall on a granite pedestal. This is a monument to the stratonauts. This project of the sculptor Belostotsky and the architects Fridman, Pivovarov and Ivanchenko was put there in 1953. One of tragic episodes from the history of our aviation of 1930-s is connected with this place.

We are back to Artem Street. On the right you can see the building of Donetsk National Polytechnical University. Undoubtedly it is not easy for students of this university to walk from one building of it to another one through the centre of the city. Before we turn to Sadovy Avenue, please have a look at the unusual object to the right. It is a monument to the coal-mining combine.

On the left you can find one more architectural site. It is the building hosting Donetsk Regional Society of Child and Youth creativity. In the public garden behind it you can find the planetarium. This planetarium is the only one in Donbass. Moreover, it is one of 5 planetariums in Ukraine. Its building was constructed in 2008 and has no analogues.

On the left you can see the shopping and entertainment centre ‘Zolotoe Koltso’ (‘The Golden Ring’). It hosts numerous shops, fast-food outlets, the restaurant ‘Pod Kryshey’(‘Under the Roof’) and a cinema.

The Scherbakov Park is the final destination of our route. It was named after Alexander Sergeevich Scherbakov, the secretary of Donetsk regional party committee in 1936-1938. The decision to found a park was taken in 1931. The park is situated along the coastline of interconnected ponds. The second stage of the grand reconstruction of the Scherbakov central park of culture and rest has recently been finished. Quite dramatic changes can be found at the southern entrance to the park. It is the main entrance to the park. It was decorated with a metal gate. A large parking appeared on the left from it, the new original fountain was built behind the gate. Not far from it there is a rosarium which was recently planted with different sorts of flowers because of which Donetsk got the fame as the city of a million red roses. The festival «Donetsk Roses» and other flower exhibitions will take place here. By the way, now almost all city-wide cultural mass events will occur in the Scherbakov park, but not in the Lenin square as before.

Special attention of people in love is attracted by this fountain. Each Donetsk water construction attracts the city dwellers with its beauty, but most people like to have a walk in the Scherbakov park. The trick is that the fountain-prodigy was opened here. The water brainchild of Donetsk designers consists of two hundred lamps and about five hundred attachments for the distribution of squirts. All its six basins are made of marble and each of them has its own individual pattern of small fountains. In the evenings such a construction indulges the city dwellers with its «singing» and the illuminated squirts of water draw geometric figures in the air. After the reconstruction the park looks different. Another entrance to the Scherbakov park across the footbridge, is situated from the side of Universitetskaya street, and the northern one is situated from the side of the dam of the Second City Pond.

Donetsk has the largest botanical garden in Europe which belongs to the Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences and was founded in 1964 as a centre of research of fundamental and applied problems of Biology in the south-east of Ukraine. The area of the garden includes 270 hectare (the first place according to the area in Europe). About five thousand five hundred sorts of plants grow on its premises. There is the area of 1200 square metres under the glass. It helped to organize five greenhouses and imitate the conditions of tropics and subtropics. But this is a topic of other discussion.

Our walk came to its end. Thanks for your attention. Donetsk Institute of Tourist Business is waiting for new meetings with you!

Технологическая карта экскурсии «Донецк – начало всех маршрутов»

Тема экскурсии: «Донецк – начало всех маршрутов»

Вид экскурсии по содержанию обзорная

Вид экскурсии по способу передвижения автобусная с элементами пешеходной

Маршрут экскурсии: Железнодорожный вокзал – «Донбасс-Арена» – Парк кованых фигур –- Театральная площадь – площадь Ленина – парк им А. Щербакова

Продолжительность 130 мин, в т.ч. пешеходных участков 65 мин

Протяженность 11000 метров, в т.ч. пешеходных участков 2000 метров

Экскурсия разработана Донецким институтом туристического бизнеса

Дата разработки 24 апреля 2009 года

Путівник

Кузьменко Ганна Василівна

Голубнича Світлана Миколаївна

Коваленко Наталя Андріївна

Переклад з англійської Філатової О.В.