Dnipropetrovsk (Дніпропетровськ) is the country's third largest city with a population roughly 1,122,000. It was founded in 1787 by Prince Potyomkin on the site of the Zaporozhian village of Polovysia. Industrial development began with the laying of a railroad line in the 1870s linking the city with the industrial centers of the Donets Basin. Today it's the largest industrial city in Ukraine, with one of the largest metallurgical and machine-building centers in the country, as well as chemical and oil-refining complexes. It's also an important river port and rail center. Dnipropetrovsk is the birthplace of Oksana Baiul, the 1994 Olympic women's figure skating gold medalist. Scores of Ukraine's top politicians also call this city home, and because of their influence, it enjoys a good portion of the country's foreign investments. The money pouring in has turned Dnipropetrovsk into a boom town; an underground subway system opened in 1996; there are new tram lines; an upgraded phone system; a modernized airport and train station; and new hospitals. Despite its pollution, Dnipropetrovsk is a very attractive city. Overlooking the picturesque river Dnipro, it contains extensive expanses of parks and green areas. The city is bisected by the wide river, with its center on the right (west) bank. Shevchenko City Park lies below on the slopes of the riverbank. A footbridge and a skylift link the park to Komsomolskyy Island, a large recreation area in the Dnipro surrounded by white sandy beaches. The first recorded history of this island was in the ninth century when Greek monks established a cloister.

The city's main thoroughfare is the lively Avenue of Karl Marx, a beautiful wide street lined by acacia trees. At the east end of the avenue, the Yavornytsky Museum of History is worth a visit. Highlights are its archeological department with the largest collection in Europe of Polovtsian stone baba figures; its Kozak-era objects; and its "Battle for the Dnipro" diorama, depicting the 1943 battle of the armies of five Soviet fronts against the Nazi invaders. In a separate building are tapestries and paintings. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Monday and the last Friday of the month. Phone (562) 43-34-22 or (562) 46-05-12.

The Dnipropetrovsk Fine Arts Museum, at 21 Shevchenko Street, displays paintings of Russian and Dnipropetrovsk area artists as well as Petryvisky decorative paintings.

The city is dotted with architectural gems of the 19th and 20th centuries. Of church architecture, the Transfiguration (Spaso-Preobrazhensky) Cathedral is the most outstanding. The cornerstone was laid in 1787 by Catherine the Great of Russia who intended the cathedral to be larger than St. Peter's in Rome, but lack of funds resulted in a structure only one-sixth the size of the original plan. The church was designed in the Classical style by architect A. Zahkorov and built from 1830-35. Another noteworthy church is Holy Trinity (Sviatro-Troitsky) Cathedral, the central cathedral of the Dnipropetrovsk eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1855 by St. Petersburg architects Viskonti and Sharleman.

Cultural attractions include an opera and ballet theater; children and youth theater; puppet theater; T. Shevchenko Ukrainian Music and Drama theater; M.Gorky Russian Drama Theater; a philharmonic; an organ and chamber music hall; a circus; and a large fresh-water aquarium. Among the city's best hotels is Grand Hotel Ukraine at 2 Korolenko Street. Located in the city center, this 80-room hotel was built in 1904 in a Gothic style by architect P. Fetisov and recently was completely renovated to its former majesty. All rooms are air-conditioned and contain bath or shower, TV, telephone, and minibar. Amenities include meeting rooms, business facilities, swimming pool, and sauna. The restaurant serves French and Chinese food. Single rooms are $150 US per night; doubles start at $175 to about $300. Tel. (0562) 34-10-10; fax (0562) 34-02-00; e-mail admin@grand-hotel-ukraine.dp.ua.