Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second largest city in Ukraine. Founded in 1654, Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Soviet power was proclaimed and Soviet government was formed. It used to be the capital of the country before the KIev. Now it is the administrative centre of the Kharkiv oblast (state). The city is located in the northeast of the country. As of 2006, its population is 1,461,300. Kharkiv is a major cultural, scientific, educational, transport and industrial centre of Ukraine, with 60 scientific Institutes, 30 establishments of higher education, 6 museums, 7 theatres and 80 libraries. Its industry specializes mostly in machinery. There are hundreds of industrial companies in the city. Among them are world famous giants like the Morozov Design Bureau and the Malyshev Tank Factory, leaders in tank production since the 1930s; Khartron (aerospace and nuclear electronics); and the Turboatom turbines producer. There is an underground rapid-transit system (metro) with about 35 km (22 mi) of track and 28 stations. A well-known landmark of Kharkiv is the Freedom Square (Maidan Svobody formerly known as Dzerzhinsky Square), which is currently the sixth largest city square in Europe, and the 12th largest square in the world.

Twin towns - Sister cities
Kharkiv is currently twinned with:
Moscow, Russia
St.Petersburg, Russia
Brno, Czech Republic (since 2008)
Donetsk, Ukraine
Bologna, Italy
Lille, France [34]
N?rnberg, Germany
Pozna?, Poland [35]
Cincinnati, United States
Tianjin, China
Bangalore, India
Varna, Bulgaria
Rize, Turkey


Speaking about music:Kharkiv sponsors the prestigious Hnat Khotkevych International Music Competition of Performers of Ukrainian Folk Instruments which takes place every 3 years. Since 1997 four tri-annual competitions have taken place. The 2010 competition was cancelled by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture 2 days before its opening[31].

Airtransport Kharkiv is served by an international airport which used to have about 200 flights a day, almost all of them being passenger flights. The Kharkiv International Airport was only recently granted international status. The airport itself is not large and is situated within the city boundaries, south from the city centre. Flights to Kiev and Moscow are scheduled daily. There are regular flights to Vienna and Istanbul, and several other destinations. Charter flights are also available. The former largest carrier of the Kharkiv Airport — Aeromost-Kharkiv — is not serving any regular destinations as of 2007. The Kharkiv North Airport is a factory airfield and was a major production facility for Antonov aircraft company.

Live web cameras of Kharkiv:

-Kharkiv web camera 1

-Kharkiv web camera 2

-Kharkiv web camera 3

-Kharkiv web camera 4