Vladimir Counted Laps

This misty and cold morning I ran about five miles through the cobblestone streets of Kharkiv, sticking mainly to the sprawling Ploshchad Svobody (Freedom Square). I also ran through several other main thoroughfares, where there are many statues, including a monumental image of Vladimir Lenin which dominates the center of Freedom Square.

I figure it was about a half mile lap around the huge square, and so my friend Vladimir helped me to count laps.

As far as I can tell, the other statues are of soldiers defending the city from the Nazis in World War II, and an equestrian statue of, I'm guessing, a Cossack founding father.

Kharkiv--Initial Thoughts

Two days a week I will be lecturing at the Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv (Харківський національний університет) located in northeast Ukraine. Kharhiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with a population of about 1.5 million people. It has a metro system, has been a major center of industry and manufacturing dating back to the early Soviet era and was actually the first Soviet capitol of Ukraine. Below is an aerial picture of the Maidan Svobody, or Freedom Square, where I will be staying one night a week in the Kharkiv Hotel, directly across the street from the University.

Historically, Kharkiv was founded in the 17th century by a cossack named Kharko, and it was the site of four major battles during World War II. Occupied by the German army for much of the war, Kharkiv was the site of a mass genocide of some 30,000 Jewish residents, who were murdered and buried in a mass grave in a ravine outside of the city called the Dobytsky Yar.

In addition to Freedom Square, I hope to see the Dormition Cathedral, the Intercession Cathedral and the Annunciation Cathedral.

I will be traveling to and from Kharkiv by train from Kyiv each week during my visit, accompanied by my teaching assistant, Tetiana Rogozianska. More about her later.