Zaporizhzhya

Introducing Zaporizhzhya

Zaporizhzhya (Beyond the Rapids) is a long streak of a city, concentrated along one endless street. At the north end lie the two main attractions: Khortytsya Island, the 16th-century base of the famous Zaporizhsky Cossacks, and Dniproges, a massive dam. The 40km stretch of difficult-to-navigate rapids in the Dnipro here, from which the city takes its name, was submerged in this dam in the 1930s and the resulting hydroelectricity was used to power massive industry.

Despite being not an especially charming destination, Zaporizhzhya’s Cossack links keep it firmly on the tourist map. And while it’s still a little grimy, the only upside of economic downturn and factory closures is that the air quality is much improved. (Really, it used to be worse.)

Last updated: Oct 3, 2008