Dnipro

Geography and Location

Dnipro is located at the confluence of the Samara, Oril, and Mokra Sura rivers with the Dnipro River. The city serves as the administrative center of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and the Dnipro urban community. It is the fourth-largest city in Ukraine by population. Dnipro is a major scientific and innovation hub, known as the “space capital” of Ukraine, and is also home to the longest embankment in Europe.

Захід над Дніпром

Thanks to its advantageous location, it has always been an important transportation hub.

History: From Ancient Times to the Present

Earliest Settlements

People have lived in the area of modern-day Dnipro for over 100,000 years. Archaeological findings include Paleolithic sites, Trypillia culture settlements, Scythian burial mounds, and traces of the Chernyakhiv culture. One of the most significant archaeological landmarks is Hostra Mohyla, a burial mound believed to be the remains of an ancient Scythian settlement. It has become a symbol of the region’s centuries-old history.

Paleolithic and Neolithic

Numerous archaeological sites in Dnipro indicate human presence as far back as the Middle Paleolithic period (100,000–40,000 years ago). Primitive hunter-gatherer camps have been discovered in several locations, including:

• Romankove (western part of Kamianske)
• Vasylivka village (Synelnykove Raion)
• Skubova Balka (near modern Dnipro)

During the Neolithic period (5500–4000 BCE), the first agricultural and pastoral settlements emerged. Excavations on the Igren Peninsula have revealed remnants of a settlement with pottery, stone tools, and semi-subterranean dwellings.

Eneolithic and Bronze Age: Yamnaya Culture

At the turn of the 4th–3rd millennium BCE, the region was inhabited by the Yamnaya culture, known for its burial mounds. Significant findings from this culture have been uncovered at Storozhova Mohyla, Mykhailivske settlement, and Skeli Kamenolomni.

Trypillia Culture

Settlements of the Trypillia culture (4th–3rd millennium BCE) have been discovered in the region, indicating early agricultural communities. Their pottery, adorned with intricate geometric patterns, has been found in various parts of the oblast.

Scythian Period

Between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE, the territory of modern Dnipro was part of the Scythian lands. Archaeologists have uncovered around 9,500 burial mounds, including the famous Tovsta Mohyla and Hostra Mohyla, which contained the graves of Scythian nobility, complete with gold ornaments and weapons.

Cossack Era and the Founding of the City

From the 15th to the 18th century, this land was part of the Zaporizhzhian Host’s Free Lands. Cossack settlements existed in what is now Dnipro, including Polovytsia Sloboda and the town of Novi Kodaky.

In 1776, following the destruction of the Zaporizhzhian Sich, the city of Katerynoslav was founded. Initially planned for the right bank of the Dnipro, it was relocated to its present site in 1787 due to unfavorable conditions. In the 19th century, with the discovery of iron ore deposits in Kryvyi Rih, Katerynoslav rapidly developed into a major industrial center.

20th Century: Industrial Hub and Space Industry

In the 20th century, Dnipropetrovsk became one of the Soviet Union’s key centers for metallurgy, defense, and space industries. The Pivdenmash (Yuzhmash) plant played a crucial role in missile and rocket production, making the city a strategic hub for aerospace engineering. Due to its military significance, Dnipropetrovsk remained a closed city until the 1990s.

Revolution of Dignity and the Russo-Ukrainian War

During the Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014), Dnipro became one of the centers of protest. In 2014, with the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine, the city welcomed thousands of displaced persons and became a key hub for volunteer efforts and military rehabilitation. During the full-scale invasion in 2022, Dnipro suffered missile attacks but remained a crucial logistics and support center for Ukraine’s defense.

Bridges of Dnipro

• Amur Bridge – One of the oldest, built in 1944 after World War II.
• Kaydatskyi Bridge – Connects the central part of the city with the left bank.
• Merefa-Kherson Bridge – A unique railway bridge with an arched design.
• Central Bridge – The main transportation link between both riverbanks.
• Southern Bridge – The most modern, opened in the 2000s.

Dnipro Embankment

Dnipro boasts the longest embankment in Europe, stretching over 23 km along the right bank of the river. It consists of several sections:

• Old Embankment (Stara Naberezhna) – The historic section featuring architectural landmarks.

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• New Embankment – A modern area with parks, bike lanes, and a skate park.
• Dnipro’s Bike Lane – One of the longest in the country, designed for comfortable walks and training.
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Dnipro is a city with a centuries-old history, combining ancient archaeological sites, Cossack heritage, industrial development, and modern urbanism. It remains a key center for science, industry, and volunteer movements in Ukraine.

Dmytro Yavornytsky

One of the most prominent figures associated with the city of Dnipro is Dmytro Ivanovych Yavornytsky (1855–1940), a historian, archaeologist, ethnographer, writer, and researcher of Ukrainian Cossack history. His life and work were deeply intertwined with this region, particularly in researching the Zaporizhian Sich and its legacy.

Research and Expeditions

For many years, Yavornytsky organized archaeological excavations and ethnographic expeditions across lands connected to the Zaporizhian Cossacks. He extensively studied the remnants of ancient settlements, fortresses, burial mounds, and also recorded folk tales and songs preserved in the collective memory. His expeditions along the Dnipro River were particularly significant, as he studied the legendary Dnipro Rapids, which played a crucial role in the Cossack route to Zaporizhzhia.

Yavornytsky didn’t just study history in the field, but also aimed to preserve its memory. He actively photographed landscapes, Cossack graves, historical landmarks, and the Dnipro Rapids, which were soon to be submerged by the DniproHES. Thanks to his photographs and sketches, we have a record of these natural formations before their flooding.

Books and Scientific Legacy

Yavornytsky authored several fundamental works, including the three-volume “History of the Zaporozhian Cossacks” (1892–1897), which became a classic on the Cossack era. He also wrote numerous monographs, articles, and reference books, such as “Zaporizhzhia in the Remains of Antiquity and Folk Traditions” (1888), “Following the Footsteps of the Zaporozhians” (1898), and “The Freedoms of the Zaporozhian Cossacks” (1890). His works contain invaluable information about the daily life, customs, traditions, and military arts of the Cossacks.

A notable work is his book “Dnipro Rapids”, published in 1928, in which he meticulously described all nine major rapids of the Dnipro, their history, legends, folk tales, and geographical features. This book remains a unique source of information about a part of the Dnipro that vanished after the construction of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station.

Yavornytsky Museum

In 1902, Dmytro Yavornytsky became the head of the Katerynoslav Historical Museum (now the Dmytro Yavornytsky National Historical Museum of Dnipro), where he worked for nearly 30 years. Thanks to his leadership, the museum became one of the leading historical institutions in Ukraine, with its collection enriched by unique exhibits, including Cossack insignia, weapons, ancient maps, and documents.

Dmytro Yavornytsky Street

In honor of the renowned historian, the main street of Dnipro is named Dmytro Yavornytsky Avenue (formerly Karl Marx Avenue). It runs through the center of the city and is one of its most important thoroughfares. In this way, the name of the researcher is forever etched in the history of Dnipro, and his legacy continues to live on in the city’s culture and collective memory.