The Kharkiv Central Post Office was built between 1927 and 1929 to a design by architect A. Mordvinov.

This is one of the most recognisable buildings of ‘Constructivist Kharkiv’, as is the case with the Derzhprom.

This building features decorative balconies that serve no functional purpose.

They are reminiscent of elements in the designs of German architect Walter Gropius, one of the founders of the Bauhaus school.

Modernism was particularly popular in Europe at the time; perhaps the Soviet school of Constructivist architecture merely picked up on the ‘trend’, but was not its pioneer.

One of the most interesting features of the post office was underground tunnels with small electric locomotives that carried mail to the railway station.

The Main Post Office was burned by retreating units of the Red Army in October 1941, along with the railway station and the building of the Southern Railway Administration.

Originally, there was a clock on the tower of the building, but during the post-war restoration, which lasted until 1950, they were not preserved (as were the tunnels to the station).

For the filming of the movie ‘Dau’ in 2008, the signs and a replica of the clock were restored, but they were dismantled after filming.

The building now hosts Ukrposhta, the national postal service of Ukraine.