The Kharkiv Institute of Technology (now NTU “KhPI”) is Kharkiv’s little Harvard. Of course, not in terms of global success and prestige, but in terms of the overall atmosphere of the campus, created by its brick buildings, tree-lined paths, and gardens. We can confidently bring tourists to the KhPI campus, yet the site is practically absent from any guidebooks. Moreover, the campus is gradually improving—recently, new asphalt was laid on some of the paths, and new buildings, sculptures, and exhibits are appearing.
Incidentally, one of the founders and the first rector of the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Viktor Lvovich Kirpichev, visited the United States in 1893 to participate in the World’s Fair in Chicago, where he also studied the American engineering education system.
The main building was constructed between 1875 and 1877 according to a design by architect R. Henrichsen.
Roman Heinrichsen designed the entire original complex of buildings for the institute.
The 14-story U-1 building was constructed in 1976–1977 based on a design by architects I. Ovsyannikov and V. Livshits, and engineers E. Troshkin and M. Reznik.
It is a good example of Soviet Architectural modernism.
Former gas plant (1877, designed by Heinrichsen).
The building of the modern library, which opened in 2014
The Department of Turbine Engineering was established in 1930 and supplied personnel to the Kharkiv Turbine Plant.
A schematic diagram showing the structure of a steam locomotive boiler. The Department of Steam Locomotive Engineering was established in 1893 and renamed the Department of Locomotive Engineering in 1956.
A monument to the first engineer, featuring figures of the first graduate and his instructor, was unveiled on the main avenue of KhPI in 2015. The monument also features bas-reliefs depicting technical achievements on which KhPI graduates worked—ranging from a steam locomotive to the Energia-Buran space shuttle complex. The sculpture was created by Seifaddin Gurbanov
Survey Mark, 1929
You can view historical photos of the buildings here.
As a result of the Russian missile strike on the Park Hotel on Shevchenko Street on January 10, 2024, 12 buildings of the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute were damaged. The blast wave shattered approximately 200 windows. Among the buildings that sustained damage were the Radio Engineering Building, the Evening Building, the Electrical Engineering Building, the Chemistry Building, Building U1, and the Main Lecture Hall Building.
