With the arrival of warmer weather, many young people, eager to make the most of the sunny days, will pack their bags and set off on a road trip across the country with good company. Numerous photos and travel logs on this topic will appear on social media.
At the end of the 19th century, of course, there was no Internet. But there were young people just as eager for new experiences.
In early June 1886, on a cloudy day, young Elena Vladimirovna Ivanova set out from Moscow on a long journey to Crimea aboard a mail train on the Moscow–Kursk Railway. She was accompanied by her brother and two female companions. This three-month vacation resulted in the 1889 publication of the book *Travel Memoirs of the Crimea*.
Our beloved city also finds a place in this book. After all, the travelers’ route back then passed through Kharkiv, which simply captivated Elena Vladimirovna. So today, we invite you to take a brief trip back in time and, together with the visitors, stroll through the blossoming summer landscape of Kharkiv as it was in 1886.
As we get closer to Kharkiv, which stretches out across the hills, we see more and more greenery, and we begin to come across pyramid-shaped poplars and neat Little Russian villages with windmills; there are few forests, but mostly fields. There’s a noticeable change in the air: it’s easier to breathe, and the air seems cleaner and gentler.
The Kharkiv train station struck me with its grandeur; from the station, the train travels through the city; in the distance, you can see houses and the narrow Kharkivka River. The next day, at 8 p.m., we arrived in Kharkiv. A horse-drawn carriage route operated by the 2nd Society runs from the station, and there is a park for pedestrians. These amenities make a pleasant impression. There are two-horse and single-horse carriages, and a fixed fare is set for cab drivers; pyramidal poplars grow along the street near the sidewalks, which surprised me somewhat.
We stayed at the Astrakhan Hotel on Nikolaevskaya Square; they charged us 1 ruble 75 kopecks per night for a neat room on the second floor. Using the horse-drawn tram—or, as the locals call it, the “tram”—the next morning we visited Ekaterinoslavskaya, Sumskaya, and Moskovskaya Streets, and stopped by the Assumption Cathedral.
We visited the fairgrounds, the gardens of Tivoli and the Commercial Club, and the University Garden, from whose hill—known as “Red Hill”—we admired the views of the city that unfolded before us. The passage resembles Moscow’s Lubyanka Passage in terms of the layout of its shops and its appearance. Among the buildings, the Technological Institute is particularly beautiful; it is situated on a hill, offering a view of the city and the flowing river. We stayed here for two days and then continued on our journey.
The young lady’s book concludes with these sincere words:
Memories of this still stir my soul in a sweet way and will remain in my memory for a long time…
So, as we can see, aside from the scenery, some things in our world remain unchanged after all…
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