# Melitopol

Melitopol (Мелитополь) is in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Eastern Ukraine, though under Russian control since March 2022. It is in the south of the Zaporizhzhia region, 30 km from the Sea of Azov and 5 km from the Molochny estuary of the Sea of ​​Azov. Due to its proximity to the sea, tourists often choose Melitopol as a base to stay when visiting the coast. The city may be of only limited interest: in its historical part, there are several streets with buildings from the 19th century (spoiled by outdoor advertising and heavily diluted with new buildings), a relatively large museum of local lore and the archaeological monument "Stone Grave" in its vicinity.

## Understand

Melitopol is an engineering center and a major transport hub in the south of Ukraine.
It was founded in 1784 as Novoaleksandrovka. In 1842 it received the status of a city and was renamed Melitopol.
The central avenue of the city, crossing it from north to south, is Bohdan Khmelnitsky Avenue. It also houses the main square of the modern city.1 Victory square.
The historical center of pre-revolutionary Melitopol is in the area of ​​Mikhail Hrushevsky Street, and Cathedral Square is its main square.
It is a mainly Russian-speaking city.

### Climate

Summers are hot, sunny, dry and long. Winters are short, relatively cool, humid, rainy and with little snow. Gusty winds and sand and dust storms are observed in winter. The average air temperature in January is −2 °С, in July + 24 °С.

## Get in

The city is 220 km E of Kherson. Two international highways pass through the city:
* E58/M-14 Odesa-Rostov-on-Don
* E105/M-18 Kharkiv-Simferopol
and the territorial road T-0401 Dnepr - Melitopol.

### By train

Electric trains pass through the city, starting their journey at the border with Crimea - from Genichesk, Sivash, Novoalekseevka - and go through Melitopol to Zaporizhzhia, and regional high-speed trains go to the Dnieper. Trains follow the same route, only after the Dnieper they go further to Kyiv, Lviv, Khmelnitsky, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkiv.
* Railway station, ul. Getman Sagaidachny, 264, ☏ +380 6192 7-83-22. There is a luxury waiting room. The luggage room works around the clock with four hour breaks. (updated Aug 2017)

### By bus

* Bus station №1, ul. Intercultural, 204. The main bus station, from where all intercity routes depart. (updated Aug 2017)
* Bus station №2 (Rural bus station), ul. Universitetskaya, 2, ☏ +380 619 44-82-17. 05:30 - 18:00. Buses go to nearby villages, including Kirillovka. (updated Aug 2017)

## Get around

There are several dozen bus routes in the city.

## See

* 46.8476935.38461 Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Собор Александра Невского), Ul. Alexander Nevsky, 5, ☏ +380 619 44-0347. Built in 1884 as the Armenian Gregorian Church. Now Orthodox Church.
* 46.8460535.384372 Cyril and Methodius Temple (Храм Святых Кирилла и Мефодия), Ul.Alexander Nevsky, 24. Built in 1892
* 46.84481735.3625993 St. Seraphim of Sarov Church (Храм Преподобного Серафима Саровского), Horkoho str., 53, ☏ +380 619 42-2456.
* 46.8544235.349774 Roman Catholic Church (Римско-католическая церковь), Dzerzhynskoho str., 225, ☏ +380 619 42-30-93.
* 46.83435.3765 St. Savvy Monastery (Монастырь Св. Саввы Освященного), Vorovskogo (ул. Воровского), 45, ☏ +380 6192 6-1916. Founded in 1995.
* 46.8451935.381296 Local history museum (Краеведческий музей), Ul. Marksa (ул. К. Маркса), 18/M. Hrushevsky, 18 (at Central Market), ☏ +380 619 44-4514, muzey.melitopolskiy@mail.ru. Tu-Su 09:00-16:00. This is in a three-story mansion, in 1913. There is a natural history fund, collection of Scythian gold (in 4th century BC), numismatic & ethnographic collection.
* 46.866335.37117 Holy Trinity church (Свято-Троицкий храм), Lomonosova str., 176, ☏ +380 619 25-4018.
* 46.94981435.4698868 The Stone Grave (Кам'яна могила, Каменная могила) (12 km N of Melitopol). It is a relic of sandstone from the Sarmatian epoch of the Tertiary period (late 2nd century BC to late 2nd century AD).

## Do

* 46.8377635.365571 Gorky Recreation Park (Парк культуры и отдыха имени Горьког). A landscape park. there are about 50 species of trees and about 30 species of shrubs. Attractions: ZOOvernisazh, park history museum, summer stage, dance halls, cafes, wooden sculptures complex "Glade of fairy tales" («Поляна Сказок»)

## Sleep

* Hotel "Melitopol" (Гостиница «Мелитополь»), pl. Victory, 3 — пл. Победы, 3., ☏ +380 6192 6-24-37. Double room from 320 грн A large Soviet-style hotel located in the central square. Probably, once it was the main hotel of the city, but now most of it is rented by various commercial enterprises, in fact, the hotel occupies an insignificant part of the building. Rooms without renovation from Soviet times, friendly staff. (updated Aug 2017)
* Hotel "Vorontsovskiy" (Отель «Воронцовский»), ul. Universitetskaya, 11 — ул. Университетская, 11, ☏ +380 619 42-44-64, +380 619 44-84-74. The price includes a good breakfast, which changes every day. Formally, a three-star hotel, but in any of its characteristics it does not reach this level. The rooms are very small with new furnishings, and there are some of the much better quality suites. On the ground floor, there is an uncomplicated cafe with low prices (main dishes 20-30 грн) and quite tasty food. from 325 грн. (updated Aug 2017)
* Mini-hotel "Atrium" (Мини-отель «Атриум»), Prospect 30 Years of Victory, 22-a — пр. 30 лет Победы, 22-а, ☏ +380 619 25-41-31. from 400 грн. (updated Aug 2017)
* Hotel "Planet MTF" (Гостиница «Планета МТФ»  ), ul. Getmanskaya, 8 — ул. Гетманская, 8, ☏ +380 97 7766931, +380 619 440 017. (updated Aug 2017)
* Motel "Lord" (Мотель «Лорд»), ul. Lomonosov, 335-a — ул. Ломоносова, 335-а, ☏ +380 619 41-10-81. (updated Aug 2013)
* Motel "Yuzhny" (Мотель «Южный»), Khmelnitsky Ave., 100 — пр. Хмельницкого, 100, ☏ +380 619 43-10-21. (updated Aug 2013)
* Hotel "Seven Stars" (Гостиница «Семь звёзд»), ul. Heroes of Ukraine, 40 — ул. Героев Украины, 40, ☏ +380 619 42-25-44. A simple hotel on the first floor of a five-story building. (updated Aug 2017)
* Mini-hotel "Bashnya" (Мини-отель «Башня»), B. Khmelnitsky Ave., 27 — пр. Б. Хмельницкого, 27, ☏ +380 619 43-48-45. from 450 грн. (updated Aug 2017)

### Mid-range

* Hotel "Rio" (Гостиница «Рио»), Bogdan Khmelnitsky Ave., 83-a — пр. Богдана Хмельницкого , 83-а, ☏ +380 619 43-18-75. from 600 грн. (updated Aug 2017)