After a long and lively succession of names, from the original Yuzovka (from 1869) to the subsequent Stalin (from 1924) and the similar Stalino (from 1929), in 1961 it arrived at the current Donetsk, following destalinization and the growth of the city, which in the meantime had become the center of the Donetsk region.
Upon arriving in the city, after landing at the international airport of Donetsk, you immediately get the impression of being catapulted into a center where industrialization, culture, and science merge in a pleasant combination waiting to be discovered.
A starting point for a pleasant visit to the city is certainly Artema, a street of 9 kilometers along which ancient and modern architectural styles intertwine, with small parks, shopping centers, refined hotels, and restaurants.
The city presents different aspects depending on where you are. The southern part of Donetsk is occupied by the post office, hospitals, schools, factories, and railway depots. The architecture here is mostly English style due to the construction of the home of John Hughes and various residences for foreigners, characterized by rectangular and triangular facades, green roofs, large windows, and balconies occupying most of the buildings.
The northern part of Donetsk, on the other hand, has always been more commercial, being home to artisan shops, bureaucrats, and merchants. Here you can spend time visiting the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Jesus, shopping at the covered market (especially on the main street Novyi Svet), tasting typical Ukrainian products (such as the soups Rozsolnyk, Hybivka, and Vinigret and types of bread Korovai, Paska, and Babka), and staying at the numerous hotels.
Donetsk also offers a breath of culture thanks to numerous theaters (including the Opera and Ballet Theater), the planetarium, about thirty museums, and more than 500 bookstores.
