Ukraine

Overview

Most recently brought into the Western media spotlight by the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the election of its President, Victor Yuschenko, Ukraine is becoming an increasingly popular destination for the intrepid traveller, whether for a city break to the capital, Kyiv or for a longer stay in order to see more of the country. Independent since 1991, Ukraine still has strong ties with Russia in many ways, and Russian is still the most commonly spoken language. Kyiv which is known for its Soviet-style architecture and austere buildings, has become popular among shoppers and the weekend visitor. This relatively poor country shows clear signs of under-investment, but this is often to the benefit of its landscape, particularly in the north which resembles unspoilt English countryside of the early 1900s.

If you're there in late summer, you will see locals digging potatoes and produce often being taken to market by horse and cart. The golden domes of Ukrainian orthodox churches are dotted across the landscape, particularly in the regional centres. Monuments, churches and monasteries are all open to the general public, and heads should be covered when inside. For a more unusual tourist attraction which will give you an alternative slant on the history of Ukraine, there is the possibility of visiting Chernobyl. The country has a variety of climates ranging from one similar to that of Britain in the north, to a more Mediterranean in the south. Bus is the most commonly used form of transport and the most reliable for...more

History

The first identifiable groups to populate what is now Ukraine were Cimmerians Scythians Sarmatians and Goths among other nomadic peoples who arrived throughout the first millennium B.C. These people were well known to colonists and traders in the ancient world including Greeks and Romans who established trading outposts which eventually became city states. Slavic tribes occupied central and eastern Ukraine in the sixth century A.D. and played an important role in the establishment of Kiev. Situated on lucrative trade routes Kiev quickly prospered as the center of a powerful state of Kievan Rus. In the 11th century Kievan Rus was geographically the largest state in Europe.

A Christian missionary Cyril converted the Kievan nobility and most of the population in 988. Conflict among the feudal lords led to decline in the 12th century. Kiev was razed by Mongol raiders in the 12th century.

Most of the territory was annexed by Poland and Lithuania in the 14th century but during that time the Ukrainian people began to conceive of themselves as a distinct people a feeling which survived subsequent partitioning by greater powers over the next centuries. In addition Ukrainian peasants who fled the Polish effort to force them into servitude came to be known as Cossacks and earned a reputation for their fierce martial spirit.

In 1667 Ukraine was partitioned between Poland and Russia. In 1793 it was reunited as part of the Russian Empire.

The 19th century found the region largely agricultural with a few cities and centers of trade and learning. The...more