Where to live and work in Poltava?

In July, almost 3 million COVID-19 vaccinations were given in Ukraine. At least another 4.5 million people must be vaccinated by the end of the summer. Less than a thousand infected people are recorded every day. Still, the pandemic and quarantine seem to have changed approaches to work and vacations forever.

However, Ukrainians are unbreakable: they find reason to rejoice in any situation. Closed borders and remote working hours allow you to change your place of residence, travel across Ukraine, explore cities and enjoy life almost every week. If you want to escape from Kyiv for a while and try life in another regional center, I suggest you visit Poltava.

Why Poltava

Poltava has its pros and cons, joys and sorrows. How people vote in Poltava, they usually vote all over the country. Here you can meet people with completely different worldviews. Probably, it is because of the diversity of views and a certain typicality that Poltava and the region are chosen to launch pilot projects: what works in this city will work everywhere.

Time in Poltava is slower than in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro or Lviv. Life here is measured: you will rarely see a pedestrian in a hurry. Cafes and restaurants do not open until eight o’clock, but their variety is sure to please you.

How to get to Poltava

The city is located in the center of a convenient junction: trains and minibuses in the direction of “Kyiv — Kharkiv” pass through Poltava. The only thing it can’t boast of is air travel.

Poltava can be reached by train. The most convenient option is “Intercity”: three hours, and you’re there. A ticket to the second class will cost you up to 300 hryvnias.

Another option is by bus. A popular local carrier “Green Elephant 7” will also make a stop in Pyriatyn, where the “Queen of gas stations” was filmed. If you are lucky, you will see the famous gas station from the movie, it still works. A bus to Poltava from Kyiv will cost up to 400 hryvnias, from Kharkiv up to 300.

Of course, you can get there by car: blablakar or hitchhiking, it’s all right. On the way you can visit Pyriatyn and Lubny, they have a rich history and preserved part of pre-revolutionary architecture.

What to do

Poltava is the alma mater of Ukrainian theater. For the last five or ten years, the Poltava theater has been highly praised, especially spectacles by director Serhiy Pavlyuk: “The Hetman’s Last Love”, “Flight over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “The Master and Margarita”, “Terrible Revenge”, “Dog’s Heart”. So if you come to Poltava in the theatrical season, be sure to go to the Gogol Theater.

What besides the theater:

• Walk in the evening along the main pedestrian street from the Corpus Garden to the White Rotunda
• Meet the dawn on the White Rotunda
• Eat a piece of “White Rotunda Cake” from Cawoon Cafe
• Visit the Krychevsky Museum of Local Lore which is one of the best in Ukraine
• Eat loaf with Corowai

Where to settle in Poltava

Poltava has three districts: Kyiv, Shevchenkivskyi and Podilskyi. You can choose the one that suits your needs.

Kyiv district is rich in industrial facilities: oil extraction plant, confectionery factory, chemical plant, distillery, car plant, turbomechanical plant and others. They are mostly inhabited by people who work at these enterprises and their families. Accommodation here is inexpensive, the transport interchange is good, but it still takes a long time to get to the city center.

Podil district is located on the banks of the Vorskla. Now it is being actively built up: every year there are high-rise buildings designed for the average Poltava family. Here you have a kindergarten nearby, and playgrounds, and shops, and schools. However, the area is somewhat cut off from the rest of the city by inconvenient transport links.

Shevchenko district is the oldest. Within its boundaries there are some trades, and large residential areas, and parks, and some entertainment. The city center also belongs to this area. From the farthest point, the city center can be reached in 20 minutes by public transport.

Where to work

Coworking is not common in Poltava: there is only one coworking “Friendzona”. In recent years, two or three coworking spaces have appeared and disappeared in the city, without even waiting for a pandemic.

But you can sit with a laptop at work in a cafe with free WiFi: in G-Coffee and “Pochatok” at the bar tables, in “Cawoon”there are window sills and comfortable chairs, Buns Brew Coffee has a lot of space, too. In most Poltava cafes, people with laptops will be treated with understanding if you order a drink and a snack. You can also work with a laptop in the bookstore “Zmist”.

Where to drink

You can’t call Poltava the Ukrainian capital of bars, but there are several good establishments in the city. Be sure to check out the C-Bar if you like classic cocktails and a little experimental. Beers of small brands can be found at Pochatka, and Andy’s Smoker also has a large selection of craft beers. Order a beer set at the Kozack Brewery near the Gogol Theater. You will find delicious chacha in the Georgian restaurant “Barashek”.

In the hunt for desserts and coffee, visit the Cawoon Cafe, G Coffee and the Komarist Confectionery. Be sure to try the White Rotunda Cake at Cawoon.

Try latte on peanut milk in “Shapito” on Lidova. Experimental coffee drinks are in the same G Coffee. Delicious filter coffee — in “Cawoon”, “Mistsevyi”, “Sakhara ne nado” and “Bench”.

Coffee culture in Poltava is perfect for walks, so there are more coffee windows here than coffee shops. For the most part, “coffee on go” will not disappoint you almost anywhere.

Where to eat

If you want to try real local cuisine, visit the dumpling manufactory “Komora”: there are both traditional Poltava and experimental with Far Eastern and European flavor. Another similar local establishment is the Galushka restaurant.

If you are looking for more familiar dishes, Poltava also has something to offer: bistro “Kukuriku”, fish restaurant “Anchovna from the Black Sea”, city cafe “Chichikov”, cafe “Pochatok”. Italian cuisine is represented by Basta and Viva Oliva restaurants, Georgian — Barashek, Indian — Buddha Lounge. There are also a lot of sushi restaurants.

There are several canteens in Poltava that have successfully survived the pandemic and economic crises: “Botanist”, “Poltava stravy” and “Stare misto”. They are characterized by self-service, a good selection of home-cooked meals, very democratic prices and the most local contingent of office workers.

If you want a proven delicious street food, you shall go to the “Miska Shawarma”, Food House, Zippy or “Corowai”. The latter, by the way, has been working in Poltava since ancient times, and the queues there are always long. You will not meet a native of Poltava who did not eat pastries from “Corowai”.

What to see

We recommend to start with the Corpus Garden. Legend tells it was built in the 18th century on the example of the central square of St. Petersburg. Eight streets diverge from its central part with a diameter of almost 400 meters. The corps garden is surrounded by an architectural ensemble of high classicism: the House of the Governor-General, which now houses the trade unions, the House of the Noble Assembly, the Cadet Corps. However, the last two are in poor condition: the Cadet Corps will not be restored for almost 20 years, and the House of Nobles has recently been damaged in a large fire.

From the Corpus Garden there is a pedestrian street, which houses most of the local restaurants and the Gogol Theater. It leads to the White Rotunda. Be sure to walk down this street, preferably in the evening when the lights are on.

It is better to see the White Rotunda several times: at dawn, during the day and in the evening, when it is illuminated by lanterns. The rotunda is one of the symbols of Poltava and a constant place for photo shoots.

Poltava boasts many museums that are well cared for: the Krychevsky Museum of Local Lore, the Ivan Kotlyarevsky Estate Museum, the Volodymyr Korolenko Literary Memorial Museum, the Poltava Battlefield Museum, and the Heavy Bomber Aviation Museum. They have extremely interesting exhibits that are worth seeing. And in the museum of local lore has even a skeleton of a real mammoth.

If you are not a fan of museums, but love outdoor recreation, you should definitely see the Poltava arboretum, the battlefield of Poltava, a pagan temple and the local botanical garden.

The icing on the cake will be the recently famous pig monument which is actually a monument to the breadwinner of the Ukrainian people.

Where to go on the weekend

There are also interesting places near Poltava. Probably the most famous of them is the pottery complex in Opishnya. More than 30,000 exhibits made of clay and ceramics were collected on the territory of 7 hectares, and a century-old school where pottery was taught has been preserved. I advise you not to choose one tour, but to visit all seven. Each estate is a separate museum with its own history. See how the masters worked and work, try to do something yourself.

In the village of Terentiyivka near Poltava you can visit a snail farm. This is a family business that grew out of a hobby: after visiting many farms in Europe and Ukraine, Poltava residents decided to start their own startup. Nowadays people from everywhere come to look at mollusks and taste delicacies.

If you love animals, you should also go to the Kovalivka Ecopark. There are llamas, and more exotic animals: tigers, lions, lemurs. Animals are well taken care of, fed only special food. It is important that there are certain rules in the park, which must be followed so that the walk was safe, enjoyable and did not harm visitors or pets of the zoo.

You can immerse yourself in history and go to Great Budyshcha: the local village club has been operating as a wedding museum since 2008. And if you are already married or do not have such an intention yet, take part in a theatrical spectacle. The museum staff takes into account the general mood of the group and adjusts the script depending on the involvement of guests. The food and drinks are real, see for yourself.

The spirit of history can be felt in Dykanka near the Kochubeyevsky oaks, in the Bielsko settlement, in Khomutka in the estate of the Mooraviovy-Apostoly, and near the tomb pyramids, which are scattered throughout the region: in the village of Komendantivka and the village of Berezova Rudka. Fans of Gogol’s work can visit Myrhorod and Gogol, see the places where the writer lived and was inspired.

Fans of outdoor recreation will find themselves traveling to Mount Pyvykha or the Blue Lakes. Pyvykha sandy mountain on the shores of the Kremenchug reservoir is located at an altitude of 169 m above sea level. Instead of rocky boulders, you will see a mound of clay and sand covered with greenery and trees. The water on the coast washes away the clay, and every year Pyvykha becomes smaller by about 7 m. More than 600 m of the mountain is already blurred.

If you travel by car in these places in the summer, I recommend to spend the night near the lake in a tent or car. The emotions will be incredible. Or still linger with the locals by renting a room for one night.

Like Mount Pyvykha, the Blue Lakes are one of the most visited places in the region. The lakes are located on the site of sand quarries. The cause of the blue color of the water is not known for sure. On the beaches there is snow-white sand, near them there is a coniferous forest. Some shrubs and trees grow straight out of the water.

Poltava is a small but very cozy, compact and comfortable city, which reflects the tendencies of Ukrainian society.