Space Museum in Dnipro, Ukraine

Dnipropetrovsk, since May 2016 named Dnipro, is a primarily industrial and entrepreneurial city in Ukraine. With around 1 million inhabitants it is the fourth Ukrainian largest city.

Founded with the name Ekaterinoslav, it was oficially inaugurated in 1787 by the Russian Empress Catherine the Great as the administrative center of the newly acquired territories of New Russia; envisioned to be the 3rd capital city of Russian Empire after Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

The city was renamed to Dnipropetrovsk in 1926 referring to the Communist leader Grigory Petrovsky who was involved in the organization of Holodomor (more information on the website organized by Ucrainica Research Institute).

During the Soviet period, Dnipro was an important industrial center, being one of the key centers for nuclear and space technology of the Soviet Union. Due to the military industry, Dnipro (Dnipropetrovsk at those times) was a closed city until 1990s. Satellites and rockets were produced there during the Cold War between USA and URSS.

Nowadays, there is a Space Museum where importat inventions of space technology during Soviet Union are exhibited for visitors interested in space tech and facts about the Cold War. The mockups showcased at the museum are on the proportion/scale of 1:55.

If you are amazed by engine components, space travel and tech crafts, it is surely a must to visit place!

An interesting information to mention is that after the independece from the Soviet Union, Ukraine destroyed the rockets with military potential that used to be kept in Dnipro. Currently, the work on space technology developed in Dnipro have been having focus on peaceful purpose and on exploring near Earth Space.

In the external area of the museum, there are also some huge military rockets exhibited for the visitors.

PS: You can check the pictures I take on my Instagram account andref.anjos and through the hashtag #feelukraine.