The Gorky Recreation and Entertainment Park

The park was laid in 1894 by Kharkiv students following the pattern of the Boulogne Woods in Paris as an out-of-town park for horse-riding and travelling in carriages. Pedestrian lanes were not laid until 1907. In 1930 tram and trolleybus lines running to the park were laid. In 1938 the park was named after Maksym Gorky, a famous Soviet writer. In that same year a monument to the writer was put up in the park.

The layout scheme of the park is very interesting: groups of trees contrast with each other in colour: light birch trees are planted next to dark larch trees, pines are near red oaks. Chestnut and linden alleys are very beautiful.

In the park, there is the Park Cinema, a stage for open air concerts, tennis courts, a carting track, various kinds of entertainments, caf?s and bars. There is also a cable railway station and a terminal of the Minor Southern Railway there.

The cable railway connects the Gorky Park with the Pavlovo Pole Neighbourhood where the Botanical Gardens of the V. Karazin Kharkiv National University are situated. The height of the ropeway is from 8 to 26 meters. During an 18-minute tour, one can enjoy beautiful views of the park, Sarzhin Yar (Ravine) and new neighbourhoods of the city.

The Minor Southern Railway was opened in 1940. Its total length is 3.6 kilometers. The train goes from the Park station to the Lissopark station and stops at the Memorial station. The Minor Southern Railway is a modern educational centre; students can learn the basics of major railway professions (locomotive-driver, dispatcher, station controller, conductor and others). The classes start in November and last till April when young railway employees take a special exam and after passing it apply their knowledge and skills in practice working at the Minor Southern Railway. The railway traffic starts in May and lasts till October. In spring and autumn the railway operates only on weekends, and in summer it is open all week long, except on Monday and Tuesday.