Poltava, a city located in the north-eastern part of Ukraine, is the administrative centre of Poltava region, an important cultural centre, and a major transport hub. It is 354 km northeast of Kyiv. By its position, Poltava stands on important transport routes and provides communication between the largest cities of Ukraine – Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.
- The city has many historic and tourist attractions. Some of them are:
Holy Cross Convent(1699-1709). It is the only seven-headed Baroque church in Ukraine, which has survived to this day. The height of the four-story belltower (1786) built in the late Baroque style is 43 meters. In 1934, the cathedral was destroyed by the Bolsheviks, but the bell tower survived. In 1999-2007, the cathedral was rebuilt and returned to the Orthodox Church. It is located at Sobornyi Square, 1. - Assumption Cathedral. This church, constructed in the style of the Byzantine basilica in 1751-1770, became the first stone building in Poltava. The height of the bell tower is 44 meters.
- Local History Museum (1903-1908). The museum building was constructed in the Art Nouveau style with elements of Ukrainian folk style. In 40 museum halls and storage facilities, there are more than 300 thousand exhibits: ancient Egypt collection, works of ancient and oriental art, Cossack relics, etc. It is one of the best regional museums of local history in Ukraine.
- Field of Poltava Battle – one of the first museums of Poltava, created in 1909 on the Poltava battlefield near the grave of Russian soldiers to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the victory of the Russian army over the Swedes. The collection has more than 8 thousand exhibits: works of art, weapons, banners, uniforms of the Russian and Swedish armies, personal belongings of Peter I, etc.
- Botanical Garden of Poltava National University. The botanical garden is located in the picturesque relief area of the eastern part of Poltava. It has many sections: an arboretum, a section of flower and ornamental plants, a museum of Ukrainian floriculture under the open sky, an alpine hill, a section of agricultural and medicinal crops and a fruit garden. It is situated at Botanichnyi Lane, 2.
Poltava has always been one of the most important science and education centres in Ukraine. Major universities and institutions of higher education are in the table below.