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Nikolayev is the center of Nikolayev region, naval and ship city on the surprisingly picturesque peninsula, the favorite child of Prince Potemkin. It is located in 80 kilometers from the Black Sea. Nikolayev had to become the city-shipyard, the cradle of the Black Sea Fleet, the city – one of the centers of shipbuilding and defense industry. Shipbuilding is represented in Nikolayev by three major shipbuilding plants in Ukraine, which are able to build and deliver the ships of any type. Such specificity imposed imprint on the fate, nature and even the appearance of Nikolayev. Now, about the history of shipbuilding citizens may recall the Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet, which was formerly the headquarters of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet (1793).

Not far from Nikolayev there is situated one of the important sights of Ukraine - Greek city-state Olvia of 6th century BC (now - an archaeological reserve) - an inexhaustible treasury of scientific discoveries. Its territory includes about 330 hectares. And in times of flourishing its population counted 20-25 thousand people. It was reminisced in works of Herodotus, Dion Christ. The city was the member of the Athenian Marine Union. Here are found many highly artistic works, which are now stored in museums, not only in Ukraine but also in museums of Berlin, London, Paris, St. Petersburg. In the reserve there are museum, lapidary, the fund storage, scientific library.

Another attraction of the city is a zoo. It was founded in 1901. Today the zoo has 370 species of 2.700 individuals, about 80 species of which are listed in the International Red Book. It is the largest collection in Ukraine. More than 50 species of animals among Ukrainian zoos are represented only in Nikolayev. In 1993 it was adopted in the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). It participates in 18 European breeding programs of rare species (EEP). There is a museum in the zoo, where visitors can see the collection of skulls and stuffed animals that once lived in the zoo, collection of eggs, maps and guides of other zoos. This is the only museum in the zoo in Ukraine.

The unusual structure of the city is hyperboloid water tower (1907). It was built on the project by Vladimir Shukhov. This is one of the first hyperboloid structures in the world, which represents the steel meshy openwork tower. There are only 11 such towers in the world of more than two hundred built by Shukhov.

There is a kind of underground city under Nikolayev - Nikolayev catacombs - a network of underground tunnels and labyrinths beneath the city, which stretch more than 2 km.

It is not the full list of interesting places of the city. There is the Observatory of the Black Sea Fleet in Nikolayev, built in 1821, which contains the unique collection of instruments for observing heavenly bodies. There is even an asteroid, named in honor of the city, which was discovered by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.