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CheckoutKharkiv City Day on 23 August: history, dates and records
23 August 2026
372
years of Kharkiv
Kharkiv City Day: 23 August
N-SHOES congratulates the people of Kharkiv. We gathered the story of the city in one place: from the Cossack fortress of 1654 to the capital of Slobozhanshchyna, with its records, dates and facts worth knowing if you call Kharkiv home.
- Founded in 1654
- Hero City of Ukraine
- Capital of Slobozhanshchyna
- Second largest city in the country
Greeting
Happy City Day, Kharkiv
On 23 August 1943 the battle for Kharkiv ended and the city was liberated from the Nazi occupiers. That date entered the calendar for good, and it became City Day. We bow our heads to those who never came back, and we thank the Second World War veterans who lived to see this day.
Eighty-three years later Kharkiv is taking hits again. The city keeps working under shelling: doctors save lives, power crews bring the light back, utility teams clear the rubble, teachers run lessons underground, entrepreneurs open new locations to replace the destroyed ones. That daily stubbornness is why Kharkiv carries the title of Hero City of Ukraine.
We wish the people of Kharkiv peace, quiet nights and good health for their families. And to everyone who left - a swift return home.
The date
Why Kharkiv celebrates on 23 August
Anniversary of liberation
The holiday is tied to 23 August 1943 rather than to the founding of the city. So the age of Kharkiv is counted from 1654, while the celebration falls in August.
Three holidays in a row
Ukraine also marks the Day of the State Flag on 23 August, and Independence Day the next morning. For Kharkiv this is the busiest holiday weekend of the year.
Wartime format
Instead of mass concerts there are flowers at memorials, exhibitions, small venues and photo spots in the centre and the parks. The city is decorated in blue and yellow.
How old is Kharkiv in 2026. The official founding year is 1654, when settlers from the Right Bank of Ukraine built a fortified settlement where the Lopan and the Kharkiv rivers meet. That makes the city 372 years old on 23 August 2026.
History
From a fortress on the Lopan to a metropolis
A short timeline that shows how Kharkiv grew from a border stockade into an industrial, scientific and student centre.
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1654
Ukrainian settlers found the Kharkiv fortress. The city takes its name from the Kharkiv river; the legend about Cossack Kharko is later folk etymology.
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1660s
Kharkiv becomes the seat of the Kharkiv Sloboda Cossack regiment and one of the capitals of Sloboda Ukraine.
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1689
The Intercession Cathedral is built, the oldest surviving building in the city and the largest stone Cossack church in the region.
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1805
The university opens, founded through the efforts of Vasyl Karazin. It produced the Kharkiv scientific school and gave the city its student reputation.
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1844
Builders finish the 89.5 m Alexander Bell Tower of the Dormition Cathedral, raised to mark the victory over Napoleon. For over a century it stayed the tallest structure in Kharkiv.
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1895
The zoo opens, one of the oldest in Ukraine.
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1919-1934
Kharkiv serves as the capital of Soviet Ukraine. Government buildings go up, and writers and architects move in.
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1928
Derzhprom is completed, the first reinforced concrete high-rise complex in Ukraine and the landmark of constructivism on Freedom Square.
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1932
Physicists at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology split the lithium atom nucleus, the first such experiment in the USSR. Lev Landau worked here in the 1930s.
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1940
A Kharkiv plant puts the T-34 tank into series production, designed by the bureau of Mykhailo Koshkin.
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1943
On 23 August Kharkiv is liberated from the Nazi occupiers. The date became City Day.
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1975
The metro opens. Today it runs three lines and 30 stations.
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2022
Kharkiv withstands the assault and daily shelling and receives the title of Hero City of Ukraine. Metro stations shelter thousands of people for months.
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2024-2026
The first underground schools in Ukraine open here, Derzhprom and the residential blocks of Saltivka are under restoration, and business is coming back.
Records
Kharkiv in numbers
372
years old in 2026, counting from the fortress of 1654
12 ha
Freedom Square: sixth largest in Europe and twelfth in the world
89.5 m
the Alexander Bell Tower of the Dormition Cathedral, second tallest in Ukraine
13
floors of Derzhprom, the first high-rise in the country, built in 1928
30
metro stations on three lines, with the first section opened in 1975
1895
the year the zoo was founded, one of the oldest in Ukraine
30+
universities, which is why Kharkiv is called the student capital
3
Nobel laureates whose biographies are linked to the city: Mechnikov, Landau, Kuznets
Facts
What to know about Kharkiv
Symbols of the city
- The Mirror Stream, a pavilion with a fountain built in 1947, counts as the unofficial symbol of Kharkiv.
- Derzhprom has spent years on the list of sites Ukraine promotes for UNESCO World Heritage status.
- The Annunciation Cathedral with its 82 m bell tower ranks among the largest Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe.
- The Seven Wonders of Kharkiv: Derzhprom, Freedom Square, the Dormition and Annunciation cathedrals, the Mirror Stream, the zoo and Shevchenko Garden.
Scale and people
- Barabashovo is one of the largest markets in Europe and was for years the main trade hub of eastern Ukraine.
- Before 2022 Saltivka was one of the largest residential districts in Europe, home to around 400 thousand people.
- The Slovo Building went up in 1928 for writers; most of its residents became victims of the Executed Renaissance.
- The first radio broadcast in Ukraine went on air from Kharkiv in 1924, while the city was the capital.
About us
N-SHOES - footwear for Kharkiv since 2009
We are locals too. The store opened on 15 August 2009, went through everything the city went through afterwards, and keeps working: the offline point serves customers and the website takes orders around the clock.
Try it on in Kharkiv
The N-SHOES store operates in the KLASS shopping mall. Come in to try a pair on, ask about width and sizing, and pick up an online order with no prepayment.
Delivery across the city and Ukraine
We ship on the day of the order. Pay on delivery, exchange or return within 14 days under the Ukrainian Law on Consumer Rights Protection.
Natural materials
Leather, suede and nubuck, with flannel or fur lining for winter. Every product page lists sole height, shaft height, weight of the pair and the size range.
Brands we carry
- Rylko
- Simen
- Lonza
- Nessi
- Allsy
- Anna Lucci
- N-SHOES Fabio
- Grunberg
- Reebok
- Joma
- DC Shoes
Questions and answers
City Day in brief
When is Kharkiv City Day celebrated?
Every year on 23 August. In 2026 the date falls on a Sunday, one day before Ukrainian Independence Day.
How old is Kharkiv in 2026?
372 years. The founding year is 1654, when a fortress was built where the Lopan and the Kharkiv rivers meet.
Why is City Day on 23 August and not on the founding date?
The date marks the liberation of Kharkiv from the Nazi occupiers on 23 August 1943.
Does N-SHOES work on public holidays?
The website takes orders around the clock, including 23 and 24 August. For the offline store in the KLASS mall, check the hours by phone.
How fast can I get an order in Kharkiv?
Pairs in stock ship the same day. Delivery within Kharkiv usually takes one day.
The city turns 372. You get a new pair
Meet the autumn in comfortable leather footwear. The new collection is already in the catalogue: boots, sneakers, dress shoes and loafers in sizes 36 to 46.
2026-08-21 10:00:00
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