A two-view postcard from 1985 showcasing two landmark sites of Soviet Kherson: the historic Lieutenant Schmidt Maritime School and the “Delfin” children’s cinema built inside a decommissioned “Raketa” hydrofoil boat.
What is shown on the postcard
The left panel of the postcard displays the three-story corner facade of the Maritime School featuring a semi-circular rotunda, a dome, and a spire facing the avenue. The right panel shows the “Delfin” children’s cinema, housed in a “Raketa” passenger hydrofoil ship mounted on a pedestal in the Shumen residential district, with multi-story apartment blocks in the background and children playing in the foreground.
Historical note
Founded in 1834 as the School of Merchant Navigation, the Kherson Maritime School is the oldest maritime educational institution in Ukraine. The domed building was constructed in the mid-20th century to replace pre-revolutionary blocks destroyed during World War II. The “Delfin” children’s cinema opened in the late 1970s in the Shumen microdistrict, utilizing the hull of a retired fast hydrofoil vessel.
Present day
The main building of the school currently serves as the Kherson State Maritime Academy, preserving its historical architectural features. The “Delfin” cinema ceased operations in the 1990s, and the hydrofoil boat was subsequently dismantled for scrap metal; the site has since been cleared and redeveloped.
Location (map)
Address: 20 Nezalezhnosti (Ushakova) Avenue, Kherson, Ukraine
Coordinates: 46.634630, 32.616330
(Google Maps)
Coordinate source: Coordinates of the main building of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (former Schmidt School).
Questions and answers
- What year was the postcard published? The postcard was published in 1985.
- What was located inside the ‘Delfin’ children’s cinema? An auditorium for screening children’s movies was installed inside the retired ‘Raketa’ hydrofoil boat.
- Which institution occupies the historic school building today? Today, the building houses the Kherson State Maritime Academy.
See also
The «Old Postcards» archive includes other views of Kherson from 1985.
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