Old postcards Ukraine

The Soviet postcards of Ukraine in this section are sorted by city. The largest groups are Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Zaporozhye, Sevastopol and Lviv, followed by dozens of smaller towns, from Truskavets and Yaremche to Mirgorod, Uzhhorod and Nova Kakhovka. Most are Soviet sets from the 1960s to the 1980s, and the year of issue is part of each card’s title.

From 1919 to 1934 Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian SSR, before the seat of government moved to Kyiv. Kyiv appears, for example, on “Metro Bridge, Kyiv, 1970”: a blue metro train crosses the viaduct of Dnipro station, with Hydropark and the new housing of the left bank beyond the river. The Lviv group includes the early 17th-century Boim Chapel on a 1971 card, with a group of tourists in front of its ornate stone facade.

A separate highlight is a 1977 series on Kamianske. Many of these cards combine two or three photos: the chemical workers’ Palace of Culture with its fountain, the hydroelectric station and the Lenin monument, the heating pits of the 1150 blooming mill, the control room of the Azot plant, the memorial at the 1943 Dnieper crossing site, the city beach and a pioneer camp. From the same era come 1967–1969 cards of Nova Kakhovka, such as the Palace of Culture and the summer cinema, and a 1987 set from Sorokyne with the Young Guard museum.

Every image is a scan of an original Soviet postcard rather than a modern retro-style print. More towns and sets are added as the collection is digitised.