Mykolaiv celebrates its holiday every year on the second Saturday of September – City Day Mykolayiv. The city is located 80 km from the Black Sea, at the confluence of two rivers – Ingul and Southern Bug.

It is known that the first settlements in the modern Mykolaiv Oblast were found in the Paleolithic era, which is about 20,000 years ago. In the period from XII to VIII centuries. B.C. a huge city was located on the site of Nikolaev, which was not inferior in size to the legendary Troy. In the very center of Mykolaiv there is an archaeological site – the Dykiy Sad hillfort, reminiscent of that ancient city.

In 1788, a shipyard was built at the mouth of the Ingul River. The new city began to grow around this shipyard and a year later received its name in honor of the capture of Ochakov on St. Nicholas Day. It was then that the mass settlement of Mykolaiv began. In the 19th century the city of Mykolaiv was the shipbuilding center of the Russian Empire.

Interesting Facts

• The City Day coincides with the Day of Physical Culture and Sports of Ukraine, and perhaps that is why the holiday program has a sports orientation.
• One of the asteroids discovered at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory was named after Nikolaev.
• There are multi-tiered catacombs under the city, the exact origin of which is currently unknown.
• Mykolaiv is known for its shipbuilding factories. The first frigate built here was named “Saint Nicholas”.
• In Mykolaiv, there is the only bridge in Ukraine that does not go up, but to the side.