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Kryvyi Rih is arguably the main steel industry city of the Eastern Europe, being a large globally-important metallurgical centre in the Kryvbas iron mining region.
History
The city was founded in the 17th century by Zaporozhian Cossacks. Kryvyi Rih in Ukrainian literally means Crooked Horn; according to local legend, the city was founded along a lake that was in the shape of a crooked horn.
During the Russian Civil War, the city and its hinterland were at the nucleus of Nestor Makhno's anarchist insurgency.
The area's industrial growth began in the 1880s, when European investment founded a mining syndicate. The metallurgical works in the city, Kryvorizhstal, in particular, expanded through Soviet times, and now remain some of the largest in the world.
Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine since 2005, has accused his predecessor, Leonid Kuchma of selling off Kryvorizhstal to a political supporter for far below market value. This privatization was successfully challenged in court in 2005, and the same year the plant was re-privatized after an open bidding to the Dutch-Indian Mittal Steel for more then 5 times the initial value.
Contemporary Kryvyi Rih
The city extends for 130 km, paralleling the ore deposits. The city is set in the rolling steppe land surrounded by fields of sunflowers and grain. A short distance east of the city centre, there is an area along a small lake where glacial boulders were deposited. as a result, this area was never cultivated and contains one of the few remaining patches of wild steppe vegetation in the area. The city's environmental and construction safety is a growing problem due to abandoned mines and polluted ore-processing waste.
The city itself is laid out with broad avenues lined by wide sidewalks. Tram lines run down the centre of the major streets. Beside the sidewalks there are usually several rows of trees such as lindens and horse chestnuts. Many people live in rows of 5 to 9 story apartment buildings that are wrapped around large inner courtyards. Many of these courtyards are also filled with trees giving the overall impression that the entire city is built in a park. Even the main downtown area of the city at the intersection of Karl Marx Street and Lenin Avenue maintains this park-like look and feel.
Visiting
This is not a typical tourist destination and there are few hotels. Most people who visit Kryvyi Rih have first made contact with local friends over the Internet. There is also an overnight sleeper train from Kiev or you can fly to Dnipropetrovsk and take a 3 hour marshrutka ride to Kryvyi Rih. The Kryvyi Rih (also known as Lozuvatka) Airport only handles charter flights and private planes. Kryviy Rih is also home to the Kryvyi Rih Metro Tram, which serves some parts of the city.
Kryvyi Rih also contains the Ukrainian Premier League football team FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih.
External links
Кривой Рог | Krywyj Rih | Kryvy Rih | Krivijriga | Krivoj Rogas | Kryvy Rih | Krzywy Róg | Kryvyy Rih | Кривой Рог | Кривий Ріг
"Kryvyi Rih"