Matviy Andreyev

Melitopol

Matviy Andreyev

A town having people of many ethnicities, Melitopol has many styles of graves. I've shown karaim and jewish styles in my other story about this place, and here is one more style — the one that Romani people are accustomed to. Here's an undecorated grave — just a rectangular concrete base:

A concrete rectangle of a Romani grave. Semenivske cemetery. Melitopol, Ukraine

and here's a full-fledged one. Both photos were taken on Semenivske cemetery.

Romani grave with full decoration. Semenivske cemetery. Melitopol, Ukraine

Am I done with graves? I seriously hope so.

Strangely, some cherries have been left uncollected in a section of the Korvatsky garden. It was half sun-dried right from the tree. It tasted good.

Sun-dried uncollected cherries on a tree. Korvatsky garden in Melitopol, Ukraine
A cherry tree branch with sun-dried uncollected berries. Korvatsky garden in Melitopol, Ukraine

Umbrellas were installed over a square in the beginning of Brive-La-Gaillarde street to create a photo zone.

Umbrellas above a sidewalk. Melitopol, Ukraine, summer 2018
🛈 Brive-La-Gaillarde  is one of Melitopol's sister cities.

Architecture hadn't been a priority when this abomination was erected — it had been built with only business in mind.

A crappy new building spoiling the architecture of beginning of 30 rokiv peremohy boulevard. Melitopol, Ukraine

A mural having a strange, cold color palette.

A mural on 30 rokiv peremohy boulevard. Cherry tree branch. Melitopol, Ukraine

Road pavement was being renovated in some places,

New pavement being laid on Kazartseva street. Melitopol, Ukraine

while other, less central places were still in the queue for that (in best case).

Degraded road pavement on Lermontova street. Melitopol, Ukraine, 2018

This was a man-made channel, straightening and draining the Molochna river. It was dry in its upstream part, probably having already fulfilled its purpose and disused.

Dry bottom of a straightening channel. Melitopol, Ukraine

People were using the channel as a calm pasture for their cattle.

Sheep resting at the Molochna river channel. Melitopol, Ukraine
A cow on a side of Molochna river's channel. Melitopol, Ukraine
A calf standing alone among the grass, staring directly into the camera. Melitopol, Ukraine

Road E58 was crossing this channel on a low bridge. Prymorsk and Berdyanks are to the left, Melitopol edge is to the right on this photo.

E58 road bridge between Melitopol and Kostyantynivka
E58 road bridge between Melitopol and Kostyantynivka, wider view

A portion of the upper part of Melitopol could be seen from our route.

A view of Chervona Hirka microdistrict from near Kostyantynivka. Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine

A solar power plant was being built on the field between the Molochna river and Kostyantynivka village. There has been a lot of sunny days in the year here, and the climate change was only incrementing that number.

Solar power station construction near Kostyantynivka, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Ukraine

That was a lot of sheep! I haven't seen so many during my whole childhood.

Sheep crossing a track road. Melitopol, Ukraine
Sheep on a pasture. Melitopol, Ukraine

Another portion of Melitopol was visible, with common reed (Phragmites australis) of Molochna river on the foreground.

Common reed and a cityscape at a distance. Melitopol, Ukraine

We reached and crossed this bridge on a side track road between Melitopol and Kostyantynivka.

A simple concrete bridge over Molochna. Melitopol, Ukraine
Molochna river from a low and small bridge. Мелітополь, Запорізька область, Україна

Someone rich sponsored the creation of a new pond in the central park of the town.

A new pond in the central park. Melitopol, Ukraine

This place of high visual pollution was proving that business was way more important than architecture.

Many aggressive, unpleasant shop signs in one place in the center of Melitopol. Melitopol, Ukraine

The city boasted its new lantern poles in the central part.

New lantern poles on Bohdana Khmelnytskoho street. Center of Melitopol, Ukraine