When my fiancï and I first met and he told me he was from Kharkov, my response was, "Where's that?" Later, in secret, I located Kharkov, Ukraine's second-largest city, on a map in an attempt to remedy my geographic ignorance. Now, more than two years after my first glimpse of the city, I can say that I grow more and more fond of it with each visit.

Not knowing what to expect, I found Kharkov — or Kharkiv, as it is called in Ukraine — to be a charming, bustling city with architectural and cultural treasures and pleasant streets for strolling, an ideal destination for a long weekend visit.

For the history buff or the inquisitive, open-eyed tourist, Kharkov offers a laid-back atmosphere, friendly people and a rich history. Unfortunately, the city gets a bad rap in old guidebooks and from Muscovites who remember it as the Soviet Union's third largest industrial center. To be fair, the city boasted of its industrial status in Soviet times when tractors and airplanes rolled off assembly lines. Perhaps this intense industrial heroism and propaganda was one way to cover up the stigma the city earned in 1941 when it was occupied by Nazi troops after the Red Army lost a major tank battle that destroyed 70 percent of the city.

Located just 50 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkov is one of Ukraine's younger cities. Founded in 1654, it served as a Cossack outpost to fend off attacks by Crimean Tartars. In the 1760s, it was the administrative and cultural center of Russian Ukraine, and it served as the capital of Soviet Ukraine before Kiev from 1917 to 1934.

A good starting point for exploring the city is Ploshcha Svobody, formerly Dzerzhinsky Square. This gigantic public space is 750 meters long, making it Europe's biggest square.

At the opposite end of Ploshcha Svobody, or Freedom Square, runs Kharkov's main drag, Sumska Vulitsa. A walk down Sumska from Ploshcha Svobody will take you into the center of the city, but the street offers enough enticements to linger a bit.

Strolling down Sumska toward the center, you first pass Shevchenko Park, where a towering statue of Ukraine's national poet, Taras Shevchenko, presides over the park. Next to the park is Kharkov's opera and ballet theater, built in the brutalist style. On the way to Ploshcha Konstitutsii, the city's central square, you may want to try one of the trendy restaurants on Sumska.

Just behind the main square's red granite monument erected to commemorate the founding of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic is the Pokrovsky Church and monastery. Dating back to 1689, it is one of the oldest buildings in Kharkov. Neglected during the Soviet era, the church fell nearly to ruin until it was restored a year ago. One of the monastery buildings, my fiancï recalled, served as the local military enlistment office. Now, however, the territory has been reclaimed by the church and the office where he was drafted serves as a center for spiritual study.

Located across the street from the Pokrovsky complex is the former bishop's palace. A grand, red brick structure, the building now houses the main galleries of Kharkov's history museum. Those interested in military history should visit the exhibit displaying a collection of photographs, documents and war memorabilia all relating to Kharkov's part in World War II. Here, forgotten photographs that had been kept out of public sight under lock and key in dusty archives can be seen for the first time. Images of Nazi soldiers on Ploshcha Svobody and of German panzer tanks rolling past the skeletons of bombarded buildings on Sumska Vulitsa are displayed with Nazi propaganda posters written in Ukrainian, exhibits of weapons and uniforms.

Not far from Ploshcha Konstitutsii on Universitetska Vulitsa is the 18th-century Uspensky Cathedral. Its golden-topped bell tower, added in the 19th century to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon, chimes every hour. The tower is also home to a concert hall for organ and chamber music with a full program of concerts each week, featuring Ukraine's best musicians and vocalists.

Kharkov's art museum, across the street from the gray, foreboding former KGB headquarters, holds an unexpectedly magnificent collection of art works by Russian and Ukrainian masters. Works by Karl Bryullov, Viktor Vasnetsov, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and Ivan Shishkin are just some of the examples of the riches held in its collection. The museum also boasts a collection of works by Ilya Repin, the most notable being one of the two canvases of his "Zaporozhians Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan." The museum is located at 11 Sovnarkomovska Vulitsa, near metro station Architect Beketov.

Not far from the art museum is Vulitsa Darvina. A sleepy street with run-down houses, Vulitsa Darvina doesn't appear to offer much to the inquisitive tourist upon first glance. But upon closer inspection, under decades of old paint, you can imagine yourself in a Bavarian village. Indeed, this is one of the few streets that was left more or less intact during World War II, and one can stroll along and imagine its former glory days. Perhaps, as I imagined, the houses once belonged to some of the foreign-born professors and intellectuals who made up a large part of Kharkov University's faculty.

One of the things about Kharkov I find particularly moving is the practice of playing the well-known tune Proshchaniye Slavyanki over the loud speakers each evening as the Kharkov-Moscow train departs. This tradition dates back to World War II, when locals sent their loved ones off to battle. Hearing this always makes me a little sad — that is, until my fiancï's father, standing on the platform, salutes us comically as the train slowly rolls out of the station.

How to Get There:

Overnight trains depart daily from Moscow's Kursky Station. The trip takes approximately 14 hours and round-trip tickets cost around $40.

Where to Stay:

The elegant Hotel Kievskaya, located at 4 Vulitsa Kultury, was built exclusively for card-holding Communist Party members, but is now open to the public. A one-room "lux" suite for one person costs 212 hryvna ($39) and a two-room "lux" for two costs 225 hryvna, breakfast included. Call 0572-43-90-31 for reservations. A less expensive option is the Hotel Kharkov, a standard Intourist-type affair, at 7 Ploshchad Svobody. For reservations and rate information, call 0572-47-61-76.