On Prospekt Vatutina you can sit on a bench beside a life-size bronze student who leans on one hand and one knee, and a short walk away the Forged Figures Park fills with metalwork brought in from an annual smithcraft festival. Donetsk is a city of monuments, churches and forged sculpture, and this guide covers the places you can plan a day around.
It suits travellers who are already in the region and want to understand the city through its streets, its places of worship and its public art rather than through a museum circuit. Note that Donetsk has been administered by pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014 and is currently under Russian control, with fighting continuing near the city; check your own government's travel advice before making any plans.
Everything below is drawn from the Wikivoyage listings for the city, with the names given exactly as they appear there so you can look each one up.
Top things to do in Donetsk
1. Forged Figures Park
This park on Vul. Universitetska, near the city hall, opened in 2001 and is described as a one-of-a-kind object. An International Smithcraft Festival is held there every year, and the most impressive masterworks stay in the city as gifts, expanding the number of the park's "residents" — more than 160 sculptures forged from metal. Arbours were added in 2002 and 2004, including the "Arbour of falling in love", an alley of "Signs of zodiac" appeared in 2005, and an alley to the favourite city opened in 2009.
Give it time rather than treating it as a quick stop, since the collection is spread across the park. It sits near the city hall, so combine it with a walk along the surrounding streets. Trolleybus 9 or 10 to the Prospect Vatutina stop, trolleybus 8, 9 or 10 to Izumrud, or bus 2 to Belyi Lebed will get you close.
2. Ahat Cami Mosque
A congregational mosque on Prospekt Marshala Zhukova, named in honour of Akhat Bragin, with one of its minarets named after Rinat Akhmetov. It is the first mosque built in the Donets basin since the fall of the Soviet Union. The plans were taken from one of Istanbul's mosques, and the main sponsor was Akhat Bragin; after his death in 1995 the mosque was named in his honour. The Ukrainian Islamic University, the first Muslim institution of higher education in Ukraine, occupies the first floor. The mosque and the university were officially opened on 3 September 1999.
It is about 1.2 km north-west of the railway station, which makes it an easy first or last stop if you are arriving or leaving by train.
3. Svyato-Iverskiy Ukrainian Orthodox Nunnery
Opened in 2001 at a temple in honour of the Iverskoy icon of the Mother of God, as the court of St. Mykolskiy convent. The monastery keeps a list of the Iverskoy icon of the Mother of God written on Mount Athos by a Russian monk at the Yanysom Panteleymonova monastery; the icon has been in six different churches, each place taking a religious procession. The monastery parts are the St. Yverskoho church with a bell tower, a nursing corps and business buildings, and there is an orchard and berries planted with donations from the Donetsk Botanical Garden.
It is on Vul. Stratonavtiv, reached by trolleybus 10 or bus 10 or 83 to the stop «Переулок Воскресенский». Dress and behave as you would at any working convent.
4. Sviato-Voskresens'kyi temple
Working since 2005, the golden-domed Holy Resurrection Cathedral was made possible by a donation from a joint-stock mine company. The Saint Barbara chapel stands here too, built in memory of the lost miners — a pairing that says something about how the city remembers its industry.
It is on Sq. Shakhterskaya, reached by minibuses 38Б or 46Б, bus 2 or trolleybus 2 to the stop «"Шахтерские ряды"».
5. Roman Catholic church of parish of St. Joseph
The first Catholic church in Donetsk, where the first divine service took place in 2006. The temple, built with assistance from Catholics in Poland and Germany, was named after Christ Reigning. Organ concerts are held here.
It is on Vul. Artema, 193A, in the Kyivskyi district. Check the concert schedule before you go if the organ music is what draws you.
6. Temple of the Exaltation of the Cross
A temple on Vul. Gornaya, 11, about 300 m from the railway station, with its patronal feast kept every 27 September.
Its position near the station makes it a convenient stop on the way in or out of the city rather than a separate trip.
7. Donetsk railway Museum
At the railway station on Vul. Artemovska, this museum presents more than 2,000 exhibits, including documents, awards, forms of clothing, railway instruments and equipment, old photographs and other collection material.
Because it is at the station itself, pair it with the Temple of the Exaltation of the Cross a few hundred metres away, and with the Ahat Cami Mosque to the north-west.
8. Palm of Mertsalov
A sculpture on Vul. Cheliuskintsev, 189A, near the exhibition centre Expo-Donbass. The original was forged from a rail at the end of the 19th century by the blacksmith Alexei Ivanovich Mertsalov and was awarded the Grand Prix at the Paris International Industrial Fair in 1900. It is depicted on the arms of the Donetsk region and is described as a public image of Donbass. In 1999 the first copy was installed in Donetsk under a glass cap, standing 420 cm high.
There is a project to install copies of the Palm of Mertsalov in the capitals of major countries, so the one you see here is part of a wider set. Combine it with the Expo-Donbass centre next to it.
9. Ekspodonbass Exhibition center
On Vul. Cheliuskintsev, 189 B, this is described as one of the largest exhibition centres in Ukraine, hosting around 20 exhibitions a year, including international ones.
It stands beside the Palm of Mertsalov, so the two are naturally seen together. Check what is showing before you set out, since the programme changes.
10. Artem (F.A.Sergeevu) Monument
A statue of the Russian revolutionary and Ukrainian and Soviet political figure who founded the Donetsk-Krivorozhskoy republic, usually written as "Artem (Sergeev)". The imposing six-metre bronze figure stands on a granite pedestal, with a total height of 10.5 m.
It stands at the corner of Ave Mira and Vul. Artema, which puts it on the same street as several other monuments listed here — walk the street rather than visiting them one by one.
11. Tsar Pushka
A copy of the Moscow Kremlin cannon, made in 1586 by the Russian master Andrey Chokhov. The copy was produced at the Izhevskom metallurgical plant and weighs 44 tons, with each kernel weighing 120 kg.
It is on Vul. Artema, 98, close to the Bokhum of bell Copy and the city administration building.
12. Bokhum of bell Copy
A copy of the Bochum bell, on Vul. Artema near the building of the administration of Donetsk city. In 1997 it was complemented with the copy of the bell.
It sits within a short stretch of Vul. Artema from the Tsar Pushka, so see the two together.
13. Bubka S.N. Monument
A monument honouring the Olympic champion and pole vaulter Sergey Nazarovich Bubka, who set 35 records in the event.
It is on Vul. Artema, around number 147, near Olimpiis'kyi stadium, which makes it a natural addition to a walk along the same street.
14. Mother Monument
Described as a unique monument devoted to a woman-mother on the territory of Ukraine, it shows a woman standing at full height holding a small child in her hands. The sculpture is 2 m tall.
It is on Prospekt Panfilova, 15a, reached by bus 30 or minibuses 23 or 100 to the Stomatologya stop.
15. Student Monument
A bench with a full-size sculpture of a student standing on it, leaning on the bench with one hand and one knee. It stands in the yard of the Faculty of Economics and Law of Donetsk National University.
It is on Prospekt Vatutina, 1A, about 1 km north-west, reached by minibuses 19, 25, 17 or 37, trolleybuses 18, 10, 9А, 5 or 17, or buses 10, 73 or 77 to the Prospekt Vatutina stop — the same stop that serves the Forged Figures Park, so pair the two.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Forged Figures Park on Vul. Universitetska, near the city hall, and take your time over the forged sculptures and the alleys added over the years. From the same Prospekt Vatutina stop, walk to the Student Monument in the yard of the Faculty of Economics and Law.
Afternoon. Walk Vul. Artema and pick up the monuments along it: the Artem (F.A.Sergeevu) Monument at the corner with Ave Mira, then the Tsar Pushka and the Bokhum of bell Copy near the city administration building, and the Bubka S.N. Monument near Olimpiis'kyi stadium. Finish the afternoon at the Roman Catholic church of parish of St. Joseph on the same street, and check whether an organ concert is scheduled.
Evening. Head to the railway station area on Vul. Artemovska for the Donetsk railway Museum, then the Temple of the Exaltation of the Cross a short distance away. If you still have light, the Ahat Cami Mosque is about 1.2 km north-west of the station and makes a quiet end to the day.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to travel to Donetsk?
Donetsk has been one of the major sites of fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian War since April 2014, and the city has been administered by pro-Russian separatist forces as the centre of the Donetsk People's Republic. As of June 2026 Russia has full control of the city, with Ukrainian and Russian forces still in combat near it. Check your own government's travel advice before planning anything.
What is the Forged Figures Park and when is the best time to see it?
It is a park of more than 160 metal sculptures forged by smiths, opened in 2001 near the city hall on Vul. Universitetska. An International Smithcraft Festival takes place there every year, and the most impressive masterworks remain in the city afterwards, so the collection grows.
Which places in Donetsk can I see in a single day without travelling far?
The Forged Figures Park and the Student Monument share the Prospekt Vatutina stop. The Artem (F.A.Sergeevu) Monument, the Tsar Pushka, the Bokhum of bell Copy, the Bubka S.N. Monument and the Roman Catholic church of parish of St. Joseph all sit along or near Vul. Artema. The Donetsk railway Museum and the Temple of the Exaltation of the Cross are both at the railway station area.
What is the Palm of Mertsalov and where do I find it?
It is a sculpture forged from a rail at the end of the 19th century by the blacksmith Alexei Ivanovich Mertsalov, awarded the Grand Prix at the Paris International Industrial Fair in 1900 and depicted on the arms of the Donetsk region. You will find it on Vul. Cheliuskintsev, 189A, near the Expo-Donbass exhibition centre.
Work out which of these sit closest to where you are staying, check the current travel advice, and start building your route from there.