Donetsk is a large industrial, scientific and cultural city of Ukraine.
It is the centre of coal-mining industry. It is also the main fuel base of Ukraine. The city was founded in 1869 by a businessman, John Hughes, who constructed a steel plant and several coal mines in the region; the town was thus named Yuzovka. From 1924 to 1961 it was called Stalino, and only in 1961 it became Donetsk.
Donetsk currently has a population of over 982,000 inhabitants. It is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.
The city is situated on the river Kalmius. It is very famous for its waste banks. Now the city produces metallurgic and mining equipment, refrigerators, bicycles. Food and light industries are also well-developed in Donetsk.
Donetsk is a well-known educational location of the surrounding area, accompanied with several universities, which include 5 state universities, 11 institutes, 3 academies, 14 technicums, 5 private universities, and 6 colleges.
The most important and prominent educational institutions include the National Technical University("Donetsk Polytechnical Institute" in 1960-1993), as well as the Donetsk National University which was founded in 1965. There are also several scientific research institutes, and an Islamic University within Donetsk.
There are 3 theatres and two museums in the city: Donetsk Opera and Ballet House, Donetsk Museum of Fine Arts are among them.
Donetsk is also well-known due to its sport achievements. It has the best stadium in Ukraine, called Donbass Arena. It is a new stadium with a natural grass pitch, that opened on August 29, 2009. The facility is located in the center of the city, in the Lenin Comsomol park. Intended for 50,000 spectators, the Stadium will host Shakhtar Donetsk matches and will host some matches in Euro 2012. It meets the requirements for an UEFA Elite 5-star Stadium rating.
Donetsk has been home to many famous people, including sportsmen, musicians, writers, businessmen, dissidents, and many others.