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Kharkiv (Kharkov)

Kharkiv (Харків) is the second-largest city in Ukraine, and the administrative centre of Kharkiv district (Харківська міська рада) and Kharkiv oblast (Харківська область). During Tchaikovsky's lifetime it was known as Kharkov (Харьков, Har'kov), and was the capital of the Kharkov district (Харьковская уезд) and of Kharkov province (Харьковская губерния) in the Russian Empire.

Tchaikovsky visited Kharkov on the following occasions:

• 23 September/5 October–24 September/6 October 1879 — stopping overnight on his way from Moscow to Grankino; he saw a production of Faust at the city's opera theatre
• 9/21 June–11/23 June 1884 — travelling from Kamenka to Grankino, he met up with Modest Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Konradi .
• 26 October/7 November–28 October/9 November 1885 — pausing on his way from Moscow to Kamenka, he again visited the city's opera theatre, and began to draft the Jurisprudence March.
• 24 March/5 April 1886 — stopping overnight en route from Moscow to see his brother Ippolit at Taganrog.
• 4/16 September 1890 — spending just 9 hours in the city with Nikolai Konradi, travelling from Kiev to Tiflis.
• 1/13 February–2/14 February 1893 — returning from Kamenka to Klin, the composer was detained in Kharkov because of a stomach complaint.
• 11/23 March–16/28 March 1893 — staying at the Hôtel Europe, to rehearse and conduct a concert of his own works (14/26 March), including The Tempest, the Violin Concerto (soloist Konstantin Gorskii), the Symphony No. 2, and the overture The Year 1812. This was followed by a dinner for the composer, and a special concert was given in his honour the following day by students of the local branch of the Russian Musical Society.