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Glorious (2013)
Kyiv's Very Own Venice Beach Muscle Gym

Guidebooks say the island at the HydroPark metro station is often called Kyiv's Venice. It is a summer pleasure centre on the banks of the Dnipro river for sun seekers in Kyiv with sandy beaches, bathing spots and a massive hard core free outdoor gym called Kachalka.
 
To get there leave HydroPark metro and turn right. Follow the crowds past all of the food stalls. Cross the bridge (see above) where the brave and the young leap down into the river's water. Once over the bridge follow the curve in the road to the right.
This takes you into a general sports area. On the left is the Kachalka gym, and on the right numerous outdoor sports pitches for ball games, many with spectator seating.
The gym is hard core. The equipment is inventively made from old machinery, cogs, tyres and railings and is worth checking out in its own right.
Sport is taken seriously in Ukraine, look at how well it did in the Paralympics for example (third on the leader board), think about how most young men live under the threat of conscription to the conflict in the east, how important good looks are for Ukrainians, and the sheer physical labour that many Ukrainians are employed to do. Big men are the norm, not the exception in Kyiv.

What other outdoor gym facilities are there in Kyiv?


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