As there is a certain interest in Ukraine at the moment (as I am out here) I have taken photos that people might like to use for general reference when making scenery in this part of the world. It's probably suitable for many eastern European nations, particularly those that are ex-Soviet Union.
Rivne is a moderate sized historic city in the west of Ukraine, with a population of about 250k. It originally dates from before 1283, and has come under Lithuania, Poland, Soviet Russia, a significant period under German occupation, Soviet Russia again before coming under independent Ukraine : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivne
A significant WW2 battle took place nearby, in 1944: link
I have taken a variety of photos. Some are general street shots, but I also wandered down the market and a few back streets for some of the more cultural little things that all add to a flavour of the area. It's a strange mix of brand new chromed metal and glass buildings with marble facings, and pretty old wood and brick construction. Some things (some of the bridges, for example) clearly date back to not long after the war, or even before the war. The roads often feel like they are prewar too.
Some things are 'general'. Little scenic items that might make your table that bit more interesting – things like street signs, streetlights, the rows of postboxes outside blocks of flats might be familiar in places like the US, but are pretty unusual to us in the UK. Equally for those who live in areas that have heavy winters you may recognise similar steps taken to cope with the cold weather, such as the steps up to shops, heavy doors, etc.
If you are looking at gaming current day, the number (and variety) or cars and other vehicles is notable, especially the trolleybuses and 'mashrutka' – the small minibuses that travel about town, and also between towns.
The 'out of city' images are from Poltava, in the east, famous for the Battle Of Poltava. You can still walk the battlefield and see the old redoubts. The museum is pretty much dedicated to the battle.
I took a variety of photos there of the general country side and farm life in the small village.
Not sure if this one will work… but:
link
If you have any questions about any of the photos, feel free to ask and I will try to remember where I took it, what it was of, and why I took it!
I will add more photos over the next couple of weeks, so do drop by again.
explores another variant in the European Buildings range.
