National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War

This World War II memorial complex, which opened in 1981, includes a museum with 18 different galleries, an eternal flame, plaques honouring particularly heroic Soviet cities and an outdoor display containing military planes and other equipment from various wars. The centrepiece of it all is of course the massive titanium statue of a woman, 62m tall to be exact, grasping a sword weighing about 9 tonnes and a shield. Honouring Soviet defenders during World War II, its Socialist Realism style is an interesting contrast to the nearby ancient golden domes of Pecherska Lavra.

If you're just slightly worried about the Motherland Monument being a tad too top-heavy, you're not the only one. There have been scattered reports that the whole structure was not built very soundly and is in danger of falling over, but so far so good.

Lavrska Street, 27, Kyiv