About the book: 1987 / Crimea scorched by the sun, wooded Carpathians, “the mother of Russian cities” Kyiv, Cossacks and their traditions, vast sunflower fields, the old coal Donetsk basin and its revolutionary past, Stakhanovites and Young Guards, N. Gogol, I. Franko, T. Shevchenko, places, names, events - all this and much more connects the author with the Ukrainian land. For two decades, GDR National Prize winner Günter Stein almost every year for a long time visited Ukraine, close friendship connected him with many of its inhabitants. This book will serve not only as a fascinating excursion into the history of Ukraine, but will also tell about the present of the republic, its achievements and problems. The diverse information collected by the author, his subtle observations and ability to colorfully describe what he saw allow us to take a fresh look at what is already known..