Mykolaiv is a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. Displays at the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History include prehistoric artifacts, ceramics and photographs. The Mykolaiv Observatory, founded in 1821, includes a museum with antique astronomical instruments. The Mykolaiv Zoo has tigers and polar bears. The Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet traces the history of the city's main industry.
The city is named after Sviatyi Mykolai (Saint Nicholas), the patron of seafarers. When transliterated to English, the Ukrainian-derived spelling of "Mykolaiv" is preferred, as opposed to the Russian "Nikolaev".
