What made Kharkov so important ?

[Owen]

Reading through my day-by-day account of the Eastern Front I'm just at the end of 1943.
One place that stands out that was fought over and changed hands so many times is Kharkov.
What made this place so important the both sides fought so grimly to take it lose it and then have to re-take it?
Why not as in so many Eastern front battles just surround it, bottle up the troops there and finish them off later?

[AMVAS]

Originally Posted by Owen D

Reading through my day-by-day account of the Eastern Front I'm just at the end of 1943.
One place that stands out that was fought over and changed hands so many times is Kharkov.
What made this place so important the both sides fought so grimly to take it lose it and then have to re-take it?
Why not as in so many Eastern front battles just surround it, bottle up the troops there and finish them off later?

Kharkov was the second capital of Ukraine.
It was important airfield and road center. Also it had importance as industrial center. Famous Kharkov plant developed BT and T-34 type of tanks.
Of course it was evacuated in 1941, but its facilities still existed....

regards,
Alex