THE ENVIRONS OF THE CAPITAL CITY (KYIV REGION) By Yu. Ferentseva
STEPPE LAND (ZAPORIZHIA AND DNIPROPETROVSK REGIONS) By I. Lylio
29 VYSHGOROD•NOVI•PETRIVTSI•
36 PETRYKIVKA•NOVOMOSKOVSK•
CHORNOBYL....................................................300 30 KOZYN•OBUKHIV•TRYPILLIA•RZHYSCHIV•
DNIPROPETROVSK•STARI•KODAKY•
ZAPORIZHIA•VASYLIVKA............................376
BALYKO-SCHUCHYNKA• KAHARLYK•BOHUSLAV................................305 31 BOYARKA•VASYLKIV•MARYANIVKA•FASTIV•
KOZHANKA•BILA•TSERKVA• PARKHOMIVKA................................................310 32 PEREYASLAV-KHMELNYTSKY•TASHAN•
DOBRANYCHIVKA•YAHOTYN•BOHDANIVKA•
SULYMIVKA•BORYSPIL.................................321
THE COSSACK LAND (CHERKASY REGION) By I. Lylio 33 UMAN•TALNE•SHEVCHENKOVE•
CHERNIHIV - THE CAPITAL OF THE FOREST EMPIRE By A. Hlazovyi
MORYNTSI•MLIIV•KHOLODNYI•YAR•
37 REMPART, OR WEARY FORTRESS.................... 403
SUBOTIV•CHYHYRYN•CHERKASY•
38 KRASNA SQUARE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS...407
MOSHNY•KANIV•TRAKHTEMYRIV...........328
39 HOLY CLOISTERS............................................409 SIVERSCHYNA’S GOLDEN DOMES AND EXQUISITE PARKS (CHERNIHIV REGION) By Yu. Ferentseva 40 PRYLUKY•HUSTYNIA•SOKYRYNTSI•
TROSTIANETS•KACHANIVKA.....................414 41 OSTER•KOZELETS•DANIVKA•LEMESHI.....418 42 LIUBECH•SEDNIV•MENA•SOSNYTSIA•
THE HEART OF UKRAINE (POLTAVA REGION) By I. Lylio 34 BEREZOVA•RUDKA•LUBNY•MHAR•
NOVHOROD-SIVERSKY................................423
NORTHERN STARS (SUMY REGION) By I. Lylio 43 NIZHYN•KRUTY•OLENIVKA•BATURYN•
MYRHOROD•HOHOLEVE•VELYKI•
SOROCHYNTSI•OPISHNIA•
VYSHENKY•HLUKHIV•OBRAZHIIVKA•
DYKANKA•POLTAVA......................................345
PUTYVL•SUMY................................................430
GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF UKRAINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WILD FIELD (KIROVOHRAD REGION) By Yu. Ferentseva
WITHIN A HALO OF THE CAPITAL CITY (KHARKIV) By Yu. Ferentseva 44 UNIVERSITY HILL............................................452 45 AROUND CONSTITUTION SQUARE.........454
35 ROZUMIVKA•KIROVOHRAD•
MYKOLAIVKA•VESELI•BOKOVENKY•
POBUZKE...........................................................365
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46 ALONG SUMSKA STREET............................456 47 ARCHITECTURAL ENSEMBLE
OF LIBERTY SQUARE.....................................458
CONTENTS ROMANTIC SPIRIT OF “THE NOBILITY NEST” (KHARKIV REGION) By Yu. Ferentseva
ODESSA – A CITY BORN ADULT By A. Hlazovyi
48 TROSTIANETS•OKHTYRKA•PARKHOMIVKA•
56 PRIMOSKY BOULEVARD..............................523
KRASNOKUTSK•HORODNE•VOLODYMYRIVKA•
57 RICHELIEU STREET.........................................525
SHARIVKA•STARYI MERCHYK•LIUBOTYN•
58 LANGERON STREET.......................................526
SKOVORODYNIVKA.......................................462
59 GOGOL STREET...............................................527
49 VERKHNIY SALTIV•PECHENIZKE MORE•
60 PUSHKIN STREET............................................528 61 DE RIBAS STREET............................................529
STARYI SALTIV•CHUHUIV............................472
62 CATHERINE’S STREET AND SQUARE.......531
DONBAS - AN UNKNOWN GIANT (DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS) By Yu. Ferentseva
63 OPERA HOUSE.................................................532 64 PRIVOZ...............................................................533 UNDER THE SUN OF BESSARABIA (ODESA REGION) By A. Hlazovyi 65 БBILHOROD-DNISTROVSKY•BOLGRAD•
IZMAIL•STARA NEKRASIVKA•VYLKOVE...536
50 IZIUM•SVIATOHIRSK•BILOKUZMYNIVKA•
ARTEMIVSK-SOLEDAR-DONETSK............478 51 KOMSOMOLSKY•MARIUPOL•BERDIANSK•
MELITOPOL•HENICHESK• ARABATSKA STRILKA....................................490 52 MILOVE•BILOVODSK•NOVOLYMARIVKA•
DANYLIVKA•LUHANSK•KRASNODON....496
BY THE ROADS OF THE NORTHERN BLACK SEA MARITIME REGIONS (MYKOLAIV AND KHERSON REGIONS) By Yu. Ferentseva 53 MYHIYA•MYKOLAIV•PARUTYNE•
OCHAKIV• KOBLEVE......................................504 54 KHERSON•TIAHYNKA•BERYSLAV•
KAKHOVKA•ASKANIA-NOVAА..................509 55 HOLA PRYSTAN•KINBURNSKA KOSA•
SAGI-DZHARILGACH....................................514
THE FAIRYLAND OF CRIMEA By Yu. Ferentseva 66 BAKALSKA KOSA•CHORNOMORSKE•
OLENIVKA•YEVPATORIA•SAKI...................548 67 SEVASTOPOL•INKERMAN•BALAKLAVA•
FOROS................................................................554 68 SIMEIZ•ALUPKA•LIVADIA•YALTA•
MASANDRA•GURZUF•ALUSHTA..............558 69 OLD CRIMEA•SUDAK•NOVYI•SVIT•
KOKTEBEL•FEODOSIA•KERCH...................565 70 BAKHCHISARAY•CHUFUT-KALE•
TEPE-KARMEN•MANGUP-KALE•
KACHI-KALYON•ESKI-KERMEN..................572
7
DISCOVERY OF UKRAINE “Dear reader, if it seems to you that something in my work is uncertain or incorrect, it may be really so. If you manage to get more perfect sources or some other chronicles, correct me with your heaven-born intellect, however, do not destroy my paltry work. It is difficult for a man to acquire perfect knowledge in everything, previous authors could make mistakes in their works, so could I, together with them.” S. Velychko “Chronicle of a Self-publisher”
DISCOVERY OF UKRAINE Ukraine has changed over the last fifteen years. From “Terra Incognita” in Eastern Europe it has turned into a fashionable tourist country. The number of guests visiting it is growing annually. In 2005 Ukraine was admitted into the world tourist’s organization. Citizens of the European Union, USA, Canada and some other countries obtained the right to enter our country without entrance visa. Today every visitor can find “Ukraine of his/her own,” though he or she will have to give up certain stereotypes such as, for instance, the legends of its boundless steppe expanses. Over the last century their territory considerably decreased because of the growing number of agricultural holdings. However, land remains one of our greatest riches. During the Second World War Nazis took Ukrainian fertile soil out to Germany. In Soviet times great regions in the east and center of Ukraine were turned into industrial centers. Waste heaps and multicolored dry mist over metallurgical plants became habitual for these parts of Ukrainian landscape. At the same time Ukraine can offer you 11 national natural parks, numerous biosphere and natural reserves, dendroparks, examples of landscape architecture and gardening of Ukraine. The most famous of them are the National Natural Park Askaniya-Nova (Kherson oblast, late 19th cent.), Shatsky National Natural Park (Volhynian oblast), dendrological parks “Sophiivka” (Cherkasy oblast), and “Alexandria” (Kyiv oblast), Trostianets dendropark (Chernihiv oblast), as well as numerous natural memorials of Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions, Stone Burial Mounds reserves in Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts, Great Canyon in Crimea. A tour around Ukraine is an excellent chance to find islets of authenticity so rare in modern world. Lately the image of Ukraine is often lost beyond neon signs and the rapid pace of life. However, let’s begin our trip…
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ARCHITECTURAL PEARLS OF UKRAINE
Kyiv. Panorama of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Yalta. View of V. Lenin Seafront and Marine passenger terminal
Poltava. Nobleman’s and Rural bank Lviv. Eastern part of Rynok Square in the past ukraine was traditionally considered an agrarian country, however, established views change in the course of history, and the country, which numbers more than 450 cities in which two thirds of population reside, changed its status long ago. in ukrainian terrains there are many beautiful places, and you will make sure of it turning over the pages of our guide. Some of them are described in separate sections. kyiv, the capital city of the State, is the first to start a narrative of ukraine. Lviv and kharkiv represent the west and the east of the country, Chernihiv and odesa, respectively, the north and the south. Architecture and the local coloring of eastern, western, northern and southern parts of ukraine are different to a large extent. dignified kyiv, trim Poltava, restrained Chernihiv, somewhat haughty Lviv, business-like dnipropetrovsk, tidy Chernivtsi, respectable kharkiv and donetsk, concerned Zaporizhia, foppish odesa – every city or town has its own character and identity. Architecture is called music in stone. And it is really so – the impregnable fortress in kamyanets-Podilsky can be compared with
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Pochaiv. View of Assumption Lavra Kharkiv. Derzhprom Mukacheve. Vista of Pushkin Street Chernivtsi. Theater Square
a grandiose symphony, the ensemble of bukovynian metropolitans’ residence, with a refined oratorio, and the well-proportioned bell-tower at kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, with a dynamic orchestra piece. The ukrainians can be proud of a great many architectural pearls created in the course of centuries. Particularly noteworthy are majestic fortresses and castles the construction of which was caused by the peculiarities of the geographical situation of the country located at the intersection of the worlds and civilizations. it is no mere chance that this system of fortifications was called “the ukrainian shield of europe” – it defended european states from the Mongols, Tatars, Turks and other aggressors for centuries. The best complexes have been preserved to our time, namely: the old and New fortresses in kamyanetsPodilsky, Mukacheve castle, khotyn fortress, Genoese fortress in Sudak, and a few dozens of other structures. A story about each of them is found in an appropriate part of this guide. As regards civil architecture, mention should be made of the palace-park complexes in kachanivka and Sokyryntsi
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12
ARCHITECTURAL PEARLS OF UKRAINE
Sevastopol. View of the Seafront Vil. Zymne. Sviatohirsk monastery Crimea. Vorontsov’s palace in Alupka Vil. Mezhyrich. The Trinity Monastery Crimea. Khan-Dzhami Mosque
in Siverschyna region; the Crimean pearls in Alupka, Masandra, Livadia, and bakhchisaray; kyiv, Lviv and odessa palaces, parks in uman and bila Tserkva, and so on. The terrains of our country have preserved many examples of unique wooden architecture – temples, dwellings, household premises and production structures transferred to reservations of kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, uzhgorod, Pereyaslavkhmelnytsky, and located in villages and towns of ukraine. ukrainian sacral architecture has very old traditions – it embraces orthodox cloisters (three of them have the status of Lavra –
Lviv. Church from vil. Kryvka at the museum in the open
Medzhybizh. Seniavskies’ castle Kamyanets-Podilsky. Old fortress
kyiv-Pechersk in kyiv, Pochaiv in Ternopil region, and Sviatohirsk in donetsk region); Roman Catholic churches (real architectural masterpieces were built in Lviv, kyiv, Fastiv, berdychiv); Moslem mosques in Yevpatoria, old Crimea, izmail; karaite praying houses in bakhchisaray, Yevpatoria, and kyiv; synagogues in odessa, kyiv, Lviv, uzhgorod… The diversity of styles and forms reflects a true religious freedom. in this brief introduction we do not intend to provide historical data or enumerate sights – we just invite you, dear reader, for a breathtaking tour around ukraine!
Here are a few words about the guide’s structure. The book is made up of 27 sections. Each of them is devoted to a separate region, which usually coincides with the borders of the administrative-territorial division of the country, but sometimes there are discrepancies – for instance, the itinerary Nizhyn-Baturin was added to Sumy region, while it actually runs through the territory of Chernihiv oblast, but is historically closely linked with Hlukhiv of Sumy oblast. This fact will hinder our trip in no way, but will preserve the integrity and logicality of the historical sketch. Some oblasts are united in one section (for example, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia), which also has a historical background. Sections are divided into itineraries under through numeration – so proceeding from the contents it is easy to find an appropriate story of the sights you are interested in. Each section contains practical information – addresses and telephone numbers of railway and bus stations, hotels, and so on. The authors and the publisher made every effort to make this book possible. We would like to thank you beforehand for your comments, remarks and more accurate definitions, which you can mail to the address of “Baltia-Druk,” or use the website or e-mail addresses of the publisher and authors – www.baltia,com.ua, lylolv@yahoo.com, baltias@i.com.ua. Your remarks will be taken into consideration without fail for new edition. We wish you a happy and interesting trip!
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1–6 KYIV: SKETCHES OF THE PORTRAIT 1 1 BY THE ROADS OF THE UPPER TOWN 2 1 UNIVERSITIES, PARKS, MUSEUMS 3 1 PODIL, OR A CITY WITHIN CITY 4 1 STRONGHOLDS OF POWER 5 1 IN MAIDAN… 6 1ANOTHER JERUSALEM
Whatever you may say of Kyiv, you are afraid to blurt out just another banality. It is very difficult to express your feelings toward Kyiv after what has been told about it in the course of fifteen centuries by a world of extraordinary and talented people in love with this wonderful city.
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BY THE ROADS OF THE UPPER TOWN
1 ITINERARY 1 BY THE ROADS St. Sophia Reserve, OF THE UPPER TOWN Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Our trip around the city of Kyiv begins from Andriivsky Descent, Khreschatyk the Golden Gates. The more so as the Metro Street, “Building with Chimeras,” station “Golden Gates” is situated almost in Botanical Gardens, Podil. the heart of the city, which was called the upper town for centuries. Most of Kyiv Metro stations are beautiful – exquisitely old-fashioned “University” and “Khreschatyk,” the stylized stations of new lines. But “Golden Gates,” undoubtedly the most beautiful station of Kyiv subway executed in Rus’-Byzantine style, is a wonderful prelude to our trip through the princes’ town. During the times of Volodymyr – first great rulers of the young and quickly expanding Kyivan empire – the main entrance to the capital was the gate located at the crossroads of presentday Volodymyrska and Velyka Zhytomyrska streets. In 1037, under Yaroslav the Wise, there was built a new principal entrance to the city, the Golden Gates. Kyiv turned into a powerful fortress encircled by a ditch 15 meters wide and 8 meters deep. A wooden bridge was thrown across the ditch, which was to be burnt down in case of an enemy approach. The second tier of the gates was adorned with the little elegant Annunciation Church. The Golden Gates were not just a defensive, but rather a ritual structure, and the width of their To the left of the Golden Gates gateway (7.65 m.) was the same as that there is a little charming of the nave of St. Sophia Cathedral built shortly before. It was a monument… to a cat. great honor to enter into the city through the Golden Gates, and This cat, named Pantiushko, Bohdan Khmelnytsky with his Cossacks had this honor when they was, so to speak, a real histori- arrived in Kyiv in 1648. cal “personage” who lived in Unfortunately, the Golden Gates today is just a beautiful plaster the 1890s not far away, in the restaurant “Pantagruel,” and cast, in a sense – a “case” hiding the real remains of the gates. In perished under the wheels 1982, when this “case” was built, not all Kyivites were delighted of a car or during a fire at the with the project. With time, however, people got accustomed to it. restaurant… The owner of Nearby there is a picturesque public garden and a monument to the expensive restaurant de- Yaroslav the Wise. cided to immortalize the cat In Yaroslav’s time a striking panorama of numerous temples in bronze. Today the bronze and palaces opened up before the eyes of a traveler entering cat is a popular place for tour- the Golden Gates. Today the picture is different, but beautiful ists to be photographed, and all the same. The best way to Sofiivska Square is to walk a landmark for dates… along Volodymyrska Street, where you can see buildings of the late 19 th century: in their time Jaroslav Haљek wrote there his famous “The Dashing Soldier Љvejk,” the popular singer Aleksandr Vertinsky composed his songs, and the prominent Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov painted his “Epic Heroes.” Characters from Kuprin’s and Bulgakov’s works met at the local coffee-houses located also in this street. The gloomy gray building on the right side, the Security Service of Ukraine, is not quite in harmony with the rest of the buildings in “bourgeois” style. Before the war it was
IT IS WORTH VISITING
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occupied by NKVD (People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs), during the war, by Gestapo, later, by KGB… St. Sophia Cathedral is the main point of interest in Sofiivska Square. It was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in 1017, and completed between 1032 and 1037. The construction site for the main cathedral of the princely city was chosen not by mere chance: the four main roads leading to Kyiv met exactly in this place. It is a little-known fact that a cloister had existed there long before Rus’ was baptized: it had been founded by a devout Christian, Princess Olga, great grand-mother of Yaroslav the Wise, so this place had been already “prayed for.” The cathedral obtained a special status right away: princes were enthroned there, the burial service was read for them, and they were buried there. The temple was built using a special technology: stone-work alternated with very strong thin brick, and the mortar was made of
lime and ceramic pieces. Present-day outward appearance of the cathedral has nothing to do with its original appearance – now it is a typical baroque of the 17 th- 18 th centuries, when the temple was radically rebuilt. The model of St. Sophia Cathedral of the princes’ time can be seen inside the temple. However, the main thing is to see its frescoes and mosaics. The Virgin Orans, the protectress of Kyiv and Kyivites, is the most noteworthy of all the mosaics. There exists a very popular belief saying that until the Virgin Orans stands in St. Sophia Cathedral with her hands lifted up, Kyiv is imperishable. The best-known fresco is the family portrait of Yaroslav the Wise and his family. It is not uninteresting to see frescoes representing Kyivites that lived a thousand years ago.
1 BY THE ROADS OF THE UPPER TOWN
KYIV
Mosaic at St. Sophia Cathedral
Landscape plan of St. Sophia monastery
St. Sophia Cathedral
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STRONGHOLDS OF POWER
4
“Building with Chimeras”
districts of the city noteworthy for many other architectural relics. In the past this picturesque locality was called Klov; today this lodging name has been preserved by the wonderful baroque 18 th century Klovsky Palace located in Pylyp Orlyk Street. One day there was a «Sherborne guest linden grove there, which gave a new name to the area (“Lypky” house» “Sherborne guest house” is derived from the word “lypa”=linden). It appeared in the 19 th 4 Staronavodnytska St., century, when the grove was cut down to make room for villas Office 43, resembling palaces and fairy-tale castles, and little estates with tel.: (044) 295-8832, parks built by Kyiv aristocracy in the new fashionable district. Many www.sherbornehotel.com.ua of them have been preserved to our time: “Building with Caryatids,” “Chocolate Building,” the “House of Weeping Widow”… Similar meals masterpieces can be hardly enumerated: almost every building in Ukrainian cuisine “Dumpling-House No.1” Lypska, Shovkovychna, and Pylyp Orlyk streets is a work of art. 28 Esplanadna St., However, the best known among them is the “Building with tel.: (044) 287-1539 Chimeras,” which is located opposite the President’s palace. Its architect, Vladislav Gorodecki, was the author of dozens of brilliant works in Ukraine, Poland, and Iran, among them the RomanCatholic Church of St. Nicholas, the National Art Museum, and the aforementioned Karaite praying house in Kyiv, the railway station and the palace of the Shah of Iran… However, he didn’t have a home of his own until he was forty. The construction of his house he turned into another adventure story: to begin with, he chose a steep slope, which in the opinion of specialists was absolutely unfit for any kind of construction (an experienced colleague of his even made a bet with him, saying it was impossible); then he used quite a new building material – concrete; and, finally, turned the building itself into a chimerical tale in stone. “House of Weeping Widow” It took two years to raise the building. He was assisted by the famous Elio Sala, the author of animal sculptures, real and fantastic,
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and zoomorphic ornaments that decorated the façade. From the side of the street one can see only three stories, while in reality there are six – three other stories were cut into the slope; in order to secure the building’s safety on the dangerous slope 50 piles were driven into Kyiv’s perfidious ground. The interior was distinguished for ostentatious smartness: the architect reserved a modest ten-room apartment to himself; the remaining seven (on six floors!) were rented by the wealthiest citizens of Kyiv. Now the building is at the disposal of the Administration of the President. The stairs descending beside Gorodecki’s house lead to Ivan Franko National Academic Ukrainian Drama Theater, one of the best theaters in Ukraine. In the quiet public garden near the theater there is a nice sculpture devoid of any pomposity; it represents the great actor of this theater, Mykola Yakovchenko, sitting on a bench in a natural pose, with his dachshund Fanfan beside. Not far away, in the Passage, there is a similar monument: it shows a well-dressed, mustached gentleman sitting at a coffee table and smoking a pipe beside an old coffee-house; before him there is a coffee cup and his book “V. V. Gorodecki. In the Jungle of Africa.” ITINERARY 5 in maidan… Gorodecki Street that starts from the theater leads down to Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). Once there was Liadski Gate in this place through which Baty-khan’s horde burst into Kyiv in 1240. Today Maidan is known for different
5 IN MAIDAN…
KYIV
Vladislav Gorodecki (1863-1930), a descendent of a noble Polish family, was not only a brilliant architect, but also a traveler, literary man, adventurer, mystifier, and gentleman of the world. Kyivites liked to watch him driving in an open car, with a very long scarf around the neck and a little monkey on his shoulder… But the main passion of Gorodecki, certainly after architecture, was hunting - and not game-shooting, but rather lion hunting in Africa. This passion of his he reflected in “Building with Chimeras.”
Maidan Nezalezhnosti viewed from “Ukraina” Hotel
reasons. First it was the main scene of the “Orange Revolution” of 2004; second it is a place for concerts, various musical and political shows, round-the-clock and all-the-year-round, and youth festivals; third Maidan has the greatest density of monuments per
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7-10 IN THE REALM OF THE CARPATHIAN BEAR RUDKY•SAMBIR•TURKA 7 1 UZHOTSKY PASS•NEVYTSKE UZHGOROD 8
SEREDNIE•MUKACHEVE•CHYNADIEVE
9
BEREHOVE•VYNOHRADIV•KHUST
10
TIACHIV•SOLOTVYNA•RAKHIV
“Silver land” is an unofficial, but very popular name of Transcarpathia. It seems to mirror a traveler`s impression of a great many blinding, pure rivers and springs that fill the land with sonorous and pleasant noise, as well as of the transparent and magnificent air …
49
TIACHIV•SOLOTVYNa•RAKHIV
10 To get to the territory of the park you should follow certain “procedures.” You have to pass two check-points and pay a double ecological duty. Then you can walk straight to the lake. It should be remembered that Synevyr park is one of a few territories where tents and picnics are not allowed. Near the lake there is a recreation center and a quiet hotel.
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The National Park “Synevyr” was founded in 1989. It attracts travelers by wooded mountains, alpine meadows under the clouds, the rapid rivers Tereblia and Chorna Rika, and the curative mineral springs “Berkut” type. Here also belongs the unique mountain swamp Hlukhania. The highest summits in the territory of the park are the mountains of Strymba (1,719 m.) and Nehrovets (1,707 m.). But the most valuable treasure of the park is the famous Synevyr Lake, also known as the “Sea Eye.” It formed as a result of landslides, at a height of 989 m. above sea-level, which dammed up the river valley in the post-glacial period. The valley was quickly filled with the waters of three mountain streams; the area of the lake and its depth never stop to change depending on the quantity of atmospheric precipitates. There is another, poetic explanation of the lake’s origin. There is a small island in the middle of the lake. According to folk legends it is the top of a rock on the grave of the girl Syn and the boy Vyr. Evil people impeded their love. The envious threw the boy off the mountain. Left alone, the girl cried out a whole lake of blue tears, and then plunged into the water from a steep. The 8–22 meter deep lake covers about 4 or 5 hectares. Trout, already a rare fish in other terrains of the Carpathians, is still in abundance in the clear, cold water of the lake. A visit to the Museum of Rafting on the Chorna River will be of interest without doubt. However, the quality of the road will be right only for a land cruiser. Make your choice. At the beginning of
the road don’t miss the remains of a log pillbox of the famous defensive system “Arpad’s Line.” The museum is partially located on the water and is a hydraulic structure of the 19 th century. It was used for rafting timber bound in rafts. Its complex, for that time, technical and architectural solution was based on the traditions of folk construction. The dexterousness of Transcarpathian masters is well known far beyond the borders of the region. The religious, housing, administrative and other structures they made are real masterpieces and cannot but impress one with their inimitable beauty. (NPP “Synevyr” 90041, Ukraine, Transcarpathian oblast, Mizhhiria district, vil. Synevyr-Ostrilky, tel.:8 (03146) 03418. head@males.uzhgorod.ua)
10 TIACHIV•SOLOTVYNa•RAKHIV
TRANSCARPATHIA
On Synevyr lake
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11-15 UNFORGETTABLE LVIV
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A STROLL ABOUT THE MAGIC HEART OF THE CITY
12
ARMENIAN SECTION OF LVIV
13
THE MANY-SIDED WORLD OF THE HEART OF THE CITY
14
A STROLL BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF OLD WALLS
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BETWEEN THE NEW AND OLD WORLDS
It seems there is no man in Ukraine who wouldn’t like to visit the capital city of Galicia. However, a few days will not be enough to become acquainted with its architectural monuments, and to feel its unusual atmosphere. The explanation of an inhabitant of Lviv that “her female friend invited her to sit on a sofa with a cup of coffee with a cake” may drive our guests into a state of light culturological shock. Though it will pass very soon and turn into an absolute and pleasant dependence on Lviv. And, eventually, the city does deserve to be visited again, and in this particular case in company with the guide from “Baltia-Druk.”
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A TRIP OUTSIDE THE OLD WALLS
14
Monument to the founder of the city, Danylo of Galicia (sculpt. V. Yarych and R. Romanovych, arch. J. Churylyk), appeared in Galician Square in 2001. As it was set up, there were rumors that Kyiv authorities, because of political envy, did not allow putting a crown of the king’s head, which he received from the Pope. It is obvious that it was a compromise in a sense to place it on the pedestal. Like any other monument in Lviv it called forth emotional discussions among Lviv residents. Monument to Adam Miskiewicz
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LVIV ITINERARY 14 A TRIP OUTSIDE THE OLD WALLS It is better to start excursion from visiting the former Bernardine monastery (3 a Soborna Sq.), which is distinguished for its beautiful façade and interior decorations. First reference to a sanctuary in this place dates back to 1460. In 1600–1630 in place of a wooden church the construction of a stone architectural ensemble was started. In different times it was built by the monk Bernard Avelid, P. Rymlianyn, A. Prykhilnyi, A. Bemer, and others. Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic Church and the monastery were situated beyond the bounds of the walls, they made up an important link in Lviv’s defensive system. Inside the temple it is worth seeing seventeen wooden altars (authors T. Gudder and K. Kutschenreiter) and the original paintings by Benedikt Mazurkevich. Before World War II here were kept the relics of St. Jan of Duklia who, according to a legend, appeared before Bohdan Khmelnystky and tried to dissuade him from the storm of Lviv. On passing the monument to the king Danylo of Galicia (sculpt. V. Yarych, arch. Ya. Churylyk, 2001) we get to A. Mickiewicz Square before the building of “George” Hotel. The construction of this building was completed in 1793. The name originates from the name of its owner, George Goffman. Its present-day appearance formed only in 1900–1901 (arch. G. Gelmer and F. Felner). The extremely integral architectural ensemble of the building is supplemented with the allegories of Asia, Europe, America and Africa in the corners of the façade (arch. A. Popel). Famous persons such as H. Balzac, F. Liszt, M. Ravel, J.-P. Sartre, Iranian shah, and the novelist A. Tolstoy put up at the hotel, and spoke favorably of its service. Monument t Adam Mickiewicz was erected in the square of the poet’s name in 1904 (sculpt. A. Popel). The composition “Inspiration” represents in an allegorical form A. Mickiewicz’s meeting with a winged genius who hands a lyre over to him. The monument was a witness of numerous political and patriotic manifestations of Lviv public. Right away after its inauguration it was criticized and given humorous nicknames. There is a memory that if a student wanted to pass his finals successfully, he had to sit for some time under the angel. The monument to Taras Shevchenko (sculpt. V. and A. Sukhorskies) is an important part of the city’s political life. It was in its place that first meetings and heated debates of many thousands were conducted. Beside the bronze figure of T. Shevchenko towers the sculpture the “Wave of National Revival” on both sides of which there are the most important figures of Ukrainian
history. In the past, almost in the same place, stood a monument to the Polish king Jan III Sobieski, which after the war was transferred to Gdansk. Buildings of the former collegium and the Roman Catholic Church of SS. Peter and Paul of Jesuit’s order (1610–1630. arch. S. Lamhius, D. Briano, 12 Teatralna Sq.) were perhaps a first example of baroque architecture in Lviv. Once upon a time this Church was the highest structure of the city. However, because of a threatening situation, its tower was dismantled in part, and the broach spire was removed. Nevertheless its dimensions could not but impress one even after that. Despite the fact that today the temple is closed, its future has been determined. After the library funds that are presently kept here are moved to another place, it will become Lviv’s garrison temple. S. Krushelnytska Opera-House (Svoboda Sq.) is an architectural pearl not only of Lviv, but also of the whole of Ukraine. The city’s authorities and residents, needing a theater, announced a competition for the best project, which was won by the architect Z. Gorgolevsky. After receiving a loan of 1 million crowns the construction started in 1897 over the bank of Poltva River. The façade of the building was decorated with the figure of Genius with a golden olive-branch, allegorical sculptures and compositions, statues of the Muses (arch. A. Popel, Yu. Markovsky, T. Vyshniovetsky, Yu. Beltovsky). The interior was ornamented even more sumptuously. On the second floor there is a “Mirror Hall.” Here the portrayals of the Seasons of the Year and the allegories of Europe, Asia, Africa and America (author M. Gerasimovich) are
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Roman Catholic Church of SS. Peter and Paul
Half-length portrait of S. Krushelnytska. Sculpt. Ya. Skakun Lviv Opera-House
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On the way to Zhovkva there is an interesting town-like settlement of The Collegiate Church of St. KULYKIV. Once there was a fortified Vavzhynets, Greek-Catholic castle there. Today St. Nicholas RomanMonastery and the Nativity Church, Catholic Church of 1538 is one of its oldest the way of the cross to the mountain relics. Before the Second World War Kulykiv near the monastery in Krekhiv was famous for its tasty bread. It was even praised in street songs. In the 1960 s the local community changed their “specialization” for another gastronomic bait, namely the famous Kulykiv sausage. Even today market sellers persuade buyers with absolutely “honest” eyes that the appetizing sausage they sell originates exactly from Kulykiv. ZHOVKVA is situated at the foot of the picturesque chain of hills Roztochia, near Haray hill, which rises 150 meters above the adjacent plain. For the first time the city was mentioned in the 14 th century. However, in reality it came into existence in 1594, when hetman Stanislav Zholkevsky (1547–1620) founded a fortress there. Realizing the strategic importance of the location and benefits that could be obtained, the owner of the fortress instructed the architect Pavlo Schaslyvy to build a city. Another master, Pavlo Rymlianyn, continued Schaslyvy’s work.
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In 1603 the city was granted Magdeburg Law. At the close of the 18 th and throughout the 19 th century Jews composed the majority of its population. It was a powerful center of Hebraistic printing. The Ukrainians made up the second biggest ethnic group, followed by Polish and German communities. The stormy events of the First World War and World War II threw Zhovkva into a bloody whirlpool. Over its fields, In September 1914, above the local fields, the Russian pilot P. Nesterov executed the famous “loop” for the first time in the world, and perished during a ram attack of an enemy plane. Soviet power, discarding the “bourgeois” past of the pilot, renamed the town Nesterov in his honor. In 1991 the historical name was returned at the request of the city’s residents. At the entrance to the city there is the wooden Church of St. Trinity (1720). It is functioning, and has preserved one of the best iconostasis of that time. It is worth starting a tour of the city’s center from Rynok Square (today Viche Square). In the past it was surrounded by dwelling houses whose ground floors were occupied by shops. Some of them have preserved arcade galleries, which made it possible to wander about Rynok (market) at any weather. Stanislaw Zholkievsky The construction of Zhovkva castle began at the turn of the 17 th century. At different times architects Pavlo Schaslyvy, Pavlo Rymlianyn and Ambroziy Prykhylny took part in the work. Near the castle there was a zoo, which later was turned into a park. In 1610 S. Zholkevsky started his campaign against Moscow from this castle, and it was there that czar Vasiliy Shuisky was kept in detention. Enemies attacked the castle several times. Its fullest flower it reached during the reign of Jan III. In 1674 he transformed the castle into royal residence (architects P. Beber, A. Locci). In the castle the king received greetings on the occasion of his victory over the Turks and in the battle of Vienna. In 1740 Zhovkva became the property of the Radzivils. After 1740 the castle was reconstructed and lost its defensive character. The castle began to fall into decay in Austrian times, when it was sold by auction. The last owner, Artur Hlodovsky, brought the structure to destruction. In 1890 the city redeemed the building. In 1915 the remains of the castle were burnt down by the Russian troops. After the Second World War it was turned into a lodging. As of today most of the dwellers have been resettled, and the castle will be converted into museum. The next historical relic of Zhovkva is the Collegiate Church of Zhovkva castle St. Vavzhynets the Martyr (St. Lawrence). The Roman-Catholic
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A trip through Hutsulia offers an opportunity to come back to the fairy world of childhood. Regardless of seasons of the year you will never forget the improbable blending of the bright colors of nature in this part of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The heart of Ukraine is beating in the central regions, while its mystical soul is living in Hutsulian homes and estates. Try to behave with respect to nature and local people, and they will show you the shortest way to it.
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Museum of wooden architecture and painting of the 16 th-18 th centuries (10 M. Kosiubynsky St., tel.: (03435) 92126).
The Church of St. Panteleimon in the village of Shevchenkove was founded during the princely epoch. Built in 1194 by Prince Roman Mstyslavych, it is an example of white stone structures. Its walls are covered with drawings and graffiti. It is an important relic of Ukrainian culture. From the latter quarter of the 15th century it was the Roman Catholic Church of St. Stanislaw. In 1991 it was transferred to the GreekCatholic community and given its original name. The Church of the Nativity
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The origin of the name “Halychyna” (Galicia) remains disputable. The city of HALYCH was first mentioned in 1138 (http://www.galychrada.gov.ua). In 1141 Prince Volodymyr Volodarevych made it the capital of a principality. The city reached its fullest flower under Yaroslav Osmomysl. In the mid-18 th century Danylo of Galicia, trying to weaken positions of the local boyars, transferred the capital to the city of Kholm. As a result Halych began to decline. In 1772 new Austrian power, taking into account the historical past, named its newly acquired territories “Halychyna.” The castle of the town head is the principal architectural memorial of Halych. First written reference to fortifications in place of the castle dates back to 1114. First made of wood, they were replaced by stone structures starting in 1367 by order of King Kazimierz the Great to protect the city against Tatar assaults.
In 1658 Count Andriy Potocki built a new stone castle (architect Francois Korassini). In 1676 the king sentenced the local commandant to death for surrendering the garrison to the Turks commanded by Ibrahim-Pasha almost without fighting. The Turks blew up the fortress, which was not restored for a long time. A monument to King Danylo stands in the main square of the city. The Church of the Nativity is situated in the center of town. It was first mentioned in 1550. More than once it was ruined, but restored again and again. In 1825 its appearance underwent radical changes. Its present-day appearance the church acquired in 1904–1906 (architect L. Levinsky). KRYLOS is a mystical place. When you stand on the hill beside the burialmound, where an eminent warrior was buried, you feel what Galician Rus was and continues to be. Near the monument to the defenders that died in fighting the Mongol-Tatars, there are the remains of ramparts. The memorial place contains several objects among which the remains of the foundation of the Assumption Cathedral (1157) are of special interest. The temple and Krylos were destroyed during the Mongol invasion. The Chapel of St. Basil (1500) and the Assumption Church were built of the remainders. The wonder-working icon of the Virgin of Krylos can be seen in the church. A museum exposition has been arranged in the premises that belonged to Galician metropolitans.
In the vicinity of the Assumption Cathedral
Sub-Carpathian landscape viewed from the princely well in Krylos
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The warmth of the Bukovynian land is not only its climate and the character of its people. It is the atmosphere that reigns around. Adorned villages and settlements look bright and colorful like Bukovynian folk costumes. According to a legend the regional center of Chernivtsi was swept with a bunch of roses every morning. The traveler will never be tired of the monotony of its scenery, and the local hospitality will remain in your memory for good.
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The KHOTYN FORTRESS is the most prominent among numerous Bukovynian historical relics. From the 11 th through 14 th centuries this land was part of Kyivan Rus, and later, of Galician-Volhynian principality. The international route from Krakow and Lviv to the Black Sea harbors ran through this territory. In the 13 th century, by order of king Danylo
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IT IS WORTH SIGHTSEEING Khotyn fortress, metropolitan’s residence in Chernivtsi, ethnographic festival in Vyzhnytsia, the Old Believer’s settlement in Bila Krynytsia.
In the castle yard
of Galicia, a stone fortress was built in place of a wooden one, which was reconstructed and improved more than once in the course of ensuing centuries. A hard battle between the Turkish army 250 thousand strong under the command of the sultan
A fortress over the Dniester
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The Ternopil steppe is the beginning of the so-called Wild Field. Gradually retreating, the forest turns into spacious fields. Nice villages stretching along the roads or concealing themselves in deep ravines sometimes look like small fortresses ready to defend their microcosm at any moment. Situated in the high mountains, woods and on peninsulas, the local castles and palaces enable one to feel historical events that took place in these lands in the past.
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The tower of the Trinity Roman Catholic Church
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Ternopil region The settlement of MYKULYNTSI was first mentioned in Prince Volodymyr Monomakh’s “Teaching” of 1096. Later this locality was part of Terebovliansky (11 th c.), Galician (12 th c.), and GalicianVolhynian principalities (from 1199). The first owner of the castle in the 16 th-17 th centuries was Anna from the Seniawskies family. The defensive tower and the remains of the walls have been preserved to this day. Later on the fortress belonged in turn to the magnates Konecpolski, Zbararzski, and Liubomirski. Some of its premises are still in use as dwellings so to get inside is sometimes difficult. Beside the remains of the fortress, in the middle of the park, there is the 18 th-century palace built in place of the old palace of the Potockies’ family. Today it is the Mykulyntsi regional physiotherapeutic hospital (2 Halytska St.). As a matter of fact it was not the first attempt to set medical affairs going in Mykulyntsi. As far back as 1815 the estate became the property of Baron Knopka, who dreamed of creating an elitist balneology health resort on the basis of the local mineral waters. However, Mykulyntsi’s real gem is the Baroque Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity (1761–79) (architect A. Moshinsky).
There is the village of ZARVANYTSIA in the Ternopil’ oblast, which, as a Christian center, bears a close comparison to the KyivPechersk and Pochaiv lavras. First written reference to the settlement dates from 1458, and its name is linked with the appearance of a wonder-working image. In the 13 th century a monk, who fled from the Tatar-devastated Kyiv, spent the night in a forest and saw in his sleep a beautiful woman. When he woke up, he saw a spring, and above it, the icon of the God’s Mother with the infant Christ in her hands. The place where sleep overcame (Ukr. zarvav = overcame) the monk was called Zarvanytsia. According to a legend the Terebovliansky prince Vasylko took on a new lease of life near the icon. So it was he who founded the monastery. In 1867 the Pope Pius IX gave the icon of the God’s Mother of Zarvanytsia the remission status, i. e. one who comes to bow to it obtains a special bliss from God. In Soviet times the monastery was destroyed. But the spring in its territory came up to the surface again and again.
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The name of TEREBOVLIA is derived from the old-Rus term terebivlia, i. e. a place burnt out in a forest. It was first mentioned in the Ipatievo Chronicle in 1097. The Volhynian Prince Vasylko desired to make it his own capital. In 1241 the city was attacked by the Mongol-Tatars. In 1340 it was conquered by King Kazimirz the Great. In 1366, on the table of an impregnable mountain, over the Hnizna River, the Terebovlia castle was erected in place of a wooden fortification. (From the center of the city you should go along T. Shevchenko and Zamkova streets, and further through the gate, by serpentine, upwards). The remains of the fortress walls are 4–5 meters thick. On the brink of the mountain there are a big and two smaller towers, and the remains of the gates that look like an arch. In 1524 the Lithuanian-Ukrainian troops annihilated several thousand Tatars near the city. According to a legend, in 1675, when the Turkish army surrounded the fortress, and the defenders began to lose heart, the wife of the commandant, Anna-Dorota Hszanovska, swore to her husband that she would kill him and herself should he surrender the fortress to the enemy. It produced an effect, and the fortress withstood. The inhabitants had erected two monuments to the heroine, but they were destroyed. Today the remains of one of them are found near the fortress. Another story links the city’s salvation with the protection of the icon of God’s Mother of Terebovlia, which is presently kept at St. Yura’s Cathedral in Lviv. The Turks ruined the castle in 1688 once and for all. The remains of the Carmelite defensive monastery, built 1617–1635 (architect P. Ozhga), are located in 3 T. Shevchenko St. Its architecture combines Renaissance and Baroque features. The church and living quarters of the monastery are behind the high wall with four defensive towers at the corners. The loopholes at the towers were adapted for shooting not only rifles, but cannons as well. Today a theological seminary of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church is functioning in the territory of the monastery.
Zarvanytsia monastery
The icon of God’s Mother
Carmelite monastery
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Ukrainian Polissia is rather an unknown land. Concealing itself amid lakes, swamps and numerous small rivers, it has many interesting and unusual relics. A trip through Volhynian terrains is an ideal rest for those who prefer unhurried journey and like to be absorbed in the original, authentic and mystic world berhymed by the Ukrainian poetess Lesia Ukrainka.
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lodging “Dzherela” motel complex 12 km. Lutsk – Rivne highway tel.: 03365) 33-184 “Mayetok” vil. Lipiny, Lutsk district, 1a Veteraniv St., tel.: (0332) 79-7863 “Okolytsia” Motel c. Lutsk;, 154 Rivenska St. tel.: 03322) 55-298 “Phoenix” recreation center t. Shatsk, (vil. Hriada), tel.: (03355) 23-246, 8 (050)378-5333
St. Josaphat Kuntsevych (1580-1623) was born in Volodymyr-Volynsky and is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the Greek Catholic Church. He actively assisted with raising the level of the clergy education, and extending religiousness of the population. J. Kuntsevych was killed by religious fanatics in Vitebsk. Now his remains are lying in a glass coffin on the altar of St. Basil at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. View of the monastery in Volodymyr-Volynsky
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Lutheran church in Volodymyr-Volynsky The next point of our itinerary is VOLODYMYRVOLYNSKY (population 40 thousand; 12 km. away from the Ukrainian-Polish crossing Ustilug), a picturesque town located on the way to the Shatsk National Reserve. First written reference to Volodymyr dates back to 988, when Kyivan Prince Volodymyr the Great presented it to his son Vsevolod. In the course of its history Volodymyr was an important center of Volhynian and Galician-Volhynian principalities. Due to its location on the crossroads of Rus-Poland-Lithuania it became a strong fortress and an important commercial center. The remains of the ramparts can be seen in the center of town near the bus station. A park has been laid out nearby, and from the earthen walls there is a wonderful view of the town. Unfortunately, the town concealed one of its secrets for a long time. In the 1990 s there were discovered there numerous burial places of the victims of communist terror.
In 992 an Episcopal cathedra was founded in the city. Prince Roman Mstislavich of Volodymyr united Galician and Volhynian lands in 1199. His children, King Danylo of Galicia, and Prince Vasylko created a powerful state, which successfully defended itself against the Mongol-Tatars and western neighbors. In 1349 the city was seized by Polish king Casimir the Great. In 1431 Volodymyr was granted the status of a city. In 1793, after the Second Partition of Poland, the city found itself under the rule of the Russian empire. It was at that time that the word “Volynsky” was added to its name. The city became part of Soviet Ukraine in 1939. Historical museum of VolodymyrVolynsky is situated in I. Franko Street (tel.: (03342) 21–911, 20–620). The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1160, 27 Soborna St.) is the most noteworthy among other historical relics. It was supposedly founded by Prince Mstislav Iziaslavich, and it is the oldest relic of Volhynia. The founder Prince Vasylko Romanovych, his wife Olena, and his son Volodymyr Vasylkovych were buried in the Assumption Cathedral. It was the main temple of Volhynia in the 14 th and 15 th centuries. In 1491, during a Tatar attack, it was damaged, but in 1494 it was restored. The construction of an Episcopal “small castle” started at the same time nearby the cathedral. From 1596 the cathedral belonged to the Uniate Church. In 1782, by order of bishop Simeon Slavsky, secret stairs to the Episcopal cathedra were built within a bearing structure; as a result part of the vaults tumbled down. In 1900 reconstruction of the temple was completed and it was consecrated anew. Presentday interior decoration was executed in the 20 th century. The “Small Castle” near the sanctuary was built at the close of the 15 th century and reconstructed in the 17 th. From the southern side it was terminated with a high defensive tower, which at the close of the 19 th century was turned into a bell tower. The history of the Church of St. Basil (15 th cent., 15 Vasylkivska St.) is linked with a beautiful legend. According to it Prince Volodymyr, returning from a campaign against the tribe of white Croats, stayed in Volodymyr and, as a token of gratitude to God, ordered that each of his bodyguards should bring a brick. Thus a temple was built within one day, and consecrated in honor of St. Basil. In the past there was a plaque on the northern wall with a date: “The year 670,” which corresponds to 1194. During World War I the plaque disappeared. In the 16 th century the church belonged to the families of Sanhyshkos and Radziwills and was on the decline. In 1740, during restoration, a stone bell tower was built on to the western side. Orthodox brotherhood
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St. Basil’s Church The wooden Roman Catholic Church of SS. Joachim and Anna (1 Kovelska St.) appeared in 1554 due to donation of Princess Anna Zbarazska. In 1752 it was replaced by a stone temple founded by Adam VoynaOransky, and executed in the style of the so-called Vilenske baroque. According to a local legend, in 1794 money raised for the restoration of Rzeczpospolita’s independence was hidden exactly in this church. The temple functioned until 1958. Soviet power “re-profiled” it into a coffeehouse, and later, into a concert hall.
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Mighty castles and fortresses, originally disposed monasteries and convents, important political and educational establishments – all this is found against the background of wonderful scenery on the border of Rivne and Volhynian regions. This is the path of a knight perceiving his native land in search of truth and spiritual enrichment.
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The Jesuit Monastery
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RIVNE REGION Burunday managed to force its residents to dismantle part of the walls. The fortress had an 80‑meter-deep well. After the dynasties of old Ukrainian rulers faded away, the city together with the neighboring terrains passed to the Lithuanian state in 1340. For eight years the fortress was a prison for Prince Svydryhailo, the rival of Prince Witowt for the throne. In 1539 Kremenets became the property of Bona Sforza of Milan, the wife of Sigismund the Old. Since then the hill and the fortress towering above the city have been bearing the name of this extravagant ruler. The fragments of the Nadbramna, Cherlena and Shliakhetska towers have survived to our time. In 1648 the Cossack detachment under Felon Dzhalaliy, after a siege of several weeks, seized and ruined the fortress. The remains of a Cossack cemetery have been preserved at the foot of Chercha Hill. Standing on Zamkova Hill, on a fine day, one can see the golden domes of Pochaivska Lavra. To get to the top of the hill you should walk along Zamkova Street. Admission to the fortress is paid. The baroque Roman Catholic Church of SS. Igmatois of Loyola and S. Kostka (arch. P. Przicki) and the Jesuit monastery (arch. Ya. Kubytsky, 4 Lenin St.) originated from the mission founded in the city in 1702. With the support of Janusz-Antoniy Vyshnevecki it quickly developed, and under the rule of Pavlo Pzhycki a monastery complex was built in 1731–1743. In 1750 a college was founded there to provide young people with secondary education. In the 19 th century there happened an event, which gave the locality the name of “Volhynian Athens.” In 1805 on the basis of the Jesuit college the Higher
Volhynian Gymnasium was opened, which in 1819 was reorganized into a Lyceum. The beginnings of the Lyceum were closely connected with the names of outstanding public figures and pedagogues such as Tadeusz Chacki and Gugo Kollontay. The institution had a good library. Between the building of the Lyceum and the wall there was a nice park (gardener D. Mikler), which in the course of time was converted into botanical gardens (the author of project F. Sheit). Education for children of the nobles, petty bourgeois and Israelites was mostly free. The government of the Russian Empire closed the Lyceum as a token of revenge for the Polish uprising of 1830. The names of the writer Ulas Samchuk, philologist Isaac Ber-Levinzon, composer Aleksandr Khotovicki, the prominent botanist Villibald Besser, historian and public figure Ioakhim Lelevel are closely linked with Kremenets. The engineer Ernest Malinovski was one of the most interesting graduates of the Lyceum. After his project the world’s highest railway was built in Peru in the 19 th century, at a height of 4,769 meters above sea-level. It played an important role in the war with Spain in 1864–1866. E. Malinovski was awarded the rank of Hero of the Republic of Peru. Today the building of the college is the Teacher-Training University. The Roman Catholic church was transformed into an Orthodox church in 1840. In 1920 the Poles got it back, but with the arrival of Soviet power its status was changed again. It was a gymnasium and a furniture shop, and now it is functioning as the Transfiguration Church (Kyiv Patriarchy). Unfortunately, its original interior has not survived. Kremenets is well known for its picturesque landscapes. Between the city and Pochaiv there is the so-called God’s mountain. Its structure consists of chalk, sand and limestone. At the foot of the mountain there is a spring with healing water. It was in these terrains that one of the major battles between the NKVD forces and the units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) took place after the Second World War. The stone building in 3 Medova St. is called “Twins.” It actually consists of two buildings connected with one bearing wall. The attic is also living quarters. Their present-day appearance is far from
Bona Sforza of Milan descended from an old family of Milan dukes. She is well known in history by the fact that she introduced in Rzeczpospolita “Italian”vegetables unknown before. Bona was in disrepute among Polish subjects. One of the local legends maintains that the queen ordered to build a bridge of ox-hides that connected Zamkova and Cherche hills. She decided to coach across it, but the bridge became detached and fell. However the queen did not perish. Some people said she survived thanks to God’s protection, others asserted that due to the interference of evil forces.
Panorama of Kremenets
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Our castles, particularly those in Podolia, are a unique historical phenomenon, which obtained the name of “The Ukrainian shield of Europe.” V. Vechersky, “Castles and Fortresses of Ukraine”
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While staying on the bridge, look at the wooden Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which concealed itself behind the fortress walls at the bottom of the canyon. In the past the temple was the center of the settlement under the name of Karvasar. It is supposed that the name was derived from the word“caravanserai,”which was arranged there for the merchants arriving from the East.
tury. Seven towers were built under the supervision of the Italian architect Kamilius. In the latter half of the 16 th century the military engineer Iov Pretfus (Pretvych) carried out the first serious reconstruction, fortifying the walls and the towers. Altogether there were 18 objects within the fortress complex. The walls of the old fortress are 336 meters long. In some places they are 17.5 meters high and 4 meters thick. In 1620–1621 the engineer T. Shomberg built a New castle of a bastion type in the most vulnerable place of the fortress, which suffered badly from Turkish invasion. Fatal events befell the fortress and the city in 1672 when the troops under sultan Mekhmet IV and hetman P. Doroshenko seized the fortress. The victors entered the fortress on horseback and rode along the city’s streets. According to a legend the Turks flung icons under the horses’ hoofs, and people said that God would never
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pardon Doroshenko for such an outrage. And the prophecy did come true. The Turks attached great importance to Kamyanets-Podilsky, which is proved by the sultan’s words to the effect that the seizure of the fortress meant that one eye of Rzeczpospolita was smashed, and the seizure of Lviv would open the way to Europe. Fortunately, Lviv withstood the siege. Nevertheless, the fall of Kamyanets produced in Europe a tremendous impression bordering on panic. After a strenuous struggle Poland was forced to sign a disgraceful Buchach peace treaty under which almost the whole of Podolia passed to Turkey. In 1699, after the Turks were driven out, Kamyanets again became part of Rzeczpospolita. In 1819, after the partition of Poland, when Kamyanets passed to Russia, the fortress was converted into a provincial prison. It was the beginning of neglect and great ruination that was stopped in the latter half of the 20 th century, when systematic restoration of the memorial fortress began. The Turkish Bridge in Kamyanets is a prominent historical monument. Scholars maintain that its foundation remembers the Roman times. The bridge is 27 meters above river-level. In 1544 a special canal was built under the bridge, which regulated the level of water in case of flood. In 1685–1686, liquidating the damages of 1672, French engineers carried out its reconstruction, using stones from the dismantled Carmelite cloister. It is assumed that the Turks strangled Hetman Yu. Khmelnytsky there and threw his body down from the bridge. Another legend maintains that the Turks, retreating from the city, tried to take out a whole coach of gold. In a crush of carts and coaches it fell from the bridge, and since then brave spirits have been trying to find the treasure at the bottom of the Smotrych River. In the territory of the museum a number of major historical monuments deserve special attention. At the entrance on the left there are the remains of a hole, which served as a debtor’s prison.
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Pope’s tower (1503-1517) derived its name from Pope Julius II who allotted money for its construction. Within the tower there is an exhibition devoted to Ustym Karmaliuk, the most famous prisoner of the fortress –“Podolian Robin Hood.”Fretted with chains he spent there several months, in the square before the town hall he endured a hundred and one slashes with rods, and in 1823, together with his comrades, escaped from the fortress. He was very popular with common people, and his deeds found their reflection in the folk song “The Sun is Rising Beyond Siberia.”Another part of exhibition is placed in renovated economic premises and living quarters of the fortress.
Panorama of the Old fortress
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27 AMONG PALACES, GRANITE AND WOODS 27
ZHYTOMYR •VERKHIVNIA •CHERVONE • ANDRUSHIVKA•BERDYCHIV•KHMILNYK• STAROKOSTIANTYNIV •DENYSHI• VOLODARSK-VOLYNSKYI•KOROSTEN• OVRUCH•NOVOgRAD-VOLYNSKYI
A quiet and provinciality of Zhytomyr land is deceitful: round every turn of a road you meet an evidence of the stormy historical past of this terrain. And from the high walls of the monastery of the order of Barefooted Carmelites in Berdychiv, or from the windows of the nobiliary estate of the Ganskies in Verkhivnia the Ukrainian present day acquires unexpected aspect.
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If you wish to get into the kingdom of granite we suggest that you make a stop near a small village of Lyznyk on the way to Volograd-Volynskyi. On the right side of the highway there is a stoners facility – a granite panther is sitting at the gate and the huge chunks of granite are piled up in the yard. There is a highroad to the left that leads to the digging site, but you will have to go by foot since cars aren`t allowed there. Follow the road to the top of the hill and you will experience an outstanding view – the granite hills run straight into the deep lake that formed during the digging. There is even a small beach there.
Park of M. Ostrovkyi on the banks of river Uzh
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ZHYTOMYR REGION The next excursion opens the geological mysteries of Ukraine – without losing the historical atmosphere of the adventure. If you look on the map of Zhytomyr region, you will see that Zhytomyrske Polissya is a kingdom of forests and stones, both of which are variable. Take a P 28 highway to the north of Zhytomyr. After about 30 km turn right on the T 06 02 road. In 11 km is a first stop – a town of Volodarsk-Volynskyi. A settlement over Irsha, founded in XVI century, passed from one family to another, was destroyed, until it became a property of marshal M. I. Kutuzov who began the production of cannons and cannonballs here in XIX century. A monument to the great commander is situated on the right side of the road, in a park of XVIII century, surrounded by the old oaks. The bronze monument crowns a column made of labradorit. While taking a walk in the park make sure to pay attention to the magnificent view that opens from a river bank. To get to the museum of jewels (str. Karla Marksa, 58, t. (04145) 21–688), move through the central square and you`ll see it to the right behind a fire station. Many treasures are stored in there. Among the variety of topazes you should note the unique blue stone «Akademik Fersman». Exposition consists of the rare heliodors (a precious kind of beryl), quartz crystals and many more. Back to the P28 highway that leads to the ancient city of Korosten. Back in the X century it was the centre of drevlyanska land. The legendary Iskorosten was burned down by princess Olga as a revenge for her killed husband prince Igor. Over the Uzh river there is a monument to the prince Malu, that offered Olga a marriage as a way of peacefully ending the story of her greedy husbands murder. It was rejected and drevlyany
paid a dire price for their rebellion. On the hill near the princedefender`s monument a town is being built as a resemblance of an ancient fortress. Inside the rock there is a masked fortification «Skelya», built in 30 th of XIX century. On the other bank of Uzh there is a park of M. Ostrovskyi, which holds the kamyani bryly – the granite deposits, a remembrance of the Ice age on Earth. The rocky banks of the river attract tourists and fishermen, it`s a good spot for the family rest, since there is a children playing ground, benches standing in the alleys, and a café-bar near the fountains. The last stop on this way will be the ancient city of Ovruch. From Korosten take a north-eastern highway P 49. The city is mentioned from X century. During the times of Kyivska Rus there was a mighty fortress. Over the river Noryn in place of a wooden church, that is told to be built by Volodymyr Velykyi in X century, two centuries later a temple of St. Vasyl was built on that spot. In the XIX century it was almost destroyed, but thanks to the hard work of a famous architect O. Shchusev it was rebuild. You can see the church very well from the city entrance – it stands on the right side of the bridge, on the left side you can see the white walls of the newly built Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi cathedral. Near the ancient temple there is a building of a female monastery built at the beginning of XX century. During the Great Patriotic War many partisan squads were operating on Polissya, you can learn about then in the museum of partisan glory, which is near the city park. A monument to general O. Saburov is stationed there – he was the leader of partisans on Right-bank Ukraine. From Zhytomyr you can go to the city of NovogradVolynskyi in the western part of the region. It`s the M 06 highway. An ancient city of Zvyagil was mentioned in the XIII century. In XVI century prince Kostantyn Ostrozkyi built a fortification which was destroyed during the Liberation war of Ukrainian people. The rest of the fortifications can be found on the high bank of Slutch, where the monumental sign is stationed. The renaming of the city is connected with Kateryna the Second`s plan about making it into the centre of Volynska region. Plans have later changed but the name remained. In the newest history Novgorod-Volynskyi is mentioned as a birth place of Lesya Ukrainka. The house where the poetess parents lived has been preserved. Now it`s a literature-memorial museum (str. Karla Marksa, 94, t. (04141) 52–180, 9.00–18.00, Saturday and Sunday are days off).
A monument to the drevlyanskyi prince Mal in Korosten
A view of monastery and the temple of St. Vasyl
meals «Stare misto» c. Berdychiv, str. Nezhiretska, 157 «Tri tovstuny» tavern c. Berdychiv, str. Kotovskoho, 15 «Mirabella» c. Berdychiv, str. Lenina, 20
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28 ON THE BORDER OF THE WILD FIELD 28
STRYZHAVKA•VINNYTSIA•VORONOVYTSIA• NEMYRIV•TULCHYN•BUSHA• MOHYLIV-PODILSKY•LIADOVA• MUROVANI KURYLYNTSI•SHARHOROD
While staying in Vinnytsia region, standing on the high bank of the Dniester River, you can enjoy the warmth of the wind breathing from the south. Besides, in one of the gullies you can find a nice village, which concealed itself in days of yore from enemy assaults. Who knows how your perception of the world will change after you see a rock drawing of a pagan temple, which is several thousand years of age.
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VINNYTSIA REGION
View of the Transfiguration Cathedral
Soviet power, Stalinist repressions and German occupation, but remained an important economic and administrative center of Ukraine. Today the monuments to Communist leaders are queerly combined with monuments to their victims in Vinnytsia streets. Historical monuments in Vinnytsia are comparative few. Most of them are located at the intersection of Soborna and M. Kozytsky streets, near the city’s old section known as “Mury,” and located on the right bank of the Southern Bug River. The activities of the architect Grigoriy Artynov had the most profound effect on the architectural appearance of the city of the early 20 th century. Many structures ordered by wealthy citizens were built after his projects. The baroque Roman-Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary (12 Soborna St.), which was built by the churchwarden L. Kalynowski in 1745, belongs to the most interesting architectural monuments of the city. On the opposite side of the street there is the complex of the former Dominican church and monastery (23 Soborna St.). From 1758 the noble family of Grokholskies took charge of its reconstruction. Fragments of murals of the 18 th century have survived in the interior to this day. In 1831 Russian power, in revenge for the Polish uprisings, confiscated the monastery and converted it into an Orthodox church. In Soviet times it functioned as a concert hall, and in the 1990 s it was returned to the Church. The construction of the Jesuit monastery (19 Soborna St.), which had been designed as a defensive structure, started in 1610. Initially it was linked with the Dominican monastery with a high stone wall, jointly forming a single defensive system. In 1907 a number of monastic cells were transformed into a gymnasium. Today it is the Art Museum (tel.: (0432)
Dominican monastery
The Church of St. Nicholas
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The former suburban estate of the Grokholski family in the village of Pyatnychany (18 th c., 32 Michurin St.) has already become part of the city. The surviving estate and palace were built in the 1780 s. The palace and the annexes are located in the middle of a nice landscape park (32 hectares) abounding in rare species of trees. Today it is a hospital. In the outskirts of Vinnytsia there is the village of PIROHOVE with the memorial estate of the famous scientist-surgeon Nikolay Pirogov (1810–1881). The founder of field surgery in the Russian Empire, he lived there the last twenty years of his life. His rich practical experience and scientific research considerably enriched world medicine. He was the first to use anesthesia during surgical operations. About a kilometer away from the memorial estate, in the center of the village, there is N. Pirogov church the burial-vault built by his wife. Here lies the body of the great scientist embalmed by his pupils (155 Pirogov St., Tu.-Sun., 10.00–17.00, tel.: (0432) 466937, 43–7149). VORONOVYTSIA (24 km away from Vinnytsia) is situated over the Zhvan River. As far back as 1748, according to a royal decree, it acquired the status of a city. From the mid-18 th century the locality belonged to the family of Mykhailo Grokhovski who started building a palace there (arch. D. Merlini, V. Lenin St.). Encircled with a park French style the construction turned into a quiet family estate. In 1869 the palace passed into the possession of the Russian officer Nikolay Mozhaisky, and after his tragic death passed to his brother Aleksandr. The famous adherent of aeronautics, Aleksandr Mozhaisky, astonished, and sometimes even frightened his neighbors with various technical experiments. According to Colonel P. Bogoslavsky, the inventor, in 1876,
MOHYLIV-PODILSKY•LIADOVA•MUROVANI KURYLYNTSI SHARHOROD
353254, 10.00–17.00) and Museum of Local Lore (1 Muzeyna St., tel.: (0432) 353019, 10.00–17.00). (today “Ukraina” Hotel, 36 Kozytsky St.) played an important role in the history of the city. It was the headquarters of the government of the UPR headed by Symon Petliura until the Bolsheviks under the leadership of Ye. Edelstein seized the city. In contrast to the Petliura government, which financed the development of museums and education in Ukraine, the Bolsheviks arrested members of the city council and imposed a fine of 75 thousand rubles on the local “bourgeois.” Vinnytsia’s other places of interest are situated in the outskirts of the city. The Church of St. Nicholas (1746) with a bell tower of the 19 th century (6 V. Mayakovsky St.) is one of the best sacral memorials of the Podolian architectural school. For the last time it was restored in 1970. Today it is a branch of Vinnytsia Museum of Local Lore. M. Pirogov church-burialvault
One of the most prominent Ukrainian writers and public figures, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, was born in Vinnytsia on September 17, 1864. The writer’s grandfather M. Abaza laid the foundation of an estate in the outskirts of the city in the 1820s. M. Kotsiubynsky lived there thirty years and wrote a number of his well-known works. In 1927 the estate was converted into a literarymemorial museum (287100, Vinnytsia, 15 I. Bevz St., tel.: (0432) 263298, 35-2687)
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VYSHGOROD•NOVI PETRIVTSI• CHORNOBYL’ KOZYN•OBUKHIV•TRYPILLIA•RZHYSCHIV• BALYKO SCHUCHYNKA•KAHARLYK• BOHUSLAV•KHOKHITVA
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PEREYASLAV-KHMELNYTSKY•TASHAN’• DOBRANYCHIVKA•YAHOTYN• BOHDANIVKA•SULYMIVKA•BORYSPIL
The monuments of Kyiv region are much more modest looking, than architectural treasures of the capital. It`s not surprising. But the Kyiv region is attractive for another reason – this place has preserved the national spirit and the genetic code from the times of Kyivska Rus…
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A park ensemble «Ruyiny»
KYIV REGION
cross the bridge over the Ros’ River, then follow Druzhba Street in the direction of Volodarka. On reaching route T 10 04 drive some 20 km to the south up to the left turn to Tarasivka. Go ahead to Tadiivka and turn right near three-storied buildings of red brick. After a few kilometers you will come to Parkhomivka. The settlement was founded in he 16 th century, and flourished when the engineer V. Golubev became its owner. The Councillor of State was in charge of communications. The grateful descendants erected a monument to the engineer near the Intercession Church, the main landmark of the village. This wonderful temple, raised after the design of
Pokrovska church and mosaic fragments the architect V. Pokrovsky (awarded the title of academician for this creation), is considered a masterpiece of the national architecture. The mosaic panel, made after the drawings of N. Roerich, is an adornment of the church.
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© TS AF of Ukraine
IT IS WORTH VISITING Pereyaslav reservation, primitive hunters site in Dobranychivsk, estate of Kateryna Bilokur in Bohdanivtsi, Porkrovska church in Sulymivtsi A long and interesting story can be written about PEREYASLAV-KHMEL’NYTSKY. In the course of eleven centuries it has seen more than a lot. Every stage in the development of human civilization left its trace in these lands: the objects of the Bronze Age and the periods of Trypillia and Cherniakhivska cultures, of the Scythian Age and the time when the early Slavs came into being, the period when Kyivan Rus and the Cossack State flourished… The city of Pereyaslav played an important role in all historic developments that took place in Ukraine. The fate of Ukraine was often solved in Pereyaslav. A detailed historical digression and an inventory of the local ancient memorials are set forth in the guide “Pereyaslav-Khmel’nytsky” issued by “Baltia-Druk” Publishers. On its pages you will find brief information on tourist itineraries of the city, which is distinguished not only for its venerable
At the museum under the open sky
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33 THE COSSACK LAND
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УUMAN•TALNE•SHEVCHENKOVE•MORYNTSI• MLIIV•KHOLODNYI YAR•SUBOTIV•CHYHYRYN• CHERKASY•MOSHNY•KANIV•TRAKHTEMYRIV
“Shevchenko’s Land,” as Cherkasy region is often called today, is one of the most interesting regions of Ukraine: fine nature, mild climate, benevolent people, and in addition, numerous historical monuments, which testify to its grand past and good prospects. So your trip will be cognitive and unforgettable…
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Tarpeian cliff with pergola
“Serpent” fountain Anti-Circe island
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CHERKASY REGION The Uman Museum of Local Lore operates in the city as well (31 Zhovtneva St., tel.: (04744) 53–070, 52–442.) Sophia conceived the idea of a park after she visited her friend, Countess Helen Radziwill. The latter showed her the park “Arcadia.” Sophia was enchanted with its beauty so much that she asked her husband to build a similar romantic place. The count, while hunting in the environments of the Kamyanka terrain, appreciated the locale at its true value and the work started. Every day, from 1796 to 1802, hundreds of people were engaged in laying out the park, creating fantastic landscapes decorated with Greek sculptures, pergolas and waterfalls, which were to remind Sophia of her distant motherland. The total expenditures amounted to 2,000,250 rubles. The area of the park covered 140 hectares. The park was considered the best in Europe. However, S. Potocki unexpectedly died in 1805. His elder son, who had no special liking of his stepmother, all the same transferred the park and part of the estate under Sophia’s management. The building up of the park stopped only after the death of the beauty in 1822. In 1831 Russian czar confiscated the park and changed its name for “Czarina’s Garden.” In 1847 Nicholas I visited the park. Since then and up to the outbreak of the First World War the park remained under supervision; certain alterations were made in its initial version. From 1919 to 1955 it had the exotic name of “III International Garden” and was declared a reserve. In 1955 it was converted into a branch, and in 1991 into an independent scientific institution of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The park suffered a real catastrophe in spring 1980 when it was unexpectedly flooded.
By great efforts the park was restored. It is annually visited by more than half a million tourists. Most sculptures in “Sofiivka” are connected with the personages of Greek mythology. Numerous fountains and waterfalls are regulated, a necessary pressure for them is provided with a dam on the Upper pond. The water is piped to the Ionic Sea where the 18‑meter-high fountain “Serpent” is gushing. Between the Upper pond, where Anti-Circe island is located, and the pond “Axeront” the serfs dug a 224‑meter-long underground tunnel, which symbolized the mythical River Styx. “Sofiivka” has many various interesting sights, which you must visit without fail. Among them is the waterfall near “The Dale of Giants.” According to a legend, after walking under the waterfall you should count the number of drops on your clothes. The number of your desires to be fulfilled will be the same. The enigmatical “Calypso Grotto” has a similar predestination. At the entrance to the grotto there is a “stone-turtle” near which Sophia received Russian czar. The “Column of Sorrow” reminds one of a tragedy that befell S. Potocki and Sophia, when their three children died because of epidemic. On leaving the main noisy alleys you can seclude yourself in the English Park near the Chinese Pergola, or at the Parterre Amphitheater. According to a legend one of the oldest suburbs of Uman was known under the name of “Turok” (Turk), which originated from the Turkish camp that was quartered there in 1674. After the conquerors left the settlement, it was inhabited by the Jew-Hasideans. The community was founded by the rabbi Israel Baal-Schem-Tow. His great-grandson, the rabbi Nakhman of Braclaw (1772–1810) visited in 1802 the Uman cemetery of the Jews who perished during the Koliivschyna and expressed a desire to be buried there. His grave has been preserved and is the place of worship (ntersection of V. Belinsky and A. Pushkin streets). The Historical and Cultuaral Center of the Hasideans in Uman is situated nearby (20 a V. Belinsky St.). In Soviet times the authorities put obstacles in the way of pilgrims in every way possible. To get to the holy place the latter were ready to travel even in the trunk of a taxi. Today pilgrims are coming to Uman from more than twenty countries. Especially mass arrival (about 35 thousand) takes place every year on the Jewish New Year (end of September – early October). The testament of the rabbi Nakhman of Braclaw reads as follows: “Whether you eat or do not eat, sleep or do not sleep, pray or do not pray – but do your best to be with me on Rosh Hashana.”
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Venus’ grotto
Toy steamer for trips on the Upper pond For the Hasideans Rosh Hashana is not a holiday, but the day of Supreme court. On this day the Most High decides who will be entered in the Book of life, and who in the Book of death. To get into the first one you should ask forgiveness for all your sins and forgive you enemies. The soul of saddik Nakhman is simultaneously the mediator and the embodiment of Messiah. The peculiarity of Jewish pilgrimage consists in the fact that during prayers believers must not carry out any action. Sometimes it complicated the life of the local dwellers. The religious center can be freely visited on Monday. http://www.uman. narod.ru.
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34 THE HEART OF UKRAINE
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BEREZOVA RUDKA•LUBNY•MHAR• MYRHOROD• HOHOLEVE• VELYKI SOROCHYNTSI•OPISHNIA• DYKANKA•RESHETYLIVKA•POLTAVA
Poltava region is the land generously endowed with songs and legends, the land of writers and artists, thinkers and scientists, whose names are engraved in the Pantheon of glory of the Ukrainian culture. It is the motherland of Skovoroda and Kotliarevsky, Gogol and Panas Myrny… Poltava’s scenery is typical of Ukrainian landscapes. Poltava’s dialect formed the basis of the Ukrainian literary language.
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Sorochyntsi fair Nikolay Gogol, the future outstanding writer, spent his childhood in the village of Hoholeve. His grand-father, Colonel Ostap Gogol, actively fought for independent Cossack state. The museumreserve set up in memory of the 175th birth anniversary of the writer included the family estate, an outhouse, a grotto, and a park with two ponds (tel.: 91984). The graves of N. Gogol’s parents are found in the territory of the estate.
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POLTAVA REGION Ukrainian magnate Ieremiya Vyshnevetsky who was the owner of almost the whole territory of Poltava region, but after the Liberation war under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnytsky it became the town of Myrhorod regiment. In 1689 the son of the assigned Cossack hetman Pavlo Apostol, Myrhorod Colonel Danylo Apostol, received a manifesto from Hetman Ivan Mazepa on possesions in Sorochyntsi and Khomutets. In 1732–1734 Danylo built in the village the Transfiguration Church which became the family burial-vault. It is considered that the architect of the Ukrainian baroque temple was Stepan Kovnir, lay brother of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The family coat of arms designed by the hetman himself has been preserved in the church. Unfortunately, in Soviet times the burial-vault was unsealed and all its contents settled in different museums. The temple preserves the unique woodcarved iconostasis (20 m. wide and 17 m.high) and paintings of the 17 th century. In 1809 the future writer Nikolay Gogol was baptized in this church. First the temple had nine cupolas. After the fire of 1811 caused by a thunderbolt it was restored as a five-domed church. Monuments to N. V. Gogol (1910, sculptor I. Ginzburg) and hetman of the Left-bank Ukraine, D. Apostol, can be seen in Sorochyntsi. Every year in the second half of August Sorochyntsi turns into a noisy, joyous fair. Its peculiarity consists in the fact that it is not only trade and acquaintance with folk masters, but also the atmosphere of a real folk festival accompanied with theatrical performances. It is worth visiting N. Gogol literary-memorial museum (vil. Velyki Sorochyntsi, 34 Gogol St., tel.: (05355) 71225). The name of Dykanka is connected with the thick woods that made the locality look wild. In the past it was the family estate of the powerful and rich Cossack family of Kochubey. In 1687 the village belonged to the general judge of Zaporozhian Army V. Kochubey, the grand-son of Andriy Kuchuk-bey, a native of the Crimean horde who adopted Orthodox Christianity and settled in free lands over the Dnieper. First written reference to these lands dates back to 1658. On Kochubey’s demand the Italian architect Djacomo Cvarengi built a magnificent palace in Dykanka. According to contemporaries it was filled with paintingsand porcelain, had a library, a ball room and museum. Unfortunately the palace has not survived.
Only the alley at the entrance and four 800‑year-old oaks remind one of the lost grandeur. In 1709, before the battle of Poltava, the headquarters of Hetman Ivan Mazepa was set up in Dykanka. The triumphal arch at the entrance to the settlement, if you come from Poltava, was built in 1820 by architect Luidji Rusa in the likeness of Roman counterparts. It was raised in honor of czar Alexander I who visited the estate in 1817. In the past bas-reliefs devoted to the events of the Patriotic war of 1812 decorated the façade. In 1794 Petersburg architect M. Lvov built the Church of St. Nicholas not far away from the Kochubeys’ palace. Five princes and three princesses from Kochubey family were buried in the
crypts of the church. The temple looked like a rotunda with a double cupola system. The functioning of a special system of heating and ventilation equipped in the temple remains a secret for specialists. In 1851–1852 the church was reconstructed and a new iconostasis of fumed oak was installed. The bell tower (19 th c.) adjacent to the church and built after the design of L. Ruska completes the architectural ensemble. In the 1930 s the crypts and the temple were robbed. Today the church is functioning. It is in wonderful harmony with the surrounding landscape. The baroque Church of the Trinity (1780, 1 T. Shevchenko St., tel.: (05351) 91–058) in the center of Dykanka became famous due to Nikolay Gogol. It was inside this church that smith Vakula in the story “The Night before Christmas” painted the devil. More detailed information can be obtained at Dykanka Museum of Local Lore (68 Lenin St., tel.: (05351) 91596).
The triumphal arch at the entrance to Dykanka
The Church of St. Nicholas – the burial-vault of Princes Kochubey
Itransport Bus Station Poltava 1 Velykoternivska St., tel.: (05322) 39-636, 39-679 “Universal” Insurance Company Poltava branch c. Poltava, 12 1100th Anniversary of Poltava St., tel.: 9-800-5003810
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35 CENTER OF UKRAINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WILD FIELD ROZUMIVKA•KIROVOHRAD• 35 1 MYKOLAIVKA•VESELI BOKOVENKY• POBUZKE
Fields, ravines, pensive settlements… A provincial pastoral – and all of a sudden missiles (let it be only dummies, but all the same you have a creeping feeling)…So a popular saying that existed several decades ago – “a submarine in the Ukrainian steppes” – is no nonsense! Politics and art, dramas of everyday life and dramaturgy – everything has got mixed up and sprouted up in the field of the short history of Kirovohhrad region…
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The building of the former circuit court
Englishmen Thomas and Robert Elvorti brought to Elizavetgrad not only factory equipment, but … football as well! The factory-owners brought uniform and balls for the football club they created. First football matches between the factory and local gymnasium teams took place in 1909. The factory team dominated, and, perhaps, not only because the invariable referee of the matches was the factory’s manager Jungman Elvorti…
londging “Europe” c. Kirovograd, 13/16 Karl Marx St., tel.: (0522) 24-3531. Training hall, body massage room “Katalunia” c. Kirovograd, 21 Karl Marx St., tel.: (0522) 24-2536. Café, pizzeria, night club “Tourist” c. Kirovograd, 1 Ushakov St., tel.: (0522) 24-3724 “Ingul” c. Kirovograd, 53 Karl Marx St., tel.: (0522) 24-6898
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Holy virgin
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without bustle, but, at the same time, without irritating drowse. It’s better to start a trip around the city from the ramparts of St. Elizabeth Fortress (Ushakov St.). To get to the historical place you should cross the Ingul River from Karl Marx Street, and turn right after the bridge, round “Tourist” hotel. The outstanding military commanders P. Rumiantsev, A. Suvorov and M. Kutuzov contributed to strengthening the earth fortification so it became one of the most perfect frontier strongholds of the Russian Empire that managed to withstand the siege of Khan Krim-Girei during the RussianTurkish war of 1768–1774. Later the frontier was moved to the south and the fortress lost its significance. Today the remains of the earth fortifications on the high bank of the Ingula River are decorated with cast-iron cannons near which newlyweds like to be photographed. A nice park has been laid out nearby. From the fortress you should turn to the center. Before the bridge there is the old building of circuit court (1865). Below, near the bridge towers up the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin (74 Karl Marx St.) – the former Greek church (1805–1812), the main temple of the Greek settlers in the 19 th century. Mural paintings restored in 1898 can be of certain interest. Behind the church, in Pushkin Street, there is the building of the horse-post station (40/9 Pushkin St.), which has survived to our time. In August 1824 Aleksandr Pushkin put up at this building, and a few months later, another disgraced poet, Adam Mickiewicz, stayed there as well. If you drive/walk from the station to the left by Tobilevych Street you will get to the memorial estate of Ivan Karpenko-Karyi, a well-known playwright and theatrical figure (16 Tobilevych St., 10.00–17.00, tel.: (0522) 235191).Ivan Karpovych and his family resided there until they moved to “Nadia” farmstead.
Our trip goes on across the Ingul River. Beyond the bridge on the left there is a building, modernist style, which is occupied by the regional Art Museum (60 Karl Marx St., 9.00–18.00, Sun. – day off, tel.: (0522) 223–597). The museum collection contains paintings by prominent artists such as I. Shishkin, P. Svedomsky, A. Savrasov, V. Makovsky. The museum’s pride is a hunting gonfalon of the 17 th century made by an unknown author. On the right of Bohdan Khmelnytsky Square, in Preobrazhenksa Street, there is the Transfiguration Church (22 Preobrazhenska St.), an architectural monument of the 18 th century. After the wooden Church of the Trinity (17 th-19 th cent.) was dismantled, the Transfiguration Church became the main temple of the city. In Soviet times it was used as a picture gallery; today it is a functioning church. Walking further to the intersection with Kropyvnytsky Street and turning right you get to the memorial estate of Marko Lukych Kropyvnytsky, an outstanding Ukrainian playwright, producer, and actor (172/42 Kropyvnytsky St., tel.: (0522) 221479. 8.00-17.00, Sat. Sun – days off). Cultural workers of Ukraine and luminaries of the national theater gathered in this building, and the first Ukrainian theatrical company was created there…
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Façade of Art Museum
The Transfiguration Church
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“Among the Cossacks no one can be considered a real Cossack if he didn’t go up the river in a boat through all the rapids. So according to their custom I am a Cossack as well, and this is my fame, which I won during this journey.” Guillaume de Beauplan. “Description of Ukraine,” 1651.
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View of the Dnieper and “Parus” Hotel
Bridges are a recognized adornment of Dnipropetrovsk; among them there are the two-tiered railway bridge and Southern bridge that span not only two banks of the river, but two parts of Ukraine. with T. Shevchenko Park, there was set up a good pleasure resort with the best beaches in the city. There is a monument to Kobzaplayer in the center of the island (sculptors I. and V. Znoba).
View of the Dnieper from Kodaky fortress
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In the outskirts of Dnipropetrovsk, not far away from the airport, there is the locality of Stari Kodaky. In 1636 a fortress was built in this place. To realize the design of the French engineer Beauplan, the Polish Seym allotted 100,000 zlotys. The fortress was intended to control communication between Zaporizhia, Black Sea maritime regions and the rest of Ukraine. Concerning the assurances of its creators regarding its invincibility, Bohdan Khmelnytsky aptly noted: “Created by hand, and ruined by hand.” And his prophecy proved correct: just a few months later the fortress was taken by the Cossacks commanded by Ivan Sulima. In 1639 the crown Hetman Stanislaw Konecpolski made an attempt to restore the stronghold after the project of Friedrich Getkant. To provide greater safety a garrison of 800 German mercenaries was stationed at the fortress. However, it had been done in vain: in 1648 the fortress had to capitulate again before the Cossacks of Maksym Nesterenko. The garrison with the personal weapon, property and flags left the fortress, leaving behind cannons. In 1656 a pilot guard was organized there to direct merchant ships through the rapids. Formally it existed until the early 18 th century, when it lost its practical significance. Unfortunately, today only a few fragments of the rampart and the corner bastion that had not been destroyed while digging the quarry, help our imagination reconstruct the high ramparts surrounded with a deep dry ditch spanned by a drawbridge. Nestor Makhno was born in 1888 in the district center of Huliaypole, 99 km. away from Dnipropetrovsk. According to
a legend, when he was baptized, the priest’s cassock and beard caught fire from a candle. So the priest prophesied that the child’s future would be unusual. N. Makhno (by the way, the inventor of the famous machine-gun “cart”) assembled a peasant army over 100‑thousand strong and fought against all possible enemies, putting into reality the Ukrainian peasant’s dream of a happy life outside the domain of any state or political structure. As such the ataman went down in the national folklore forever. In 1920 he entered into a military and political alliance with the Bolsheviks. The detachments commanded by N. Makhno were the first to attack Perekop and Crimea. But a year later, because of disagreements with Soviet power, he had to emigrate to France, where he died and was buried in Paris. It is interesting to note that in 1968, during youth manifestations in Paris, the students wrote on the walls of Sorbonne “Viva Nestor Mahno!” Hulyaypole Museum of Local Lore (75 Lenin St.; tel.: (06145) 41254). People populated the territory of modern ZAPORIZHIA in olden times. The Cimmerians, Scythians and Huns left behind numerous sights in the form of burial mounds. For the Slavs living in the vicinity of the way “from the Varangians to the Greeks” it was the boundary where battles with nomads took place. However, Zaporizhia, the locality “beyond the rapids,” became really famous when the Cossacks, free people, came to this land. In 1770 Alexander’s forstadt was founded in this territory, which was to become part of the Dnieper line protecting the empire from the Tatars and… Zaporozhian Cossacks. This fact notwithstanding, in 1775 the Sich, and in 1785 the fortress, were liquidated, and
The Dnieper rapids were the main obstacle for navigation by the Dnieper. From princely times travelers were assisted by the Dnieper pilots to pass through the rapids. Like Cossacks they elected their chieftain. After the Sich was ruined they went away to neighboring villages. Most of them settled in Kodaky and Polovytsia. However, before long the government had to apply for their services again. The followers of the Cossack pilots are successful working on the Dnieper today as well.
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37-39 CHERNIHIV, THE CAPITAL OF THE FOREST EMPIRE 37 1 RAMPART, OR A WEARY FORTERESS KRASNA SQUARE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
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This city-fortress on the bank of the Desna River tenaciously argued with Kyiv for the leading place in the Rus state in course of several centuries. Medieval Chernihiv was the capital of a large, strong, and rich principality. It was, in a sense, a forest empire stretching in the thickets inaccessible for enemies, on the banks of picturesque rivers. Its capital city was famous for the grandeur of its temples and fortresses, the wisdom of its men of science and the mastery of its craftsmen.
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Regimental office
lodging “Slovyansky” c. Chernihiv, 33 Myr Ave., tel.: (04622) 74-627. Café, parking lot. “Gradetsky” c. Chernihiv, 68 Myr Ave., tel.: (04622) 45-025. Restaurant, paid parking lot. “Prydesniansky” c. Chernihiv, 99a Shevchenko St., tel.: (0462) 95-4802. Café, sauna, swimming pool, parking lot. Hotel of Trade Union Educational Center c. Chernihiv, 105a Shevchenko St., tel.: (0462) 95-2369
Chernihiv collegium. Axonometric representation
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CHERNIHIV the kind). The architectural idea of the colonel’s residence was solved in an original manner: according to the design his mansion was a classic Ukrainian cottage, though, naturally, a big one, and built of stone of good quality. The biography of Lyzohub’s house is also quite prosaic – later it became an office, then, archives… However that may be, but it is certainly of interest to experts. Chernihiv region is the native land of the prominent film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko and the well-known Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky who was in love with the city and died there. Colonel Kochubey who headed Chernihiv Cossacks in the victorious war of Azov lived only two years, and his widow sold the estate to nobody else but Hetman Mazepa himself. Shortly thereafter the building was named “Mazepa’s house.” Later a legend was born: they say that it was here that the mighty hetman hid the young Motria Kochubey who loved him to distraction, and that the ghost of unfortunate Motria is roaming around here at night… Naturally, this is just a folk fib. The sorrowful love story of the gray-haired hetman and his god-daughter gave birth to many conjectures and versions. They say Motria’s father, judge martial Kochubey, notified Peter I about Mazepa’s secret treaty with the Swedes and their alliance in the future war, just to take revenge on Mazepa for his daughter’s dishonor… They say Mazepa inflicted capital punishment (by decapitation) upon his old friend Kochubey, also because of Motria… Let’s forget it. All this was just dirty politics. In reality Mazepa didn’t hurt Motria in the least – he only sent her tender poetic letters and gifts at the cost of a good estate. The loving couple, the old man and the young lady, could not be together. Age was not the problem – a fifty-year difference between the newly-weds was not a wander at that time, and by their noble origin they were equal. The problem was that Mazepa was Motria’s godfather, and according to ecclesiastical law any intimacy in such a case was for both an awful and deadly sin. Meanwhile, Mazepa, a courageous warrior, strict ruler, and skillful diplomat, was a profoundly religious man. Nobody else but Mazepa exalted the Ukrainian Church so high, building on his money so many temples and schools. So the sincere mutual love of the elderly hetman and the young beauty could not have any continuation at that time… Shortly after the Poltava catastrophe Motria was given in marriage; soon she became a widow, and took the veil. So if the ghost of wretched Motria is really
KRASNA SQUARE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
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Chernihiv Collegium roaming somewhere, it is far away from Lyzohub’s house in Chernihiv… However, the Chernihiv legend turned out a good one… Chernihiv collegium is one of the most original structures in Dytynets. It was founded in 1700. During the Polish rule in the 16 th century the Dominican order appropriated the buildings of the old ruined SS. Boris and Hleb Monastery, but now they were returned to Orthodox believers. In the 18 th century inventive architects united three structures of different times into a single complex. The collegium was famous as one of the best educational institutions of that time, on a par with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Today the “Ancient Chernihiv” Reserve has placed there its exhibitions. The former archbishop’s palace is located nearby. It was built in 1780 in classical style. There are still many similar pompous structures of the 18 th-19 th centuries on the Rampart, formerly administrative and public buildings. ITINERARY 38 KRASNA SQUARE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS It may seem that all Chernihiv’s relics have been concentrated on the Rampart, but it is not so. It is just impossible to enumerate everything that you can feast your eyes upon. Let’s descend from Dytynets to the central part of town, which is located around Krasna Square and the adjoining boulevards and public gardens. You have to walk about 200 meters along Myr Avenue to get to the ancient “Okolnyi grad.” In the Middle Ages it was Chernihiv’s “craftsman’s town.” With time the cultural and administrative center of the city moved there. In the 19 th century respectable administrative buildings typical of a principal town of province were built in the square.
meals “Etual” c. Chernihiv, 50/1 Piatnytska St. “Mammamia” c. Chernihiv, 47 Myr Ave., tel.: (0462) 67-5776 “Desna” c. Chernihiv, 20 Myr Ave.
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Ancient forests, beautiful Desna, quiet villages – that is the design of one of the largest regions of Ukraine. And if you add temples (some of them preserved since Kievan Rus), beaytiful parks and magnificent palaces, it becomes obvious, that Sivershchyna is also a favorite from tourists point of view.
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If you have spare time and desire, IT IS WORTH VISITING you may pay a visit, on your way to Pryluky, to the family nest of Pavlo Gustynskyi monastery, palace Tychyna – an ambiguous figure in the and park in Kachanivka, palace in history of Ukrainian poetry. Comparing Sokyrnytsi, dendropark in Trostyanets the wonderful lyric poetry of his Sunny Clarinets with the severe primitivism of his poems created in the epoch of Stalinist terror, it seems that different people wrote those lines … The poet’s memorial estate is situated in the center of the village of PISKY. Route H 07 leads to Nova Basan, where you should turn right. After the turn the road is in a very bad state! On the way to the famous Chernihiv parks we recommend you to visit PRYLUKY – the former regimental town. In the mid-17 th century Pryluky was a big city, which had a fortress, palaces, temples, markets, handicraft guilds, and so on. The Transfiguration Cathedral (1720, 1 T. Shevchenko St.) and St. Nicholas Church with a bell tower and gate, which once served as the gate of Pryluky fortress, have survived from the time of the Cossack state. The remains of the defensive ramparts can be seen in 16 S. Ordzhonikidze St. In the territory of the fortress was located the regimental treasury, where the regiment’s insignia and money were kept. A few years ago the Church of the Purification of St. Mary housed the museum of local lore. Almost all architectural monuments in Pryluky are concentrated in the area adjacent to the city’s central square. Petropavlivska church of Gustynskyi monastry Yet another sanctuary, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity founded in the early 17 th century in the land of the princes Vyshnevetskies, is found beyond the outskirts of Pryluky, near the village of HUSTYNIA. In the last quarter of the 17 th century brick structures built on money of the Cossack chiefs replaced wooden constructions. Recently the monastery has been restored – its gate is hospitably open to visitors. From Pryluky we return to Route H 07 and move in the direction of Sumy. Shortly after you will see the direction sign to Hustynia. A wonderful trip to the palace and park complex “KACHANIVKA” (tel.:8 (04633) 24115) can be spoiled a little by the state of the road. The first direction sign to “Kachanivka” invites you to turn from Sumy highway to the left, immediately after Pryluky, via Borshna-Riashky-Ivanytsia. This road is good enough, but more suitable for tanks. A longer, but better road is Route H 07 via Okhynky. A few kilometers after Okhynky turn left in the direction of Sokyryntsi (the story of the palace and park will be set forth below). Following Route T 25 29 you pass Vaskivtsi, Trostianets (the
A park sculpture in Kachanivka
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“Little Russia, Lifliandiya and Finland are the provinces, which should be Russified in a convenient way so that they stop looking like wolves from the forest...” Empress Catherine II.
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43 PUTYVL was first mentioned in chronicle in 1146. It is consid‑ ered that its name originates from the word “put” (way) or from the local river Putyvelka. In the 12 th century it was a well-fortified feudal patrimony of Princes Olgovichi of Novgorod-Siversky. The local armed force of Prince Vladimir in 1183 took part in the cam‑ paign of Prince Igor Sviatoslavich of Novgord-Siversky against the Polovtsians. The campaign, as well as the grief of Igor’s wife, are glorified in the literary memorial “The Lay of Igor’s Host.” From the 14 th century a strong garrison was quartered in Putyvl as a boundary fortress. In 1500 the city was seized by Muscovy. Af‑ ter Russia signed peace treaty with Turkey (in 1681) and Poland (in Early in life the Cossack Ivan Bolotnikov went off to live on the Don River, where in a battle with the Tatars he was taken prisoner and sold to Turkish galleys. Liberated by the Venetians, through Italy and Central Europe he reached Sambir. There he met with the Russian nobleman Molchanov who decided to use the Cossack in the intrigue with the applicant for the Russian throne, pseudo Dmitriy. Molchanov sent Bolotnikov to Putyvl, where the latter headed a revolt against B. Shuyskiy. Three years later, in 1608, the revolt was suppressed. Shuyskiy sent Bolotnikov into exile in Kargopol, where he was blinded and drowned.
The Church of Mykola the Cossack
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The Transfiguration Cathedral 1686), the city lost its defensive significance. Handicrafts and trade began to develop instead. In 1719 there was founded Putyvl cloth manufactory, one of the largest in the country. The symbolism of the city’s coat of arms is linked therewith: two golden weaving shuttles with red bobbins are depicted on a shield Putyvl and its environs became famous during the Second World War: large partisan detachments commanded by S. Kovpak, S. Rud‑ nev and S. Kyrylenko were active in the surrounding forests. The Transfiguration Cathedral (1617–1693, 45 K. Marx St.) appeared in place of a wooden church. Formerly it was part of the Convent of the Holy Spirit. The iconostasis of the 17 th –18 th centuries is found within its interior. In 1693–1697 there were built the gates, a church and a bell tower. According to a legend, the sister of Peter I – Sofia – was detained within the precincts of the convent for a certain time. In 1822 the central part of the cathedral was connected, be means of three arches, with the southern side alter, and in 1834, by two arches, with the northern side altar. The ba‑ roque bell tower was built in 1700; its lower tier was provided with a passage to the convent yard. The Church of Mykola the Cossack (1735–1737, 102 Pershotravneva St.) is known in literature under the name of “Stone Mykola”. A typical example of Ukrainian baroque, it was built on money of the Ukrainian Cossacks. The belfry was built in 1770. Fragments of mural paintings can be seen within the interior. The local Molchansky Monastery (N. Schors St.) was founded as part of the Molchanovsky Saphronius Hermitage, which was
located to the east of Putyvl and came into be‑ ing in 1405 in place of the appearance of the wonder-working icon of the Virgin. Formerly a fortified Old Rus settlement was located there. In 1602–1604 the monastery was surrounded with a wall with defensive casemates and towers at the corners. It was here that Grigory Otrepyev (pseudo Dmitriy I) hid himself for some time. The latter was actively supported in his struggle against Moscow by the local population, which is evinced by the fact that a few thousand inhabitants joined the ad‑ venturer. In 1630–1636 the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was built in the monastery, and in 1700, a bell tower on the walls of which you can see the remains of old frescos. The fact that Putyvl lost the status of a frontier fortress had an adverse effect on the state of the monastery. It was only in the 1860 s that it began to revive again. In 1866–1869 there were built a new temple of the Nativity of John the Baptist, a refectory, the buildings of monastic cells, and a library. In Soviet times the monastery was methodically destroyed. The renewal began in the 1990 s. The architectural ensemble of the monastery is an exam‑ ple of a successful influence of Russian architectural style on the Ukrainian culture. Now it is a convent (Moscow patriarchy). Office of the State historical and cultural reserve is located in 70 Radianska St., tel.: (05442) 91593; museum of local lore, and museum of partisan glory: 72 Radianska St., tel.: (05442) 91593. The regional center of SUMY is situated in place, where mi‑ grants from the locality of Stavysche in Kyiv region, headed by Cossack Gerasim Kondratiev, founded a fortified settlement. The origin of the city’s name is unknown. According to a popular but improbable version the locals found on the riverside three hunting “sumy” (game-bags) with gold. They are depicted on the city’s coat of arms. Some people connect the name with the verb “miss”: they say they were homesick. However, it is more likely that the name originates simply from the Suma River. For a long time the city and fortress remained an important boundary outpost,
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The Molchansky Monastery
After the last reconstruction the main street of Sumy – Soborna – has been unofficially called Scherbatyk, after the name of the odious figure of the former oblast governor. Soborna and Voskresenska streets form the so-called “sotka,”the favorite“pleasure resort” of Sumy citizens.
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“The regimental town of Kharkiv with its outskirts was first scattered between the Kharkiv with Netechia and Lopan rivers, on the hill and foothills, or Podil area; later it gradually spread beyond the two rivers… In the west and south it was surrounded by gardens and groves.” From the guide “Kharkiv. Its Past and Present” by O. Gusev, 1902.
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Університетська гірка
44 ITINERARY 44 UNIVERSITY HILL We start an acquaintance with The Intercession Monastery, Kharkiv from its oldest part, the territory Constitution Square, Liberty Square, of the Intercession Monastery and buildings of old university the Intercession Cathedral (1689, 8 University St.), the first stone temple of the city. On the left of the cathedral there is the Ozerianska Church (1896), and to the right – the diocesan office occupying the former metropolitan’s house (1826). In the 17 th century, on the hill, there stood a strong fortress, which defended the borders from the incessant onslaughts of the Crimean Tatars. So the original purpose of the settlement was a military one. With time Kharkiv became an important center on the intersection of trade routes. In 1726 Bilhorod theological school was transferred to Kharkiv and attached to the monastery (the prominent Ukrainian philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda taught at the school), and 80 years later a university with 25 departments was opened in the former house of the governor (1776, 16 University St.). In different years there studied or taught well-known scientists The Intercession Cathedral - an adornment and cultural workers such as the writer P. Hulak-Artemovsky, of the monastery composer M. Lysenko, artist H. Semyradsky, biologist I. Mechnikov, physicist M. Beketov, architect P. Yaroslavsky, and others. Kharkiv has been styled the student’s capital of Ukraine to this day. At the crossroads of University Street and University Side Street, opposite a little public garden, there is a well-proportioned and elegant bell tower of the former Assumption Cathedral (1777, 11 University St.; now it is organ and chamber music hall). The bell tower was built in 1848; it is 84 meters high. Not far away there is a monument to H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, a well-known Ukrainian writer whose creative and public activity was closely linked with Kharkiv. Beyond the public garden, down to the river runs Khalturin Descent wherefrom opens up a panorama of housing estates on the opposite bank of the Lopan. The Annunciation Cathedral (1901, 12 F. Engels St.) is a dominating structure The Annunciation Cathedral of the landscape whose outward appearance is reminiscent of dominating Podil area old Byzantine temples built of red thin bricks alternating with plastered blocks.
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Former bursa
Itransport Railway station 1 Pryvokzalna Square; tel.: (0572) 24-2076 Central bus station 22 Yu. Gagarin Av.; tel.: (0572) 21-6504 Airport 1 Romashkin St.; tel.: (0572) 51-6907 “Universalna” Insurance Company, Kharkiv affiliate c. Kharkiv, 2 University St.; of. 17, tel.: 8-800-5003810
Beyond the monastery, at the beginning of University Street, there is yet another colorful picture – a view of Bursa Descent in which a theological school, the famous Kharkiv bursa (1885, 4 Bursatsky Descent), was situated at the close of the 19 th century. Students of this establishment, ever hungry seminarians, often made plundering raids on the market situated at the end of the descent, dismaying retailers. Now in place of the bursa there is Kharkiv state academy of culture, and its students do not make raids any more…
londging
“Kharkiv” 7 Liberty Sq.; tel.: (057) 705-6555 “National” 21 V. Lenin Ave.; tel.: (0572) 32-1023 “Myr” 27a V. Lenin Ave.; tel.: (0572) 30-5542 “Kyivsky” 4 Kultury St.; tel.: (0572) 14-3101 “Tourist” 144 Moskow Ave.; tel.: (0572) 92-1006 “Express” 1 Pryvokzalna Sqare; tel.: (0572) 24-2414 “Druzhba” 185 Yu. Gagarin Ave.; tel.: (0572) 52-2091
meals
“Metropol” 50 Sumska St.; tel.: (0572) 19-4040 “Sharikoff” 12 Kvitka-Osnovyanenko St.; tel.: (057) 752-3344 “Vensky Dom” (Viennese Home) 8 Yu. Lermontov St.; tel.: (057) 704-1030 “Kair” (Cairo) 19 Korolenko St.; tel.: (057) 731-1652 “Camelot” 118 Poltava highway; tel.: (057) 715-4996 “TIAMO” 35 Sumska St.; tel.: (057) 715-7631
View of Radiansky Side Street and the bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral
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Kharkiv
48-49 ROMANTIC SPIRIT OF THE “NOBILITY NEST” TROSTIANETS•OKHTYRKA•PARKHOMIVKA• KRASNOKUTSK•HORODNE•VOLODYMYRIVKA• 48 1 SHARIVKA•STARYI MERCHYK•LIUBOTYN• SKOVORODYNIVKA 49 1 VERKHNIY SALTIV•PECHENIZKE RESERVOIR• STARYI SALTIV•CHUHUIV
Hills covered with flowers, picturesque banks of numerous rivers, forests and small towns – such is the picture that appears in a memory of Sloboda. Palaces and estates, that are hiding within green alleys and parks, make a harmonic addition to the general picture…
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TROSTIANETS•OKHTYRKA•PARKHOMIVKA• KRASNOKUTSK•HORODNE•VOLODYMYRIVKA• SHARIVKA•STARYI MERCHYK• LIUBOTYN•SKOVORODYNIVKA IT IS WORTH SIGHTSEEING The “Round Yard” in Trostianets, the Intercession Cathedral in Okhtyrka, denropark in Krasnokutsk, Kenig’s manor in Sharivka, “Singing Terraces” in Horodne, H. Skovoroda Museum in Skovorodynivka
Sadyba, where P. Chaikovskyi stopped in 1864
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We start from the south of Sumy district. The town of TROSTIANETS on the Boromlia River was first mentioned in the written sources of 1660. Till 1704 this land belonged to Colonel I. Perekhrestov, and later passed to the Nadarzhynskies family. At the close of the 18 th century it became the property of the Golitsyns family. In 1881 it passed to the “sugar king” L. Kenig. Thanks to the grandee owners, a park, pond, and palace appeared in the settlement. Something has survived to our time. The remains of the park that stretch to the terrain of “Neskuchne” even today serve as a cool shelter on hot days in summer. Close to the park there has survived the manor house where P. Tchaikovksy stayed in summer 1864.
Here he created his first symphonic work – an overture to A. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Storm.” A. Chekhov, P. Hrabovsky, I. Sokolov and other famous writers sojourned in Trostianets
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A panorama of Trostyanets with Blahovishchenska curch
«Kruglyi dvir»
londging
as well. Recently restoration of the “Round Yard,” a unique structure in the territory of Ukraine, has been in part completed. In 1749 this architectural complex emerged in the center of the settlement. Later its owners turned it into a toy fortress, using it as a riding school, circus ring, or a theater stage. At the exit from the city in the direction of Okhtyrka you will see the Intercession Church (1903–1913) with a 40‑meter high bell-tower. Following route H 12 we get to OKHTYRKA, which is located 25 km from Trostianets. The settlement appeared in the late 16 th century as a defensive post on Okhtyr hill, on the right bank of the Vorskla River. Initially it was a Polish frontier fortress (first
«Naftovyk» c. Okhtyrka, str. Pushkina, 5, t. (05446) 24-905 «Krasnokutskyi» c. Krasnoputsk, str. Lenina, 135, t. (05756) 31-1622 «Siverskyi Donets» c. Chuguyiv, str. Kharkivska, 155, t. (05746) 25-461 «Parus-Maxi» town Staryj Saltiv, Saltiv reservoir, t. (05741) 61-825. Restaurant, disco, parking, sauna, scooter loan, water attractions.
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KOMSOMOLSKYI•MARIUPOL• 51 1 BERDIANSK•MELITOPOL•HENICHESK• ARABATSKA STRILKA MILOVE•BILOVODSK• 52 1 NOVOLYMARIVKA•DANYLIVKA• LUHANSK•KRASNODON
This oblast, the biggest one regarding the number of cities, residents and density of population, is associated, unfortunately, with pessimistic emotions for ecological and economic mishaps that have been pursuing it over the last few years. However, all this is temporal and in no way prevents numerous tourists from becoming acquainted with the interesting terrains of Eastern Ukraine, its mountains, sea, steppes, caves and a great number of wonders created by nature and people…
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The remains of fossilized trees
Itransport “Donetsk” Airport c. Donetsk, 1 Zlitna St., tel.: (0622) 51-5322 “Luhansk” Airport c. Luhansk, tel.: (0642) 55-1651 Railway Station c. Donetsk, 1 Vokzalna Square, tel.: (0622) 51-2296 “Putylivksyi” Bus Station c. Donetsk, 1 Zlitna St. “Pivdennyi” Bus Station c. Donetsk, Communards Square, tel.: (0622) 66-4123
The sea of Artemivsk champagne
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The remains of fossilized trees found in the territory of the old quarry near Oleksievo-Druzhkivka are another rare object from the remote past. The trunks of giant araucarias millions of years of age have preserved their inner structure – true in the form of a stone. Similar natural sight was discovered in the desert of the American state Arizona. After Kostiantynivka the road turns left to route Т 05 04 that will bring you over to the city of ARTEMIVSK. The history of the former Bakhmut (the name of Artemivsk from 1701 to 1924) is typical of many miner’s townships of Donbas. Without going deep into ancient history, we should note that people settled here since olden times – in Paleolithic age. The border with the Wild Field and aggression on the part of the Crimean Tatars made it necessary to set up observation posts and a fortification, so a wooden fortress was built here in 1703. It protected not only handicraftsmen and merchants, but fulfilled quite a special function. At first the Cossack-patrols discovered here lakes of brine and began to extract salt by evaporating water. Before long the authorities decided to attach the salt-works to the treasury, which triggered a Cossack rebellion under the leadership of K. Bulavin (1707–1708), which was cruelly suppressed. In 1721, not far away from the town, there were discovered coal-beds. It was the beginning of industrial development of the region. From the second half of the 19 th century construction work expanded in the town on a large scale – examples of city building can be seen in Artem, Radianska, Petrovsky and other streets. At the Museum of Local Lore you will get information about the past of the city (26 Radianska St., tel.: (06274) 22–595, 8.00–16.00; Sun. – day off). However, we invite
you to Artemivsk because of quite another reason – in 1950 the Artemivsk Champagne Winery was founded there in the gypsum duffers (7 Patris Lumumba St., tel.: (06274) 80–013). At a depth of 80 m. more than ten million bottles of sparkling wine are kept in enormous caves and labyrinths. It is the greatest enterprise of its kind in Ukraine, where during an excursion you will be shown the whole production process and will be invited to taste different sorts of champagne (it is not advised to go down on an empty stomach!). An excursion should be ordered in advance. The winery is situated in the northern outskirts of the city. Our next trip can be justly called a journey to one of the wonders of Donbas. The name of the city of SOLEDAR speaks for itself (it consists of the words “salt” and “gift”). Here is deposited one of the most powerful salt beds in the world; salt-works have been operating here for more than 125 years. The enterprise “Artemsil” – one of the largest in Europe – offers tourists an excursion to salt mines at a depth of 288 м. (marketing department address: Soledar, 1 a Chkalov St.,
tel.: (06274) 44–071; Sun. – day off; excursions from 10.00 to 15.00. Young people under age are not allowed). In the underground kingdom of salt you will see real wonders – the walls, ceiling, and floor all of salt; pictures, figurines, trees are also of salt! And recently, being underground, people rose on a balloon! Is it a paradox? No, it is just a record for the Guinness Book of Records! In chamber 41‑is (height about 30 м) they not only go in for aeronautics, but also listen to concerts of symphonic music. In October 2004 here sounded the “Salt Symphony” performed by Donetsk musicians. Maestro Kurt Schmidt, conductor from Austria, commented his performance in the underground concert hall as follows: “I was simply staggered! Notes flew up under the vault of the cave, and then slowly, like a cloud,
Itransport Railway Station c. Luhansk, 6 V. Piatiorkin St., tel.: (0642) 52-0035 Bus Station c. Luhansk, 2 Oboronna St., tel.: (0642) 54-6062 “Universal” Insurance Company Donetsk regional branch office Donetsk, 40 Kyivskyi avenue Donetsk, 25-ritcha RSChA avenue t. 8 800 500 38 10
Salt-palm
Huge chamber, No.41-bis
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The waves of the Black Sea have been always forming the way of life of the inhabitants of this land – their labor weekdays and recreation. Tourists are interested, naturally, in the latter. Dispose yourself to freedom, boundless expanses, communication with nature and almost careless existence. People come here exactly for calmness and insouciance rather than for antiquities or exotics…
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53 pire left their traces remained in the past. Today the city, which was a sea bulwark of the empire in the northern Black Sea maritime regions, is a quiet health resort with long sandy beaches and the mild sea. Don’t miss an opportunity to visit A. Suvorov Military and Historical Museum (11 Lenin St., tel.: (05154) 22–101, 9.00–18.00) and become acquainted with the rich history of the settlement, which is really noteworthy. You will see the pages from the history of the ancient Greek city state, the Slavic settlement, the fortress of the time of the Great Lithuanian prince Witowt, the fortification of Kara-Kermen of the period of the Crimean Lieutenant P. Schmidt ruler Mengli-Hirey, the Osman Achi-Kale, and Potiomkin’s Excursions can be arranged Ochakov. Field-Marshal A. Suvorov became famous for another to Berezan Island, the place time during the storm of the Turkish citadel. A monument to where the leaders of the the prominent military commander was erected nearby the rebellion on the “Ochakov” museum. cruiser, P. Schmidt, M. AnAmong sacral memorials mention should be made of the tonenko, S. Chasnyk and A. Church of St. Nicholas (19 th cent., 2 Kirov St.) built in place of Gladkov were executed. The a mosque. island as such, upon which Lieutenant P. Schmidt is considered a legendary person of there existed a Greek colony, and later a Slavic port, is the city; an expressive monument to the hero is a pride of the a piece of land in the sea citizens. with a lonely stele in place From the Tylihul estuary to the sea spreads the resort zone of where the rebellious seamen perished. the village of KOBLEVE. Route M 14 leads to the village, and from the bus station you can get to the “heavenly corner” on the coast by a fixed-route taxi that starts every half an hour. Beaches seven kilometers long in combination with shady forest park create wonderful conditions for a rest with children. The adults will have enough entertainments as well – in summer the festival “Koblevo” is conducted there in which musicians from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Moldova take part. The Kobleve wine-tasting room amusement park and wine-tasting rooms of the local winery are working until late at night. Beach in the vicinity of Kobleve
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KHERSON, the city at the mouth of IT IS WORTH VISITING the Dnieper River, has been in existence for 230 years, although the age of other St. Catherine’s Cathedral and Museum of Local Lore in Kherson, the Church of local settlements is far more venerable. the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in History refers to Zaporozhian Cossacks, Beryslav, the zoo and dendropark of the adherents of I. Mazepa who settled “Askania-Nova” reserve. there in the first half of the 18 th century. In 1778 Russian empress Catherine II decided to build a city-port, which General-Field-Marshal G. Potiomkin named in honor of Tauric Chersonesos The fortifications Insurance Company UNIVERSALNA were built under the supervision of I. Ganibal, the ancestor of Kherson branch office the great Russian poet A. Pushkin. The czarist decision proved Kakhovka, 136 K. Marksa mistaken for shallow water made it impossible to realize the str. t. 8 800 500 38 10 project. A dockyard was built but it was inferior to Mykolaiv, which before long began to develop far more rapidly. Kherson remained a river port. Moving from the river-boat station by Communards Street An old berth in Kherson you will get to the Museum of Local Lore (the former province court, 9 Lenin St., tel.: (0552) 24–1083, 10.00–18.00; Mo., Tu. – days off) whose collection contains about 150,000 exhibits. The museum has two departments – literary museum (B. Lavreniov’s memorial apartment, 1 Gorki St., tel.: (00552) 26–3066, 10.00–17.00; Sat., Sun. – days off) and museum of nature (5 Gorkky St., tel.: (0552) 49–1092, 10.00–17.00; Sat., Sun. – days off). O. Shovkkunenko Art
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56-64 Odessa – a CITY THaT Was BORN adULT 56 1 PRIMORSKY (MARITIME) BOULEVARD 57 1 RICHELIEU STREET 58 1LANGERON STREET 59 1GOGOL STREET 60 1 PUSHKIN STREET 61
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These words belong to a Russian journalist of the 19th century. Really it was something like a miracle: only a few years passed after Odessa was officially founded, and in place of a tumbledown Turkish fort appeared a great seaport with seafronts and boulevards, monuments and palaces, and even with a marvelous theater - that is to say quite an “adult” city. However, it’s unlikely that Odessa had no childhood and youth…
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Vorontsov palace
Itransport Railroad station, Pryvokzalna square, 2, t. (048) 27-4253 Port, Prymorskyi boulevard, 6, t. (048) 22-4047 Insurance company «Universalna» Odessa represantative Odesa, str. Posmitnogo, 22, office 1 tel. 8-800-5003810
A monument to count Richelieu and bureaus on Prymorskyi boulevard
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Odessa Parisians first said exactly the same about their Eiffel Tower… Vorontsov’s Palace, situated over the sea precipice, is also an adornment of Primorsky Boulevard. Its snow-white colonnade is a favorite place for newlyweds to be photographed. The monument to duke de Richelieu in Primorsky Boulevard was inaugurated in 1828. The monument looks like an ordinary monument made in classic traditions, a figure in toga and a wreath of a Roman patrician… However, this monument became almost a pi image for Odessa residents. The bronze hero of many songs, humorous sayings, and even literary works became an integral part of Odessa, one of its symbols. The reason why it happened may be in a happy choice of its location – the bronze duke seems to be welcoming the ships entering the harbor. Or may be it was because the Duke was and remains to be extremely popular in Odessa. Armand Emanuel Sophi Septimani du Plessis Richelieu, an offspring of one of the most honorable families of French kingdom, was not a fugitive from the revolution. The young aristocrat, in search of adventures, set out for a job in Russia long before the Bastille Day. In Russia he showed himself in the best way – as a brave soldier, a talented organizer, a leader by divine mercy. In 1803 he became the governor of Odessa. His intellect, energy, influence and connections he devoted to the city. Under Richelieu Odessa acquired the charm that cannot be logically explained by anyone. According to contemporaries, in 1814, when Richelieu left Odessa, citizens unharnessed his four-in-hand and pulled
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ITINERARY 57 RICHELIEU STREET Today, as before the revolution, this street, with its banks, expensive shops, and magnificent restaurants, is one of the most respectable in Odessa. Here lived the well-known writer Isaac Babel whose creative work was inseparably linked with Odessa, which he knew well and tenderly loved. At the intersection of Richelieu and Jewish streets stands the Main synagogue, one of the most beautiful Judaic sacral structures in Ukraine. At the very beginning of Richelieu Street (No. 4) there is a miniature palace. It was built in the early 20 th century in modernist style that was in fashion at that time. In the past it was the bank of the famous Odessa millionaire and Maecenas Zigfrid Ashkenazi. Today it is the city wedding palace. Beside the palace there is a building that before the revolution was called a skyscraper. The stairs of the back entrance lead to the roof of the building from which opens up a marvelous view of the city’s central historical section. ITINERARY 58 LANGERON STREET This old street was named in honor of another famous Odessa Frenchman, count Alexander Langeron who headed Odessa after Richelieu’s departure. Three marvelous museums are situated in this street. Archaeological Museum (4 Langeron St., tel.: (0482) 249255, 10.00–17.00, Mo. – day off) is based in part on the rich collections of the pre-revolutionary “Odessa Society of History and Ancient Articles.” Its exhibition contains not only treasures found in Odessa region, but also an interesting collection of articles of ancient Egypt. The old palace itself, the copy of the antique “Laocoön with his sons” once presented to Odessa and erected near the palace, and the stone images safeguarding the entrance create a single beautiful architectural ensemble. The Navy Museum, the only one in Ukraine (6 Langeron St.), occupies the elegant residence of the former English club (built 1842). In old Odessa the English club was the favorite place for meetings of the local aristocrats. Unfortunately, recently a fire at the museum annihilated many exhibits and documents. At present it is under reconstruction.
RICHELIEU STREET
the coach all the way to the frontier post. The well-directed play was not toadying, for everybody knew that Duke would never return: his new position in his native France was that of prime minister – Ludwig XVIII invited Richelieu for the post in person…
Potyomkin stairs
londging «Odessa» Port, t. (048) 729-4808 «Arcadi Plaza» Str. Posmitnogo, 1, t. (0482) 30-700 «Londonskyi» Prymorskyi boulevard, 11, t. (048) 728-8906 «Mozart» Str. Lanzheronivska, 13, t. (0482) 37-8900 «Uliss» str. Dovga, 106, t. (048) 777-8060 «Chorne More» Str. Rishelevska «Olimo club» Frantsuzkiy boulevard, 54/1, t. (0482) 35-6080 «Bristol» Str. Pushkinska, 15, t. (0482) 22=7220 «Pasage» Str. Preobrazhenska, 34, t. (0482) 22-4849
While reading Talmud in synagogue
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65 UNDER THE SUN OF BESSARABIA 65
BILHOROD-DNISTROVSKY• BOLGRAD•IZMAIIL• STARA NEKRASIVKA•VYLKOVE
Aleksandr Pushkin wrote in his time that a noisy Gipsy crowd was traveling through Bessarabia, which was perhaps the outset of “green” tourism. However, joking apart, this land has been created for any kind of tourism – the sea, the sun, steppes and vineyards, woods and sails attract here the extreme lovers, historians, sybarites, and gourmets alike…
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BILHOROD-DNISTROVSKY•BOLGRAD•IZMAIIL• STARA NEKRASIVKA•VYLKOVE IT IS WORTH VISITING
In September 1999 BILHORODAkkerman fortress in BilhorodDNISTROVSKY marked the 2500 th Dnistrovsky, Little mosque and anniversary of its foundation. It is not diorama in Izmail, an Old believer only the oldest city in the territory of church in Stara Nekrasivka, The Ukraine. According to UNESCO rating Danube fluxes, and street-canals in Vylkovo Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky is one of the ten oldest cities of the world. To get into this honorable list a city must preserve the regularity of its existence in the course of long centuries. Bilhorod proved to be lucky in this respect… It is considered that the city-fortress was founded by ancient Itransport Greeks out of the Ionian city-state of Milet in the 6 th century Railway Station B. C. The Greek historians of that time called the city in different c. Izmail, 1 Lenin St., tel.: (04841) 57-110 ways – some named it Ofiuss, others, Tira. Most likely these Bus Station c. Izmail, names existed concurrently. Only the first one was of Greek Komsomolska St., origin, and the second, of Scythian one. The point is that the tel.: (04841) 20-202 possessions of the huge Scythian state reached these lands. Marine Passenger Terminal c. Izmail, Fortresses, temples and public buildings, warehouses, cobbled Naberezhna St., streets – such was the city of the period of ancient flourishing. tel.: (04841) 20-676 Tira minted its coins, produced arms and precious adornments. Railway Station Brisk trade was the main source of the city’s wealth – it became c. BilhorodDnistrovsky, one of the mediators between the Scythians and Greek colonists. At the beginning of Common Era the Romans gained 19 S. Lazo St. Bus Station a foothold in the city; they even had a naval base there. Since c. Bilhorodthen many interesting memorials have been preserved in this Dnistrovsky, 2 Vokzalna St. land. It is not known when the city obtained Slavic name, most likely in the 10 th century. In the course of several centuries Bilhorod belonged to different owners – the Galician-Volhynian View of Akkerman fortress kings were replaced by Magyar rulers. The Mongol-Tatars from the Dniester estuarry
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ODESA REGION
66–69 THE FAIRYLAND OF CRIMEA 66 1 BAKALSKA KOSA•CHORNOMORSKE• OLENIVKA•YEVPATORIA•SAKI 67 1 SEVASTOPOL•INKERMAN• BALAKLAVA•FOROS 68 1 SIMEIZ•ALUPKA•LIVADIA•YALTA• MASANDRA•GURZUF•ALUSHTA 69 1 OLD CRIMEA• SUDAK •NOVYI SVIT• KOKTEBEL•FEODOSIA•KERCH 70
BAKHCHISARAY•CHUFUT-KALE• TEPE-KERMEN•MANGUP-KALE• KACHI-KALION•ESKI-KERMEN
The Russian poet Vladimir Maiakovsky called this fascinating peninsula “a copy of the ancient paradise,” and the historian Ye. Markov asserted that those who take the air of Crimea, are breathing the joy of life and the poetry of longevity… So you are welcome to the Crimea!
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Panorama of the central part of a city
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IT IS WORTH VISITING SEVASTOPOL – a city of man-ofwar’s men, the biggest sea-port in the Crimean peninsula – is situated The remains of Tauric Chersonessos, the Count Mooring and Panorama of on the coasts of a bay that is about Sevastopol, the caves and the ruins 8 km. long. For a certain time the city of Calamita towers in Inkerman, was closed for tourists, but times have Balaklava sea-front, and the remains changed so you are welcome! of the fortress Chembalo, Foros park The settlement that was named Sevastopol in 1784 is more than 25 centuries of age. In the middle of the 1 st millennium B. C. ships of the Greeks, natives of the Pontius colony in Asia Minor, landed on the shores of present-day Quarantine bay. The city state was named Chersonessos, which means “peninsula.” It grew up and became rich, although the colonists had to defend it against the local population with strong walls. However, these walls proved helpless View of Nakhimov Square against the Kyiv Prince Vologymyr who seized Chersonessos to make Byzantine reckon with the interests of the young Kyivan Itransport state, or to defend against Genoa’s economic expansion. In the Railway Station 13 th century the city state fell into decay, and later it was dec. Sevastopol, stroyed by the Tatars. 3 Vokzalna Sq., In 1827 the archeologist-enthusiast K. Kostsiushko-Valiuzhytel.: (0692) 54-3077, 36-6074 nych began to research the ruins of the antique city state, Bus Station to which, according to a legend, Saint Andrew made a visit. c. Sevastopol, Today this work is continued by the scientific workers of the 2 Reviakin St., National reserve “Tauric Chrsonessos” (1 Drevnia St., tel.: (0692) tel.: (0692) 46-1632 Marine Passenger 55–0278, 24–1369, 9.00–19.00; Mo. is day off). From morning till night you can roam about the ancient city, visiting old Christian basilicas, Terminal c. Sevastopol, 5 Nakhimov Sq., the baptistery, St. Volodymyr Cathedral, the mint, antique tel.: (0692) 54-4082 theater, towers and walls…
londging
“Crimea” c. Sevastopol, 46a 6th Bastion St., tel.: (0692) 46-6400 “Yard” c. Sevastopol, 9 Kesaev St., tel.: (0692) 42-9857 “Olympus” c. Sevastopol, 86 Kulakov St., tel.: (0692) 45-5789 Insurance Company UNIVERSALNA Crimea branch office Sevastopol, 64 Lenina str. t. 8 800 500 38 10
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69 Route M 17 will bring you from Simferopol to the township of Old Crimea. The Uzbek mosque and Surb-Khach Once, Kirim-Solkhat (the old name of the monastery in Old Crimea, Genoese town from the 13 th century) was the fortress in Sudak, Golitsin path in capital city of the Crimean ulus of the Novyi Svit, M. Voloshin museum in Golden Horde. In the 15 th century, when Koktebel, I. Aivazovsky gallery and the Crimean Khanate became a separate A. Grin museum in Feodosia, the Church of St. John the Baptist, and the state, and Bakhchisaray obtained the status of its capital, the settlement fell into ruins of Pantikapaion in Kerch decay. Since then it acquired the name Eski-Crimea (in Tatar “eski” means “old”) so this name has been preserved to our time. However, let us return to the period of its flourishing. According to a legend the legendary Egyptian sultan Beibars came from this Crimean town. The ruins of the majestic Beibars mosque have been preserved to our time (13 th cent., 59 Chervonoarmiyska St.). Another old temple is in a better state. In the 14 th century UzbekKhan of the Golden Horde introduced Islam as a state religion, and built a big mosque and medrese (religious school). Today the Mosque of Uzbek-Khan is the oldest functioning sanctuary of the Crimean Tatars (14 th cent., 1 Luhova St.). View of Surb-Khach Beyond the southern outskirts of the old town there is another complex of restored sacral structures – the Armenian monastery Itransport Surb-Khach (“Holy Cross”) built in the 14 th century. A fresco on the church arch has survived from those times. In contrast to Railway Station the mosque, admission to the monastery is free (accompanied c. Feodosia, tel.: (06562) 32-198 by a guide). In the center of town there are several museums. Bus Station The ethnographic Museum of the Crimean Tatars (29 Kalinin St., c. Feodosia, tel.: (06555) 22–196) was arranged in an old building on an ordinary 28 Engels St., Tatar farm-stead. The museum collection contains examples of tel.: (06562) 73-400 Bus Station c. Sudak, national clothing, domestic articles, books, and so on. The staff of 1 Alushta St., the Regional Museum will acquaint you with the history of the tel.: (06566) 21-506 area (17 Svoboda St., tel.: (06555) 21–244). In the museum yard there is a Catherine’s “mile” – such road signs were installed on the way of
IT IS WORTH VISITING
Ak-Kaya in the vicinity of Bilohirsk Riding from Simferopol to Old Crimea pay heed to the geological natural memorial – the White Rock situated 5 km. to the north of Bilohirsk. In the vicinity of the rock and in its grottos archaeologists research hunters’ settlements of the period of the early Stone Age.
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Catherine II who visited Crimea in January 1787. The aim of the trip was to see new imperial possessions. Beside the “mile” stands a stylized sailing ship reminding one of the romantic story “The Red Sails” by A. Grin. The writer lived his
last years in Old Crimea. His house has been preserved and today it is Alexander Grin Museum (52 K. Liebknecht, tel.: (06555) 21–444). A small figure of Frezi Grant, a character of his story, running on the waves, was placed on his grave in the Old Crimea cemetery, which is located to the right of the highway, beside the bus station). Route T 01 15 leads to SUDAK. Situated on the shore of Sudak Bay this city is known from the 2 nd-3 rd centuries. In the course of its existence it belonged to the Alanians, Byzantines, Russians, Tatars… During the Genoese rule (1365–1475) the fortifications built by Byzantines in the 9 th-10 th centuries were renovated and materially improved. Now the Genoese fortress (western outskirts of Sudak, Tourist
highway, tel.: (06566) 31–606, 9.00–18.00) is the main historical memorial of Sudak, which is annually visited by thousands of tourists. The formidable towers, strong gates, high walls, temples, the Consular castle, powder-magazines, and the unassailable Watch tower are the relics attracting all visitors to the Crimea. Several hours spent in the reserve will be engraved on your memory for a long time. Sudak’s other sights have a more modest appearance. They include the Intercession Church (1819, 27 Lenin St.), the Lutheran Church (1880 s), old buildings of the former German colony (vil. Uiutne, Prymorska St.). After visiting the colony we advise you to ride westward to NOVYI SVIT. In the past this picturesque settlement was named “paradise.” In 1878 Prince L. Golitsin purchased these lands, laid out vineyards, and built a winery. Champagnes of Prince Golitsin caused a sensation at the Paris wine exhibition in 1900, and were awarded Grand-prix. The winery has been working so far, producing
69 londging “Sudak” c. Sudak, 98 Lenin St., tel.: (06566) 21-533 “Surozh” c. Sudak, 75 Lenin St., tel.: (06566) 21-202 “Gorizont” c. Sudak, 8 Tourist highway, tel.: (06566) 22-179
View of Sudak from Genoese fortress
londging “Alliance” c. Feodosia, 96 Zheliabov St., tel.: (06562) 32-327 “Astoria” c. Feodosia, 9 Lenin St., tel.: (06562) 30-092 “Zolotyi Pliazh” camping c. Feodosia, 33 Kerch highway, tel.: (06562) 47-474 “Lidia” c. Feodosia, 13 Liebknecht St., tel.: (06562) 30-901
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OLD CRIMEA• SUDAK •NOVYI SVIT•KOKTEBEL•FEODOSIA•KERCH
CRIMEA
Sala there is a turn to the left. Beyond the lake, near the café, there is a parking lot. Further you will have to go on foot. The medieval town of Mangup-Kale situated on the plateau of Baba-Dag mountain range is rather large; it may take a whole day to see it. From the center of the former Christian principality Theodoro only few things have remained, namely the ruins of the citadel, and the remains of fortress walls and temples. May and early June are the most beautiful period here. The KACHI-KALION monastery of the caves can be reached from Bakhchisaray if you ride along Radianska St. in the direction of the villages Dachne and Pereduschelne from where there is a wonderful panorama of Kachin valley. You get to the territory of the geological reserve “Kachin Canyon.” The highway runs along the Kacha River, the monastery is located on the left side beyond the village of Pereduschelne, 8 km. away from Bakhchisaray. In the huge mountain range looking like a rostrum there were made many caves. The rock itself is covered with numerous cracks; from afar their pattern resembles a gigantic cross. Hence the rock is sometimes called “Cross Ship.” To visit ESKI-KERMEN, the largest settlement of the caves in the outskirts of Bakhchisaray, you should move westward. From the southern outskirts of the village of Zalisne you turn right to the earth road. In a few minutes you will get to a parking lot located at the foot of the mountain on the top of which there is the site of the ancient settlement of the caves. We ascend the path running along the eastern mountain side by the Church of Three Horsemen cut out in a huge rock, to the main street of the town founded as far back as the 6 th century. Naturally you will not see rich buildings, magnificent temples, or the like. There are rocks all around, but there remained caves for keeping grain, wine, etc. In the rock mass you can see observation posts, deep wells, secret rooms. Destroyed and abandoned city overgrown with dog-roses and hawthorn bushes will not disappoint you, in contrast it will excite your imagination, which will quickly restore everything that has been lost over centuries. Besides from the plateau there is a wonderful panorama of the peak of the Inner mountain range.
Itransport Railway Station c. Bakhchisaray, Pryvokzalna Sq., tel.: (06554) 42-637 Bus Station c. Bakhchisaray, 2 Rakitsky St., tel.: (06554) 42-825
londging “Bakhchisaray” c. Bakhchisaray, 3 Simferopol St., tel.: (06554) 42-598 “Pryval” tourist center c. Bakhchisaray, 43 Schmidt St., tel.: (06554) 47-846
meals
“Salachyk” c. Bakhchisaray, 43 Basenko St., tel.: (06554) 47-868 “Chufut-Kale” c. Bakhchisaray, 46 Basenko St. “Crimean Cheburek” c. Bakhchisaray, 104 Lenin St., tel.: (06554) 42-561 View of Baba-Dag mountain range, the former place of Theodoro principality
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BAKHCHISARAY•CHUFUT-KALE•TEPE-KERMEN•MANGUP-KALE•KACHI-KALION•ESKI-KERMEN
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