Banya Lisovytska. The origins of the Morshyn resort

The village of Banya Lisovytska, in the Stryi district of Lviv region, got its name because here there were wooden buildings for evaporating salt from brine — banias. As far back as the 16th century these parts were suppliers of this necessary product. But later it was noticed that the salt had turned bitter, and it ceased to be in demand. On the other hand, the healing properties of the brine, which contains rare minerals, contributed to the development of the Morshyn resort, whose suburb Banya Lisovytska became.
On the border between these settlements, by the Lviv — Ivano-Frankivsk highway, a chapel has been built.

It is always open, candles burn, and inside there are many holy images adorned with embroidered towels.


On the grounds in front of the chapel there are many flowers, from early spring until the frosts. It surprised me that both the sculptures and all the decoration are always kept in good order. It would never enter anyone's head to spoil something. All passers-by are sure to stop here; no one passes without crossing themselves. Every day, early in the morning, Myroslava, a resident of Banya Lisovytska — a selfless, kind person — comes to water the flowers and light the icon lamps.



I have been to this village many times, so my account is not about a single trip but my general impressions of what I have seen here. Across the road from the chapel stands one of the first monuments in Ukraine to the victims of Stalinist terror. According to the accounts of old residents, during the Second World War the NKVD shot local inhabitants in the forest, staging provocations by this means. For a long time they did not even allow the bodies to be taken away. After many years it proved possible to find the remains and bury them in a single grave. And there are very many such cases.



The wooden Church of the Protection of the Mother of God stands at a road fork and belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Services are held on weekends and feast days. The parishioners are mainly visiting holidaymakers, but there are locals too. At present, through the efforts of the community, repair work is under way in the churchyard, and a beautiful stone fence has been built. I saw that Father Viktor takes part in the building too. Formerly, slender green thujas grew by the entrance, but now they have been cut down, and at once something seemed to be missing.





In the village there is a Greek Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, built in the year 2000.





The "Kyiv+" sanatorium, the former "Nyva", provides health care for children who are on medical registers, including those affected by the consequences of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident. It is a good sanatorium, and the grounds are very beautiful.



There are not many shops here; here is one of them.



This village is known for the fact that source No. 6 of the famous Morshyn water is located here. The borehole, 29.6 m deep and 108 mm in diameter, was drilled in 1966. The total mineralisation is 80-170 g per litre.



I came to look at the spring of health that people had been coming to the resort for as far back as the 19th century. A guard came out of the watch-hut and said that photography was not allowed here. I asked permission and said that I was not standing in the sanitary zone, that there was no notice forbidding filming, and that in any case the highway is right nearby, millions of cars come by, everyone sees this little wooden hut and photographing it is available to all. This watchman had a pronounced case of the jobsworth syndrome; some five times he repeated: "You may not, madam." I had already gone off about fifty metres, and he still did not go into his hut but watched, sensing that I would deceive him. Dear Mr Guard, forgive me, but I will make this place, from which the healing little waters spring, a part of its fame all the same. Let your superiors note your unswerving observance of your job description and your conscientious attitude to your duties.
No less healing in Banya Lisovytska is the air, because all around are huge forest tracts, which have the status of a nature reserve.



Here grow both conifers and broadleaves: beeches, hornbeams, oaks. I love the forest very much and constantly go for walks of several hours. For me this is the main medical treatment.















I always go up to the deer that are kept in an enclosure.



They were brought from Belarus to breed in these parts. The red deer is not always noble. In autumn, when the deer-papa is not in too good a mood, the offspring look downcast. He does not let the little ones near the feeding trough, and the grass on the slopes of the ravine has already all been eaten. The young ones are afraid even to come close to the netting to take a biscuit or an apple from the holidaymakers, who constantly come to admire the animals. The head of the family beats his antlers against the fence and roars terribly across the whole neighbourhood.



Deep in the forest, on the slope of a ravine, a cross has been set up on the spot where, in June 1941, the NKVD men shot 21 political prisoners. I have many times seen people beside it with flowers, icon lamps and a memorial prayer.



In Banya Lisovytska I witnessed such an event, when people from all over the Stryi district walked in a religious procession to the Hoshiv Monastery for a service with a prayer for peace in Ukraine. This enormous column forms at the Stryi crossroads from the residents of all the settlements. Some have to cover a distance of about 40 kilometres. Along the way, new groups pour into the living stream of pilgrims. Each community carries its own church holy images. There are a great many young people. Their appearance is not like that of hikers; many are in embroidered shirts, holding prayer ropes, prayer books and icons in their hands. No one chatters on the phone, smokes or laughs. I watched this astonishing act together with other residents who could no longer set out on such a long journey because of their age. They had come out of their homes to bless the pilgrims and to bid them pray fervently, on the Yasna Hora, for peace for our country. I too symbolically walked a little way, since I was not prepared for the long march. I am sure that the moral spirit of these young people is very high.
I have many impressions of my time in Banya Lisovytska, and they are all wonderful.