Through this district centre, home to 20,000 people, runs the highway Lviv — Ivano-Frankivsk — Chernivtsi. A ring interchange connects the town with Zakarpattia.
By the main roundabout you are greeted by a sculpture of the Archangel Michael, mounted on a column. This monument is called "To the Fighters for the Ukrainian State" and is the town's calling card.
When you drive through the centre, you can see a monument to T. H. Shevchenko in a beautiful park. At the start of my walk I went to look at it. There were people everywhere, despite the early hour. Everyone was carrying water they had drawn from a spring. To find the way faster, I asked a passer-by who was carrying a bottle of the healing water. The man walked me to the monument and stood by while I looked and took photographs. His astonishment knew no bounds when he learned that I had come from far away, and that I spoke Ukrainian on top of it. I have met such a reaction very often. I try to break down stereotypical thinking. He told me about the town's problems: there are not enough jobs, enterprises are closing. In the 1950s his parents were repressed and exiled to Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, where he was born. Later the family returned to Western Ukraine, and now he worries greatly about the people living in the Donbas.
I thanked the friendly townsman and said goodbye; I had already walked off a fair distance, having noticed a sculpture of deer in a sad state, while the man still stood and watched me, not believing his eyes. To this day I remember his sad gaze.
I really liked the monument to the Kobzar, erected in 1964 for the poet's 150th anniversary. It stands on a rise, as if on a symbolic Chernecha Hora, with steps leading up it.
And here is a pair of deer badly in need of attention. Once they adorned the lovely park; children stroked the handsome creatures and had their photos taken beside them. But now these favourites of the townsfolk are pleading for help.
The park is laid out beside Dolyna Lake, which covers an area of 25 hectares. I don't know whether there are fish here. But you can happily go for a boat ride — there are piers too.
This spring with its tasty water is well appointed, but there is another one where there were more people.
Cyclists were riding in the park. For the first time I saw a monument to a means of transport, a piece of sports equipment, a helper and companion of humankind.
There are several churches in Dolyna. But that day I had come with a different purpose. From afar, on a height, I saw the majestic Holy Dormition Cathedral, built in 2002.
On the way to the museum I came upon a monument to Mykhailo Hrushevsky, head of the Ukrainian Central Rada. Monuments to him are very rare, yet in Dolyna the first one was unveiled back in 1990.
On this Independence Avenue there is a tall flagpole with the national flag, many shops, and a cultural establishment — the House of Technology.
And the trees with their crowns sawn off looked dreadful. Some ubiquitous practice has taken hold in the town's landscaping — cutting back to the very trunk.
Here is the Dolyna town council, surrounded by slender thujas trimmed with the art of topiary. Very beautiful and modern. The street clock on the building showed the correct time, which is a rare thing.
The local history museum was opened thanks to the Antonovych Foundation. These same patriots of Ukraine, the married couple Tetyana and Omelyan, are the patrons of the monument to the Fighters for the Ukrainian State, the symbol of Dolyna.
The museum's premises are new and very comfortable. Several halls host various exhibitions that reveal every facet of the history and life of the Boyko land. Rare exhibits, rich collections have been assembled. Whoever finds themselves in Dolyna, be sure to visit. The materials on display tell of the nature, ethnography, and history of the town and its surroundings. Many masters of pysanka painting and embroidery live in this area. Their marvellous handiwork, their works of applied art, simply astonish with their beauty and singularity. I felt great respect for the keepers of the historical and cultural treasures of the Boykos.
On leaving the museum I also saw three huge pysankas, set up for the Easter holidays. With this photograph I conclude my account of the trip to new Dolyna. The journey toold Dolyna— lies ahead, and I will tell about it next time. The town is hospitable, clean, I liked it very much, and I share my impressions of the trip with you.
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