Lovers and romantics, uplifted by lofty feelings, name towns and planets, castles and palaces, mountains and lakes in honour of love. And the Ukrainian settlement of Klevan in the Rivne region is known the world over for its Tunnel of Love.
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| Klevan. The Tunnel of Love |
Human economic activity and the uncreated influence of the forces of nature created this wonder above the railway track, from Klevan station to the settlement of Orzhiv, over a distance of four kilometres.
Along the rail track to a wood-processing enterprise runs a train, which is what cuts the corridor through the spreading crowns. Dense forest surrounds the railway on both sides. The goods train, disturbing the green massif, has carved a living arch out of the branches of the trees and shrubs.
Through the branches and leaves the sun's rays break through, creating a fantastic atmosphere with their play of light and shadow. At night the moon and the stars lend it even greater mystique.
In autumn the natural fence of forest vegetation will surprise you with the richness of its colours, and in a snowy winter — with the fanciful shapes of the blanket of snow that covers the arched vault.
In summertime, travellers need to stock up on a remedy against the bites of the choice mosquitoes that have bred in the marshy area in incredible numbers. In recent years the tunnel in the forest thickets has become a tourist mecca and a place of pilgrimage for lovers. There is a belief that if a couple passes along this path and makes a wish, it will certainly come true, and the newlyweds' road through life will be as even and smooth as two parallel rails.
Lovers tie ribbons on the trees as a symbol of eternal and mutual love.
Beautiful rituals and legends adorn life. But there is a more ancient Lave Story and one of the versions of how this popular landmark came to be. At the beginning of the 20th century, during the construction of the railway, a Polish engineer fell in love with a local beauty. So as not to travel to their dates by bicycle, the desperate railway specialist laid the rails through the marsh and forest to the settlement where the girl lived.
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| Klevan. The forest thickets by the Tunnel of Love |
The girl's parents were Orthodox and forbade her to meet with a Catholic. The Polissian Romeo and Juliet communicated at a distance by means of night torches, sending each other light signals — she in Klevan and he at the other end of the railway line. The green tunnel connected them until the engineer's departure for his homeland after the completion of his work.
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| Klevan. The Tunnel of Love |
The popularisation of this unique natural landscape was helped by the shooting of advertisements, video clips and the romantic drama by the Japanese director Akiyoshi Imazaki, "Klevan: The Tunnel of Love". After this successful marketing the settlement became well known, and tourists include the famous green tunnel in their routes. On the road I came across five motorhomes with US plates. The foreign travellers waved to me in a friendly way.
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| Foreign tourists include the natural landmark in their route |
On holidays and weekends there is no room to turn around in the tunnel, and for a photo session it is better to choose another time.
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| Klevan. The Tunnel of Love |
The residents of Klevan have changed the settlement's infrastructure, opening numerous shops and restaurants,
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| Klevan. The shops |
and have also tidied up the area near the gathering place of the excursion groups.
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| Klevan. The pavilion by the car park |
The railway station has been renovated, the building decorated with stained-glass windows depicting the landmarks of Klevan.
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| Klevan. The railway station. Stained-glass windows |
If you arrive by suburban train from Rivne, then to reach the tunnel you will have to walk 2.5 kilometres along Zaliznychna Street, turning onto Tsentralna to the "Tunnel of Love" signpost.
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| Klevan. Tsentralna Street |
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| Klevan. Tsentralna Street. The Tunnel of Love signpost |
From this spot, along an asphalt road to the railway crossing,
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| Klevan. Slovianska Street and the turn to the Tunnel of Love |
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| Klevan. The road to the Tunnel of Love |
and there you can already see the souvenir stalls and information boards.
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| Klevan. The Tunnel of Love. Information boards |
In summertime don't forget a mosquito-protection remedy. Bear in mind that the train leaves traces of fuel oil and grease on the sleepers.
Coordinates: 50°45'19"N 26°4'30"E
What else can you see in the settlement, if time permits?
The wooden Church of St. Nicholas is located not far from the railway station. Earlier it was a military hospital.
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| Klevan. The wooden Church of St. Nicholas |
Coordinates: 50°45'3"N 26°1'34"E
As many as three notable landmarks are located in the historic district of Klevan-1.
The Kostel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was built in 1610-1630 by Prince Yurii Czartoryski, who converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism.
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| Klevan. The Kostel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. 17th century |
After a fire from a lightning strike it was restored in the 18th century. After the Second World War the shrine was closed, and the premises were used as a warehouse.
The rectangular bell tower and the brick fence have survived.
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| Klevan. The Kostel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. 17th century. The bell tower |
In the 1990s the church was returned to the faithful.
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| Klevan. The Kostel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. 17th century. An architectural monument |
Coordinates: 50°44'45"N 25°58'16"E
Beyond restoration is the castle laid down in the 15th century by Mykhailo Czartoryski, the founder of the princely line. Over the centuries the defensive structure served as an aristocratic residence, a fortress, a religious college and a gymnasium. The epic of the historic building ended with its housing alcohol-dependent members of society.
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| Klevan. The Czartoryski Castle. 15th century |
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| Klevan. The Czartoryski Castle. 15th century. The remains of the bastions |
You can read about Klevan Castle
here.
Coordinates: 50°44'31"N 25°57'59"E
Zamkova Street will lead you to the Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ, erected in the 18th century with the funds of Prince Adam Czartoryski. The church courtyard — an architectural monument of national significance — is always open. Draw some tasty water from the well to continue your tour of the settlement with renewed strength.
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| Klevan. The Church of the Nativity of Christ. 18th century |
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| The Church of the Nativity of Christ. 18th century. An architectural monument |
Coordinates: 50°44'36"N 25°58'0"E
On your way back to the station, you can rest in an old park in the shade of 300-year-old oaks. The House of Culture, built in 1958, has an unusual design. It stands on the grounds of a monument of landscape-gardening art. Beside this hearth of culture rises a sculpture of Ivan Franko.
Coordinates: 50°44'50"N 26°1'14"E
Klevan is a small settlement in the Rivne region, where the traveller will be able to see landmarks of various eras and styles.
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| Klevan. A restaurant and hotel on Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street |
You can get to Klevan by the Zdolbuniv-Lutsk or Zdolbuniv-Kovel suburban train, or by road along the H-22 Rivne-Lutsk highway.
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| Klevan. The railway station |
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