Sambir. The Town Hall. An excursion up the clock tower

Among the sights that travellers in Sambir are recommended to visit without fail are Market Square and the Town Hall, which was and remains the historic core of this industrial, cultural and tourist centre of the Lviv region.

Sambir. The Town Hall

The "Zakhar Berkut" cableway. A sightseeing attraction

The high-speed ski runs of Slavske are among the most popular in the Carpathians. The "Zakhar Berkut" mountain-ski resort is located to the north-east of the village of Volosianka. 9 thousand metres of snowy descents of various levels of difficulty are served by 3 button lifts and one chairlift. For lovers of summer recreation, the longest cableway in Ukraine makes the ascent to Mount Vysokyi Verkh.

The cableway of the "Zakhar Berkut" mountain-ski resort

Chynadiievo. Castles, Churches and Other Landmarks

Two monuments of architecture and history in Chynadiievo, Mukachevo district, Sent-Miklosh Castle and the palace of Count Schonborn — two pearls of Zakarpattia.

Chynadiievo. The palace of Count Schonborn

Uzhhorod. The Skansen. A Zakarpattian Village in Miniature

The first museum of folk architecture and everyday life in Ukraine was opened in Uzhhorod in 1970. On an area of 5.5 hectares you can, in two hours, see Zakarpattia in miniature, with the homesteads of the Lemkos, Boykos, Hutsuls, Hungarians and Romanians. The skansen lies behind the defensive wall of the medieval castle.

Uzhhorod. The Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. The tavern

Luninets. A Walk Through a Flowery Strawberry Town

Luninets, dawn, deserted streets and squares, no cars, no people. I got to know the town while passing through, in transit at the railway station. Waiting for my train, I took a morning walk while the town still slept, and on the way back — for half an hour in the evening, almost at dusk.

Luninets. Brest region, Belarus. Lenin Square

Kostiantynivka. Places of Worship

In Kostiantynivka, where the planned economy developed under the guidance of Marxist-Leninists, the atheist authorities did not build places of worship for spiritual cleansing. The townspeople were parishioners in the neighbouring village of Oleksandro-Shultyne, at the Church of St George, built by the landowner General Kotliarevsky in 1829.

The Church of St George. 1829. The village of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Kostiantynivka district, Donetsk region

Pinsk. The Pedestrian Street. 'Strolling Down Haz'

In 2018, a pedestrian zone opened in the historic centre of Pinsk. After reconstruction, Lenin Street — the town's most iconic and best-loved street — appeared in a modern guise, with renovated facades, paving slabs, flowerbeds and slender thujas.

Pinsk. Brest region, Belarus. Lenin Street

Dubno. From the Castle Along Zamkova and the Other Streets of the Historic Centre

Dubno, a district centre of the Rivne region, is known to tourists above all for its castle of the 14th-15th centuries, built on the site of the citadel. A walk through this town of the chronicles brings acquaintance with other landmarks, which can be seen in 3-4 hours in the historic centre of Dubno. Let us begin with the Lutsk Gate, through which the old highway passed to this ancient town of Volhynia.

Dubno. The Lutsk Gate

Synagogues in Ukraine. How Their Architectural and Cultural-Historical Heritage Is Being Preserved

In Jewish communities scattered across the world, the synagogue is a social and spiritual centre. In these beautiful buildings with large windows, one of which faces towards Jerusalem, not only are God's Commandments preached, but public matters are also decided, solemn ceremonies held and guests received. In the 'Houses of Assembly' the community's board sits and a communal court operates. Sadly, many spiritual heirs of King Solomon's First Temple were destroyed by the Holocaust. Some buildings were saved when churches of other denominations, or organisations and institutions, came to occupy their walls. Let us look, through examples, at what synagogues in Ukraine are like.

Uzhhorod. The former synagogue, 1904.