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.
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| Dubno. The Lutsk Gate |
The three-tier tower was part of the defensive system and was joined to the castle by an underground passage — about a kilometre of broad subterranean corridor. Once a Masonic lodge gathered in the building, and now one of Dubno's calling cards is in urgent need of restoration.
During one of these, a rather careless one, on the memorial slab set above the arch in the 18th century, over the inscription about the restoration of 1785 someone scrawled 'Restored in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Great October'.
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| The Lutsk Gate. A memorial plaque about the building's restoration |
The road was laid to the south of the gate after it lost its fortification significance. Let us stroll along the street that bears the name of the Grand Prince of Kyiv, Danylo Halytskyi.
The Orthodox men's Monastery of St Nicholas was converted from a fortified Bernardine monastery of the 17th century. In the 1930s the church housed a papal mission and a theological seminary, and during the Stalinist repressions, by the walls of the shrine, the obedient servants of the NKVD organs shot Ukrainians who had fallen out of favour.
At the district House of Culture, whose facade is decorated with relief musical symbols, quite a few young townsfolk were noticed, members of amateur ensembles. That means things are going well for the future of the town's cultural heritage.
A sculptural group depicting the young Taras Shevchenko symbolises the poet's life and creative path, from a village boy to a folk lyre-player and prophet.
The Orthodox Church of St Elijah was built in 1908 with the funds of Dubno's residents. The main entrance to the church is from Danylo Halytskyi Street, that is, from the northern side.
The religious and historical buildings on one of the town's main thoroughfares give way to houses built at various times, whose ground floors are occupied by shops, and especially by jewellery shops.
The four-storey 'Dubno' hotel-restaurant has only two little stars.
The sculptor Sheludko, in the image of a frog, depicted the affective feelings a person has at the sight of another's success.
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| A sculptural depiction of envy |
Turning onto Cyril and Methodius Street, you enter the old Jewish quarter.
The Great Dubno Synagogue of the 17th century is part of the historical and cultural reserve complex. After long years of neglect, in 2018 the first steps were taken in yet another restoration of the Jewish shrine. Instead of the wooden roof frame, a metal structure will be installed and clad in wood, so that it will not differ from the authentic one.
The central square of Dubno is Independence Square, with an equestrian statue of the defenders of Ukraine, a flagpole and a stele reading 'I love Dubno'.
Around the perimeter of the square stands 19th-century development, where on each building is fixed a plate about its status as an architectural monument. From the facades of many houses the decor has been removed and plastered over with signboards.
In the House of Contracts, built for merchants in the 19th century, children's creative groups have settled.
The building's facade is hung with memorial plaques commemorating visits to Dubno by the classic writers T. H. Shevchenko, Honore de Balzac and Antoni Malczewski.
This is not the only such institution where young talents develop their abilities in the world of art. The children's school of arts stands on Mykola Lysenko Street, in whose honour a bas-relief memorial sign has been placed at the entrance to the school.
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| The school of arts. A memorial plaque in honour of Mykola Lysenko |
Older pupils raise their level of education at the College of Culture and Arts and at the Dubno College of Rivne Humanities University.
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| Zamkova Street. The College of Culture and Arts |
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| The College of Rivne Humanities University |
A walk across the bridge over the Ikva, whose banks remember the invasions of Batu and the fratricidal wars for the princely domains, brings the pleasure of contemplating the picturesque environs of Dubno.
The town has several parks and public gardens. In Shevchenko Park stand a monument to the Kobzar and a dozen or so wooden sculptures depicting the heroes of the poet's works.
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| Shevchenko Park. The monument to the Kobzar |
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| Shevchenko Park. Sculptural compositions |
Another half-hour promenade along the streets whose names are characteristic of the historic centre of Dubno — Zamkova, Prince Ostrozky Street, Taras Bulba Street.
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| Prince Ostrozky Street |
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| Dubno. 14 Prince Ostrozky Street |
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| Taras Bulba Street. A training centre |
Future doctors master their professional skills at the medical college.
The production buildings of the former hops factory are used for a different purpose. Against a building that is a model of 19th-century industrial architecture, yet another cheap eatery has nestled.
The first library in the medieval town appeared at the monastery in the 15th century. The Central District Library occupies a historic building on Skarbova Street.
The two-storey mansion with columns, built by Elbert in the 19th century, is an architectural monument of local significance.
The Roman Catholic Church of St John of Nepomuk was raised in the 1830s and is part of the complex of Dubno's architectural heritage.
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| Prince Ostrozky Street. A sculpture of St John of Nepomuk |
The railway station is in the southern part of the town, and it is best to get there by minibus.
The station is served by passenger and suburban trains bound from
Kyiv,
Mykolaiv,
Lviv, Uzhhorod and Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as international services from Belarus. The station was built in 1950, and travellers should note that there is no left-luggage office on the premises. The friendly girls at the station cafe did not refuse my request to leave my things there for a short while.
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| Dubno. The Square of the UPA Heroes |
The tourist route can include a visit to
the fort at Tarakaniv (4 km from Dubno) and
the Tunnel of Love in Klevan (60 km from Dubno).
Coordinates of Independence Square in Dubno: 50°25’7"N 25°44’42"E
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