Velyki Sorochyntsi. 210 years after the birth of the genius M. V. Gogol

Every resident of our country knows and has heard of Velyki Sorochyntsi. Every year here, in the heart of Ukraine, a trade and cultural mass event is held — the national Sorochyntsi Fair. This village in the Poltava region was made famous by the work of Mykola Vasyliovych Gogol, who was born here. His whole life is filled with myths and mysteries, and his birthplace still remains a riddle. Gogol scholars claim that the spring flood, as of 1 April 1809, washed out the roads and carried away the bridges, and the infant came into the world in a wagon train, as befits a future traveller. But the residents of the writer's little homeland refute this version and are convinced that Nikosha's mother, who had already lost two children, came to doctor Trokhymovsky in good time. What does the cradle of the most enigmatic writer of Ukrainian and Russian literature look like now?

Velyki Sorochyntsi, Poltava region. The M. V. Gogol Literary Memorial Museum

Uzhhorod. Mysterious, welcoming, romantic, wonderful

Uzhhorod — a popular tourist centre of all Ukraine. What do they not call this enchanting city! Tourists hurry to see the capital of Zakarpattia in spring, when the city is wrapped in a pink veil of blooming sakuras and magnolias. Uzhhorod draws you to itself like a magnet at any time of year, and each time it evokes delight and astonishment. It seems you already know all the landmarks, but suddenly you see them from a new, inimitable angle — for example, after the rain.

Uzhhorod. Theatre Square after the rain

Novomoskovsk. The fortress-city of the Samara region

Novomoskovsk — a district centre and railway junction of the Dnipropetrovsk region. The most famous landmark of this industrial city is a masterpiece of 18th-century wooden architecture, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which survived the years of hardship and persecution. Looking at photographs of the sacred structure of unearthly beauty, I very much wanted to see the shrine, which is counted among the hundred best wooden buildings in the whole world. But the city has many other iconic places and beautiful buildings, for the viewing of which I had only two hours.

Novomoskovsk. Dnipropetrovsk region. The Holy Trinity Cathedral

Druzhkivka. The Park of Sculptures. Fairy-tale and historic

In industrial cities you very often come across half-ruined industrial zones, wastelands and unfinished buildings. And suddenly enterprising, creative people appear, capable of turning desolate and wild sites into beautiful parks and recreation areas that become landmarks and tourist attractions. Parks come in many kinds. Often it is not just a green zone with amusement rides, but also an educational centre. In Druzhkivka the park of stone sculptures became an exhibition ground for fifty sculptural depictions of real and imagined heroes.

Druzhkivka. Donetsk region. The Park of Stone Sculptures