Bobrynets. A Dot on the Map. The Cradle of Ukrainian Theatre

A thunderstorm and bad weather made it impossible to walk around Kropyvnytskyi. Somehow I had to flee the endless downpour. The nearest bus service to Bobrynets and a more favourable weather forecast prompted a trip into the backwoods of the Kirovohrad region. And although a fine drizzle and slush pursued me throughout the whole three-hour excursion, I still managed to see a great deal and to get acquainted with the sights of the former county town, founded by Cossacks in 1767.

Bobrynets. Kirovohrad region. The Holy Ascension Cathedral

Myrhorod. A Glorious Town, a Wonderful Resort

Myrhorod — a resort in the Poltava region with a welcoming and kindly name — has been hospitably greeting holidaymakers for more than a hundred years now. The well-known lines of the Ukrainian poet Pavlo Tychyna, "Myrhorod is not the same now, the Khorol river is not the same", can be linked to the positive changes in the amenities of this health resort.

Myrhorod, Poltava region. The embankment of the Khorol river

Vasylkivka-2. From Partyzanska to Pryvokzalna

In the first publication about Vasylkivka the talk was of its southern part, the so-called "lower part", where the buildings with columns and the great number of goats at pasture stuck in my memory. What does the north of Vasylkivka look like? What else can one see in this urban-type settlement in the Dnipro region, which arose from a Cossack winter camp in 1707?

Vasylkivka, Dnipropetrovsk region. The Holy Ascension Church

A Carpathian Village in the City of the Lion. Shevchenkivskyi Hai

The cultural capital of Ukraine, our beloved Lviv, rich in architectural heritage and national traditions, known for its theatres, churches, parks and coffee houses, will never cease to amaze with masterpieces of monumental art. The city of 3 thousand lions in stone and metal, scattered all across the district, has concealed within itself yet another pearl of folk building.

Lviv. The Klymentii Sheptytsky Museum of Folk Architecture and Life

Pinsk — the Cultural Capital of Belarus?

In 2019 the city of Pinsk was declared the cultural capital of Belarus — a district centre of the Brest region with a population of 138 thousand people. How is the cultural heritage, the language and the distinctive traditions preserved; how do the streets and landmarks of the unofficial capital of Polissia look through the eyes of a woman from neighbouring Ukraine? How does a guest feel in one of the largest cities of the blue-eyed republic, and what is there of interest here for the tourist?

Pinsk. The railway station