Prutets Chemyhivskyi. A Carpathian River, a Blue Ribbon

Great rivers absorb numerous streams along their course and are fed by the resources of small rivers. The Prutets Chemyhivskyi river is a right tributary and one of the main tributaries of the Prut, in the Danube basin. 

 

Prutets Chemyhivskyi, Nadvirna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region

The rebellious Prut shared its character with its tributary and passed on its hydronym in a diminutive form with a geographical qualifier — Prutets Chemyhivskyi. The river is 21 kilometres long.

This capricious mountain stream is characterised by a swift current, a stony bed and a weakly meandering channel. Numerous rapids in the high-water seasons create small waterfalls, which lend the Prutets its picturesqueness and its cheerful mood.

The channel of the Prutets Chemyhivskyi

The river lies in the Nadvirna district; its source is on the slopes of Mount Lysyna Kosmatska, to the south-east of the village of Mykulychyn. It merges with the Prut in the western part of Mykulychyn.

The confluence of the Prut and the Prutets Chemyhivskyi

The valley of the Prutets is narrow and wooded, with sheer slopes. The wilful character of the water flow is restrained by stone monoliths that form canyon-like galleries. In their turn, the ash trees, spruces and firs support the layers of boulders with their branching roots.

 

Stone canyons on the Prutets Chemyhivskyi

In the places where soft rock comes to the surface, the river forms basins that are taken over by anglers and lovers of water treatments.

 

The valley of the Prutets Chemyhivskyi river

Across the river are thrown homemade wooden crossings and a road bridge carrying the N 09 route. During floods the rushing current is capable of sweeping away bridges, buildings and roads, as the ruined piers of a reinforced-concrete bridge testify.

 

Wooden and suspension crossings over the Prutets Chemyhivskyi

The blue ribbon is fed by meltwater, rainwater and groundwater. Small rivers and streams flow into the Prutets, the largest of which is the Zbanulets, 3 kilometres long. Numerous private and guest homesteads sit on the banks of the river, so there is a suspicion that not all the owners take care to preserve this Carpathian beauty. Rubbish containers are not installed everywhere, and on the riverside strip you can often see piles of household waste. Pollution of the Prutets by the discharge of wastewater noticeably worsens the ecological state of the river.

The turbulent flows of the Prutets Chemyhivskyi

The following locations, situated on the bank of the Prutets Chemyhivskyi, will be attractive to tourists: the narrow-gauge railway carriage museum, the museum of Hutsul customary symbolism and near the river — the large Carpathian Swing.

Related stories: Liubizhnia. A Mountain River and the Liubizhnianskyi Huk · Mykulychyn. Church of the Ascension. Hutsul Architecture · Mykulychyn. The Museum of Hutsul Customary Symbolism · Yaremche. The Probiy Waterfall and Other Hutsul Wonders

This story is also available in Ukrainian: Прутець Чемигівський. Карпатська річка, блакитна стрічка