Nadvirna is called the gates of the Carpathians. And how, indeed, could one drive past these very gates on the way to the mountain peaks and waterfalls? Nadvirna lies in the south of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, 35 kilometres from the regional centre. This Precarpathian town was a popular resort at the beginning of the 20th century, and even now an inquisitive traveller, on a 2-3-hour walk, will find plenty of curiosities that set apart one of the youngest district centres of Western Ukraine.
Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivsk region
The start is in the very heart, on Shevchenko Square, whose dominant landmark is, of course, the Town Hall.
In 1591 the Galician town was granted Magdeburg rights, and 10 years later a magistrate building appeared on the central square. Fires, destruction and rebuildings altered the main administrative building. Today the Town Hall houses an information and tourist centre and other organisations, while the chimes on the tower strike the exact time. At noon the anthem of Ukraine rings out, performed by a choir.
Nadvirna. The Town Hall with its clock tower
In the centre of the square rises the figure of the national poet-prophet, and the pedestal is surrounded by sculpted images of the heroes of the Kobzar's works.
Nadvirna. The monument to T. H. Shevchenko
Around the square are concentrated administrative institutions, commercial establishments, hotels, an agricultural market and shops — which together form the core of Nadvirna.
Nadvirna. The town centre
On the square stands the Museum of the History of the Nadvirna Region, in a building that in Soviet times housed the NKVD-KGB. One of the museum's exhibitions is devoted to the victims of the Stalinist regime, many of whom were tortured to death in the building's cellars.
Nadvirna. The Museum of the History of the Nadvirna Region
An information board announces the development of industry, culture, education, tourism and sport in the Nadvirna district.
Nadvirna. Information board on the development of the Nadvirna region
A monument depicting an oil worker and oil-extraction equipment is dedicated to the extraction of Nadvirna oil.
Nadvirna. Monument to the 100th anniversary of Nadvirna oil. 1967
The streets and houses that have preserved the individuality and traditions of this Galician town will tell you the most important things about it without any extra expense.
Nadvirna. Ivan Mazepa Street
The central street bears the name of the Hetman of Ukraine, Ivan Mazepa. Neat, decked in blossom, not overloaded with traffic, it makes you want to stroll and gaze at the old villas occupied by bank branches, the music school and the registry office.
Nadvirna. The music school
Nadvirna. The registry office
Nadvirna. A sculpture
Nadvirna. The Oshchadbank branch
The building of the former county starostvo (district administration), erected at the beginning of the 20th century in the Secession style, has not lost its administrative purpose — today it houses the town council.
Nadvirna. The town council
The most refined décor — with mascarons, a garland of pine cones and an owl, the symbol of wisdom — belongs to the mansion of Nikolaichuk, a lawyer and public figure.
Nadvirna. Mickiewicz Street, 5
Next to the elegant villa stands a two-storey residential building, built in the functionalist style.
Nadvirna. Mickiewicz Street, 3
The oldest religious building — the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — was built in 1937 on the site of the first stone church of 1599-1609, whose walls now serve as a fore-wall and chapel. In front of the church, as part of the celebrations of the parish's 400th anniversary, a monument to Pope John Paul II was erected.
Nadvirna. The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1937, and the monument to John Paul II
The Second World War and the ban on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during the Soviet period prevented the building of the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, begun in 1937. After the war the Bolshevik authorities confiscated the building materials and planned to set up a warehouse on the premises, but the faithful protected the shrine as best they could. Permission to continue building the church had to be sought in Kyiv and Moscow. And in 1990, following the preserved design, construction of the cathedral resumed. Decorative elements, paintings and gilding were produced. In 2000 the church was consecrated.
Nadvirna. The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The first service in the Orthodox Church of St Volodymyr the Great took place in 2007. The church is 38 metres tall. The architect was Volodymyr Kochmar. The church is built in the Ukrainian Baroque style, and its walls are adorned with wondrous murals.
Nadvirna. The Church of St Volodymyr the Great. 2007
During the construction of the church, an excavator caught on a hitherto unknown structure, which turned out to be part of the ruined Nadvirna castle. Scholars consider it older than its brother at Pniv, and research into its history is not yet complete. Curiously, the inhabitant of this defensive structure turned out to be a black-furred cat, just like the four-legged residents I met at Pniv Castle.
Nadvirna. The remains of the castle tower
This medieval monument stands in the grounds of the Franko park — a green expanse of ancient trees, funfair rides, cafés, sports facilities, alleys and benches. An uncrowded green islet with birdsong, squirrels and butterflies, made for an unhurried promenade and for admiring nature. The bas-relief panel was probably once the adornment of some building.
Nadvirna. The Franko park
There is no town in the Ivano-Frankivsk region without a monument to the poet Kameniar, the Stonecutter. The bust of Ivan Yakovych in Nadvirna was created in 1958, and since 2013 it has stood in the Franko park.
Nadvirna. The monument to I. Ya. Franko
The Strymba river flows through the whole town, and in its bed, on the eastern side of the park, a lake has been formed — a favourite place to rest.
Nadvirna. The Strymba river and the lake
The Jewish cemetery, situated to the north-east of the park, can be counted among Nadvirna's cultural heritage. A kirkut, as a Jewish cemetery in Western Ukraine is called, was founded at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries and began to take shape at the same time as the settlement itself arose. The Jewish population of Nadvirna sometimes reached 50-60%. In the old part of the cemetery lay the graves of those killed during the uprisings of Severyn Nalyvaiko and Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. The cemetery numbered up to 1000 gravestones, with the last burial dated 1941.
Nadvirna. The kirkut
The Naftovyk stadium holds 5,000 spectators and is the home arena of the Beskyd football club.
Nadvirna. The Naftovyk stadium
Nadvirna has many more natural and architectural landmarks that can draw travellers on the road to Yaremche, Vorokhta, Mykulychyn, Yablunytsia and other little gems of the Nadvirna district.
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