The Sundial. Instrument, Monument and Ornament

The sundial has been known since ancient times; for many centuries it has not only shown the time but also served as a park ornament, a beautiful addition to historic squares and the facades of buildings. The length and movement of the shadow cast by the gnomon make it possible to see what hour it is. Craftsmen worked on the device so that the clock would show the exact time and remain an architectural adornment of cities.

 

Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast. Sundial on Mashynobudivnykiv Boulevard

Watchmaker's Day. Wall, Street and Tower Clocks of Ukraine

Our life is scheduled to the minute, and we constantly check the time by electronic, wrist and street clocks, and when we notice a fault in the clockwork we turn to the masters of time. Not everyone knows that on 3 November watchmakers celebrate their professional holiday together with jewellers, since specialists of these magical crafts are called masters of golden work, or masters with golden hands.

 

In the watchmaker's workshop

Kalush. It both surprised and charmed me

Kalush is an industrial and cultural centre of Prykarpattia, set 30 kilometres from Ivano-Frankivsk. The town is associated with a zone of ecological disaster and the harmful influence of chemical production on the surrounding environment. Despite the intensive industrialisation and the dangerous ecological situation, the atmosphere of this old town of the Boiko region and its national colour can still be felt on its streets.

Kalush. Ivano-Frankivsk region. Heroes' Square