Mykolaiv on the Dnister: Landmarks in and Around Town

To find landmarks at every step, inquisitive tourists with a passion for little-known routes, having had their fill of strolls around noisy Lviv, move on to the quiet and sparsely populated Mykolaiv, located 30 kilometres south of the regional centre. In ancient and medieval times the lands of today's Mykolaiv area were conquered, annexed, destroyed and revived again, and to strengthen the borders both defenders and conquerors built fortified zones with fortifications to protect the crossing over the Dnister.

Mykolaiv, Lviv Oblast. A view of the town from the artillery positions

Shchyrets. Fortified Churches, a Museum and More

Lovers of independent travel choose unconventional routes, not overloading themselves with information and leaving room for their own preferences. This style of travel always includes a process of searching and discovery. The little town of Shchyrets in Lviv Oblast is an excellent choice for a one-day trip full of exploration and finds.

Shchyrets, Lviv Oblast. Zolota Hora. The Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God. 16th century

Velykyi Liubin. Landmarks of an Ancient Resort

Recently, among fans of domestic tourism there has been a surge of interest in small towns and villages that have preserved a distinctive culture and historical landmarks. The settlement of Velykyi Liubin lies 20 kilometres south-west of Lviv and has a whole list of architectural and natural landmarks, for which 3-4 hours are enough to see them. The chronicle town of Liubin has been known since the 13th century; it was repeatedly destroyed by wars, destroyed again by the enemy after being rebuilt, but time and again it was reborn. The owners of the lands and the castle changed; it was passed down by inheritance, given as a dowry, and even lost at cards. In this settlement with a population of 4,500, the memory of the locality's formation and development has been preserved. In the eastern part of the settlement, on Zamkova Street, stands a palace founded on the site of a 17th-century castle.

 

Velykyi Liubin. The Brunicki palace-estate

Vovkiv. Market Square, the Wooden Church and Museum

Every town or village has its own experience of preserving historical sites and architectural monuments, which together make up Ukraine's cultural landscape and keep alive the memory of particular events or figures. The village of Vovkiv lies 20 km south of Lviv, in the floodplain of the Zubra River. It is first mentioned in 1398 and has a centuries-old history.

 

Deliatyn. The Gates of the Carpathians. The Very Best

Deliatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region is exactly the kind of place where travellers are ready to spend their precious tourist time usefully and with the utmost pleasure. The settlement stretches about 12 kilometres from north to south.

 

Deliatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The Liubizhnia river

Brailiv. A Cultural and Spiritual Centre of Podillia

The tourist sites of Brailiv are among the winners of the regional contest 'The 7 Wonders of the Vinnytsia Region'. I arrived by suburban train at this small settlement, located forty kilometres from Vinnytsia and seven from the junction station of Zhmerynka. The railway in these parts was laid at state expense — and colossal super-profits were made from it — by the railway magnate Karl von Meck. The financial tycoon acquired the town in 1867, owned a brick factory and a sugar factory here, did not stint, and built in Brailiv a snow-white palace in which his enterprising wife, the mother of 18 children, unfolded her patronage of the arts.

Brailiv. The palace of Nadezhda von Meck. Brailiv Vocational Lyceum

Luninets. A Walk Through a Flowery Strawberry Town

Luninets, dawn, deserted streets and squares, no cars, no people. I got to know the town while passing through, in transit at the railway station. Waiting for my train, I took a morning walk while the town still slept, and on the way back — for half an hour in the evening, almost at dusk.

Luninets. Brest region, Belarus. Lenin Square

Pinsk. The Pedestrian Street. 'Strolling Down Haz'

In 2018, a pedestrian zone opened in the historic centre of Pinsk. After reconstruction, Lenin Street — the town's most iconic and best-loved street — appeared in a modern guise, with renovated facades, paving slabs, flowerbeds and slender thujas.

Pinsk. Brest region, Belarus. Lenin Street

Bakhmut. How the First Places of Worship Appeared

Bakhmut (from 1924 to 2016, Artemivsk) is the oldest town in the Donetsk region, founded four and a half centuries ago with the creation of the Bakhmut watch-post to defend the state frontiers against enemy raids. With the formation of the sloboda came the need to build places of worship. In the 17th and 18th centuries the county town had several churches. The Church of St Nicholas has survived to our day unchanged, one of the most ancient wooden churches still in use in Eastern Ukraine (8 Taras Shevchenko Street).

Bakhmut. Donetsk region. The Church of St Nicholas. 1797.

Zhovkva. A Walk with History

To immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the Renaissance and see the historic centre of an ideal town of the early 17th century — welcome to Zhovkva, an old town of Prykarpattia.

Zhovkva. Viche Square. The Town Hall. The fountain

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

Perechyn. A Half-Marathon in Zakarpattia

As they get to know the generous natural riches of Zakarpattia, tourists increasingly include in their routes the town of Perechyn, set among mountain peaks near the confluence of the Turia and Uzh rivers.

The town of Perechyn. Zakarpattia region

Klevan. The Tunnel of Love and Other Landmarks

Lovers and romantics, uplifted by lofty feelings, name towns and planets, castles and palaces, mountains and lakes in honour of love. And the Ukrainian settlement of Klevan in the Rivne region is known the world over for its Tunnel of Love.

Klevan. The Tunnel of Love

Passing through Zhytomyr. A city of peace and bread

Today's tale is about Zhytomyr, an ancient town known since the days of Kyivan Rus. What can you see in the course of four hours, and what impressions were left after an unplanned stroll around this regional centre in the north-west of Ukraine?

Zhytomyr. Soborna Square

Mukachevo. The Square of Cyril and Methodius

If you have been lucky enough to visit Mukachevo in the Zakarpattia region, then one day will not be enough to get acquainted with all its notable sights.

Mukachevo. Zakarpattia region. Palanok Castle

Berdychiv. A Brief Historical Excursion

As you approach the railway station of Berdychiv, the lines of a song come to mind — one banned in Soviet times, by unknown authors, yet beloved of chanson performers: "And the train rode quietly on to Berdychiv". The crossing, in this county town, of railway trunk lines from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, Odesa, and Poland made Berdychiv famous in the musical genre.

Berdychiv. Railway station

Luzhany. The Oldest Church in Bukovyna

How many wonderful villages and small towns we have, ones you want to visit and learn more about.

Luzhany, Kitsman district. Chernivtsi region

Sumy — a Tourist City?

For me, the city of Sumy long seemed a terra incognita.

Here It Is, Mykolaiv. Without Sweeteners or Adornments

I will say straight away that I liked Mykolaiv, but I will not sing its praises; I will describe my walk through the city on a sunny March day without embellishment.

The City Council

In Skole — Through the Mountains and Through the Town

One could speak endlessly of the magical charm of our Carpathians. The more often you come here, the more you long to know about every corner of this blessed land.