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

Lviv. Pohulianka — a Special Place for a Stroll

Pohulianka Nature Reserve Park is located in the south-eastern part of Lviv, in the area of the same name, where townspeople have loved to stroll since the mid-19th century.

 

Lviv. Pohulianka Nature Reserve Park

Mykolaiv. The Pysanka Chapel and Vysokyi Kamin

Every town or village has its own calling card, which stands out through the information it conveys about the place and is a part of its history. In Mykolaiv in the Lviv region, such a symbol appeared in 2002 — one that is known beyond the town and that tourists include in their routes. A chapel in the shape of a painted Easter egg stands on Mount Vysokyi Kamin and can be seen from several kilometres away.

 

Mykolaiv. Lviv region. The chapel in honour of the Nativity of Christ. The pysanka chapel

Rudnyky. The Vanished Monastery and Village Landmarks

From monastic prayers of old

The spiritual bell tower tolls.

For the living generations –

Our chapel of remembrance.

According to legend, in the Middle Ages monasteries were built near sites of pre-Christian culture, and also where a holy image had appeared. Many cloisters were spiritual centres and places of pilgrimage for centuries, yet have not survived to our day. Relics gathered over the ages vanished; the houses of prayer did not outlive reforms and troubled times, and were burnt and destroyed. These holy places lie far from tourist routes, surrounded by silence and filled with spiritual power. One of the vanished monasteries had existed since time immemorial in the village of Rudnyky, and now a memorial chapel has been erected on the holy site.

 

Rudnyky, Lviv region. The chapel of Sts Peter and Paul on the site of the vanished monastery

Vynnyky. A Way of the Cross Honouring Ukrainian Heroes

In 1999 a Way of the Cross was created in Vynnyky in the Lviv region, on the slope of Zhupan hill. Its 14 stations mark the path of the Son of God bearing the cross of human sins. Services on the Way of the Cross are held for spiritual renewal and to promote Christian values.

Vynnyky. The Way of the Cross

Chynadiievo. Castles, Churches and Other Landmarks

Two monuments of architecture and history in Chynadiievo, Mukachevo district, Sent-Miklosh Castle and the palace of Count Schonborn — two pearls of Zakarpattia.

Chynadiievo. The palace of Count Schonborn

Stradch. The cave monastery of the 11th-13th centuries

The Stradch cave church is a unique historical monument that has survived unchanged since the 11th century.

Stradch. Lviv region. The cave monastery. The church of the Mother of God the Indestructible Wall

Krekhiv. The Monastery of St Nicholas of the Basilian Order

For four centuries the Krekhiv Monastery of St Nicholas of the Basilian Order has been one of the largest spiritual centres and a place of pilgrimage for the faithful from all over Ukraine and abroad.

Krekhiv. The Monastery of St Nicholas of the Basilian Order

The Hoshiv Monastery. A Pilgrimage Centre in Dolyna

Above the Subcarpathian village of Hoshiv, on the summit of Yasna Hora (Bright Mountain), rises the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all over the world.

The Hoshiv Holy Transfiguration Monastery

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.