Chernytsia. The Stefanus estate. Among the lordly ruins

The village of Chernytsia is in the Stryi district of the Lviv region; the distance to the regional centre is 40 km, and to the Pisochna railway station 2.5 km. Today I am a guest at the former estate of the landowner Witold Stefanus; I shall see the manor house whose heyday was 100 years ago.

 

Chernytsia, Lviv region. The Stefanus manor house

Slovianka. The Pearl of the Steppe Estate

As the May holidays draw near, and the summer vacations behind them, we think more and more about where to spend them. The pandemic has forced Ukrainians to reconsider their travel routes in favour of little-known destinations, giving up the popular resorts. Quarantine restrictions push travellers and holidaymakers to change their plans, to look for new uncharted corners and to draw fresh emotions from what they see. Having sat out several weeks or months in self-isolation, people long to break away from ordinary life, to relax in the lap of nature, to hurry nowhere and to make incredible discoveries.

The "Pearl of the Steppe" estate is exactly the place where you can spend your leisure not with a crowd of tourists galloping past the sights, but resting far from the rhythms of the urban bustle, with a blanket on the meadow and a fishing rod at the evening glow. We are off in search of inspiration, adrenaline and endorphins!

Slovianka, Dnipropetrovsk region. The "Pearl of the Steppe" estate

The Suderman House in Zelene. An Estate That Was Lucky

A love of travel and discovery is born back in childhood, when moral values and spiritual needs are formed. It is very important to preserve cultural and historical heritage for young explorers and pioneers, to cultivate a sense of responsibility for preserving historical monuments. Memory is our strength in creating the future. Sadly, in recent years there has been no careful treatment of architectural and historical gems; many unique buildings and estates left to us by earlier generations have been irretrievably lost or spoiled beyond recognition by rebuilding. Every historical object is individual and carries the memory of a bygone era, and needs to be preserved and protected.

A one-of-a-kind example of cultural heritage has survived in the village of Zelene in the Dobropillia area.

 

Zelene in the Dobropillia area. The "Manor House" architectural-historical complex. The Suderman house. 1897-1914

Kramatorsk. The Noble Nest of the Korshuns

Neglected and ruined estates, forgotten names and the tragic fates of their owners. Ruined family houses in which people grew up and lived who served their Motherland and their people faithfully and truly. On the northern edge of Kramatorsk, in oblivion and desolation, amid the thickets of an abandoned park, the mansion of a noble family gleams white and forlorn — the house in which the eminent microbiologist, the talented scholar Stepan Vasylovych Korshun, lived and worked.

Kramatorsk. Donetsk region. The Korshun house. Late 19th c.

Prelesne. The Bantysh Palace. Charm and disenchantment

The very name of the village of Prelesne suggests that something here was charming, unusual and alluring. In a picturesque part of the Sloviansk district of the Donetsk region, a landscape-and-architectural monument of the 19th century has survived, but for over 20 years now it has been turning into ruins.

Prelesne, Sloviansk district, Donetsk region. The Bantysh Palace. 1837.

Komyshuvakha. Secrets of the Bantysh Estate

There is a belief that the Donbas land is an agglomeration of industrial towns, terrikons and factory chimneys that place a man-made burden on the environment. How wrong are those who think that Ukraine's industrial heartland has no places for tourists. The most famous are the national nature park "Sviati Hory", the Lyman Blue Lakes, the chalk mountains, the Bilokuzmynivka rocks.

Fifteen kilometres from Kramatorsk there is a unique corner where the beauty of natural landscapes comes together with a place for townsfolk to rest, the history of the region, an architectural monument, tales of astonishing destinies, incredible legends and even mysticism.

Komyshuvakha. Kramatorsk city council. Donetsk region