Drohobych. Churches Worth Visiting

Getting acquainted with the history and notable sights of Drohobych, the administrative and cultural centre of Lviv region, tourists will find it interesting to look over the sacred architecture, the ancient churches and the new churches of various denominations.

 

Drohobych, Lviv region. The Monastery of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

Stryi. A City of Historical and Architectural Heritage

«Stryi is a European city» — such slogans can be seen in this Subcarpathian district centre in the Lviv region. It is impossible to build a future without knowing your own origins and without preserving the cultural heritage for those who come after.

Stryi, Lviv region. The sign on the road roundabout

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

Bobrynets. A Dot on the Map. The Cradle of Ukrainian Theatre

A thunderstorm and bad weather made it impossible to walk around Kropyvnytskyi. Somehow I had to flee the endless downpour. The nearest bus service to Bobrynets and a more favourable weather forecast prompted a trip into the backwoods of the Kirovohrad region. And although a fine drizzle and slush pursued me throughout the whole three-hour excursion, I still managed to see a great deal and to get acquainted with the sights of the former county town, founded by Cossacks in 1767.

Bobrynets. Kirovohrad region. The Holy Ascension Cathedral

Synagogues in Ukraine. How Is Their Heritage Preserved?

In Jewish communities scattered across the world, the synagogue is a social and spiritual centre. In these beautiful buildings with large windows, one of which faces towards Jerusalem, not only are God's Commandments preached, but public matters are also decided, solemn ceremonies held and guests received. In the 'Houses of Assembly' the community's board sits and a communal court operates. Sadly, many spiritual heirs of King Solomon's First Temple were destroyed by the Holocaust. Some buildings were saved when churches of other denominations, or organisations and institutions, came to occupy their walls. Let us look, through examples, at what synagogues in Ukraine are like.

Uzhhorod. The former synagogue, 1904.

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

Seen in Bolekhiv

I continue my acquaintance with Bolekhiv — a Subcarpathian town in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

One Day in Drohobych

More than once I have heard the notion that if you have seen the sights of Lviv, that is quite enough for one's general education, and there is no point going to other towns of the region in search of something new. I will never agree with that. For me every settlement of the Lviv region is singular and unique. And Drohobych won my heart at once, with its history and its atmosphere.

Palace of Arts

Dolyna: Ancient at the Roots, Young at Heart

I had long wanted to see old Dolyna. The town's thousand-year history begins from this spot, where the salt springs were already being used in the 10th century. Today it is a quiet, green district of the town, and it was its notable sights that I set off to get to know.

The main enterprise was the saltworks, now turned into ruins, though it is a monument of industrial architecture. This is what it looked like at the beginning of the 20th century; how it looks now I will see at the end of my journey.

Turka: The Boyko Capital, a Pearl of the Carpathians

Turka — the pearl of the Carpathians

Turka