Slovianka. Villages of the Dnipropetrovsk Region

Slovianka is one of the oldest villages in the Dnipropetrovsk region. It received its name in 1777, when, on the instruction of the governor of the Azov province, the settlement of the fertile lands on the bank of the Byk river began. Slovianka lies 125 kilometres from the regional centre. Before the Mezhova district was abolished, 14 km of asphalt road separated the village from the district centre. After the amalgamation of the communities, the residents of the Mezhova area have to cover more than 100 kilometres in 2 hours to reach the district centre of Synelnykove. There is no bus service between the settlements.

Slovianka, Dnipropetrovsk region

Closed Schools. Abandoned Temples of Learning

For thousands of school leavers, after a many-year marathon of dictations and tests, the last bell has sounded as a leitmotif. Saying goodbye to their school and their teachers, yesterday's pupils have stepped, with dreams and hopes, onto the new starting stage of adult life. However each person's path in life turns out, through all the rises and falls, achievements and failures, we are all bound by an unbreakable invisible thread to our school, our teachers, our friends. The wise word of a teacher is always with us, and their blessing before the long road. At different moments in life we return in our thoughts for an instant to our own school, climb the school porch and enter the classroom where there was so much that was important and essential. Reunions of classmates and teachers are often held within the walls of the alma mater, and a wonderful immersion into the times of happy childhood and youth takes place. 

Not all former pupils have anywhere to come back to, because their schools are not only closed but destroyed by mismanagement and indifference.

 

Mykolaivka, Donetsk region. An abandoned school

Climbing a Terrikon. The Summit of a Miners' Barrow

Terrikons in a mining region have always been symbols of the miners' settlements; without them the industrial landscape of the Donbas is impossible to imagine. These "dark barrows" lure conquerors of summits and lovers of contemplating town panoramas from a bird's-eye view. Climbing the newer waste heaps carries a danger - the rock mass goes on burning out, giving off gas and forming voids. The little old extinct volcanoes of long-closed mines are conquered constantly; the ascent has become an ordinary walk to a rock peak, and enthusiasts have created their own kind of health trails.

 

The terrikon of mine No. 5-6. Myrnohrad, Donetsk region

Myrne. The Mennonite Water Tower, Heritage Without Status

You can see it from the H-32 road, and it is impossible not to notice when driving the Novoekonomichne-Malynivka stretch. The only surviving water tower built by the German Mennonites on the territory of the present-day Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region rises like a watchtower outpost on the western side of the small village of Myrne, in the Malynivka village council.

 

The water tower in the village of Myrne, Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region

Sviatohorivka. The Holy Springs of Donbas

Since ancient times springs have been considered the beginning of life; from them flow rivers both small and great. In the Donbas, not rich in water resources, springs are a gift of nature and a kind of indicator of the ecological state of the area. Springs need revival and protection from man-made impact. Sadly, in recent years we have seen healing springs grow shallow and disappear, and so examples of careful treatment of these protected corners deserve attention.

 

Sviatohorivka, Donetsk region. The Life-Giving Spring

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

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

Dobropillia. The 'By the Stork' Nature Complex

Sometimes you walk along a country road, admiring the tidy homesteads and the front gardens in bloom, and suddenly you see something unusual for the Ukrainian backwoods. Where they remember the history of the village and its founders, where they value the labour of those who came before, the community has created, by its own efforts, historical displays and nature-protection areas. Local landmarks have become the calling cards of small settlements; people are proud of them, they cherish and nurture them, adorn and multiply them. And the old-timers put in their efforts not only for themselves -- a traveller too is curious to look in and learn something new about the cultural traditions of the village.

 

Dobropillia. The "By the Stork" nature-protection complex from the history of the Donetsk land

Prosiana. The V. V. Pryklonskyi Railway Station

A railway station is a line subdivision through which the railway's link with its users is carried out.  The V. V. Pryklonskyi Prosiana station is located in the settlement of Prosiana in the Synelnykove district of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

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