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

Chernihiv. A Chronicle Town of Grandeur and Holiness

Chernihiv is a regional centre of Ukraine, a railway junction, a port on the Desna, and an ancient town with tourist attractions.

Chernihiv. Myru Avenue. St Catherine's Church. 1715.

The Druzhkivka Petrified Trees. How to Find Them?

While getting to know the unique places of the Donetsk land, I unexpectedly made a discovery for myself. The oldest stone forest on the Eurasian continent lies half a kilometre from the settlement of Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka.

Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka. Petrified trees

Pyrohiv. Homesteads and houses

The Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Pyrohiv is the largest in Eastern Europe. This open-air museum occupies an area of over 300 hectares in a picturesque spot in the southern part of Kyiv.

Kyiv. Pyrohiv. The Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. The "Podillia" exposition

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.

The Samara St Nicholas Hermitage Monastery

The Samara St Nicholas Monastery, with its centuries-long history, is called the Hermitage Monastery because in olden times it belonged administratively to no settlement and was the only monastery in the forests of the Lower Dnieper region.

The Samara St Nicholas Monastery. Novomoskovsk, Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Chernihiv Dytynets. The chronicle cradle of Kyivan Rus

Getting to know Chernihiv should begin with the Dytynets — its cradle, which gave rise to the development of the capital city of the Chernihiv-Siverian principality.

Chernihiv. The Dytynets. The Transfiguration Cathedral. 1036.

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

Starobilsk. The Convent of "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

More than once I have heard it said that Donbas had no spiritual life, no feats of ascetics, and that its people are not as pious as in other regions of Ukraine.

The history of the Starobilsk Holy Convent of "Joy of All Who Sorrow" is an example of the unbreakable strength of faith, a testimony to the love and virtue of its founders and inhabitants, of those who "conferred not with flesh and blood".

Starobilsk. Luhansk region. Convent of "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

Chernivtsi. A Promenade Around the Central Square

Every city has its own main square, and the history of the city is bound up with the story of how that square came to be. These squares are known for their monuments and are always beloved of townsfolk and tourists alike. It is here that momentous events take place, festive occasions are held and guests are welcomed.

Chernivtsi. The Central Square. The Town Hall