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

Myrhorod. A Glorious Town, a Wonderful Resort

Myrhorod — a resort in the Poltava region with a welcoming and kindly name — has been hospitably greeting holidaymakers for more than a hundred years now. The well-known lines of the Ukrainian poet Pavlo Tychyna, "Myrhorod is not the same now, the Khorol river is not the same", can be linked to the positive changes in the amenities of this health resort.

Myrhorod, Poltava region. The embankment of the Khorol river

Vasylkivka-2. From Partyzanska to Pryvokzalna

In the first publication about Vasylkivka the talk was of its southern part, the so-called "lower part", where the buildings with columns and the great number of goats at pasture stuck in my memory. What does the north of Vasylkivka look like? What else can one see in this urban-type settlement in the Dnipro region, which arose from a Cossack winter camp in 1707?

Vasylkivka, Dnipropetrovsk region. The Holy Ascension Church

A Carpathian Village in Lviv. Shevchenkivskyi Hai

The cultural capital of Ukraine, our beloved Lviv, rich in architectural heritage and national traditions, known for its theatres, churches, parks and coffee houses, will never cease to amaze with masterpieces of monumental art. The city of 3 thousand lions in stone and metal, scattered all across the district, has concealed within itself yet another pearl of folk building.

Lviv. The Klymentii Sheptytsky Museum of Folk Architecture and Life

Pinsk — the Cultural Capital of Belarus?

In 2019 the city of Pinsk was declared the cultural capital of Belarus — a district centre of the Brest region with a population of 138 thousand people. How is the cultural heritage, the language and the distinctive traditions preserved; how do the streets and landmarks of the unofficial capital of Polissia look through the eyes of a woman from neighbouring Ukraine? How does a guest feel in one of the largest cities of the blue-eyed republic, and what is there of interest here for the tourist?

Pinsk. The railway station

Velyki Sorochyntsi. 210 Years Since Gogol's Birth

Every resident of our country knows and has heard of Velyki Sorochyntsi. Every year here, in the heart of Ukraine, a trade and cultural mass event is held — the national Sorochyntsi Fair. This village in the Poltava region was made famous by the work of Mykola Vasyliovych Gogol, who was born here. His whole life is filled with myths and mysteries, and his birthplace still remains a riddle. Gogol scholars claim that the spring flood, as of 1 April 1809, washed out the roads and carried away the bridges, and the infant came into the world in a wagon train, as befits a future traveller. But the residents of the writer's little homeland refute this version and are convinced that Nikosha's mother, who had already lost two children, came to doctor Trokhymovsky in good time. What does the cradle of the most enigmatic writer of Ukrainian and Russian literature look like now?

Velyki Sorochyntsi, Poltava region. The M. V. Gogol Literary Memorial Museum

Uzhhorod. Mysterious, welcoming, romantic, wonderful

Uzhhorod — a popular tourist centre of all Ukraine. What do they not call this enchanting city! Tourists hurry to see the capital of Zakarpattia in spring, when the city is wrapped in a pink veil of blooming sakuras and magnolias. Uzhhorod draws you to itself like a magnet at any time of year, and each time it evokes delight and astonishment. It seems you already know all the landmarks, but suddenly you see them from a new, inimitable angle — for example, after the rain.

Uzhhorod. Theatre Square after the rain

Novomoskovsk. The fortress-city of the Samara region

Novomoskovsk — a district centre and railway junction of the Dnipropetrovsk region. The most famous landmark of this industrial city is a masterpiece of 18th-century wooden architecture, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which survived the years of hardship and persecution. Looking at photographs of the sacred structure of unearthly beauty, I very much wanted to see the shrine, which is counted among the hundred best wooden buildings in the whole world. But the city has many other iconic places and beautiful buildings, for the viewing of which I had only two hours.

Novomoskovsk. Dnipropetrovsk region. The Holy Trinity Cathedral

Druzhkivka. The Park of Sculptures. Fairy-tale and historic

In industrial cities you very often come across half-ruined industrial zones, wastelands and unfinished buildings. And suddenly enterprising, creative people appear, capable of turning desolate and wild sites into beautiful parks and recreation areas that become landmarks and tourist attractions. Parks come in many kinds. Often it is not just a green zone with amusement rides, but also an educational centre. In Druzhkivka the park of stone sculptures became an exhibition ground for fifty sculptural depictions of real and imagined heroes.

Druzhkivka. Donetsk region. The Park of Stone Sculptures

Zalukva. Halych beyond the Lukva

One of the many human passions urges us to see uncharted distances, getting to know not only the popular tourist landmarks but also that which is not found in advertising brochures and catalogues. From the top of Castle Hill in Halych the grace of the Subcarpathian village opens to the view, its outskirts merging with the forests, the mountains and the clouds of heaven.

Zalukva, Halych district, Ivano-Frankivsk region